The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1862-10-23
The Battle ON The Hatchie.
Detailed account of the Fight Com
3,Iete'.ess Of our Victory Valuable
Captures. sa tg -

D6CHftO dccONHC OF CUS HtyuC.-C COD1-
3,lete'sess Of our Victory.-V Valuable
Captures. ad Fe ~
Special Correspondence of the Chicago Times.
BOLIVAR. Tenn, Oct Z.
The force of the rebels cannot be
figured below thirty thousand, aud the
lowest claim have heard made by any
of the rebel prisoners was twenty two
thou>a ID Late on Friday afternoon,
Oct. 3d, Gen. Hurlbut received orders
to telegraph for Gen. Grant to march
his division towards Corinth, to aiil
General Rosecrans. By 8 o'clock OH
Saturday morning, the division as on
the march.
Saturday was an excessively hot, not
wifhstandiig this, the little army had
marched by the road twenty-six miles
through the dust aud heat, and they
rncampri FIVE miles from the Hatchie
River, on what is called the State line
road.
The enemy had not only strongly
posted himself an the opposite side of
the river on Saturday evening, hut had
thrown considerable infantry force
across the river, and a battery of ariil
lery of tour guns, and planted it i'm
mediately in front of the bridge.
Early in the morning our army began
to move, Smelling the nights with the
artillery.
Soon after the march commenced,
Mai. Gen. Ord arrived on the field and
took the chief command. though he
made no changes in the disposition of
the troops or the plan of the engage
ment.
The first line of battle had been
formed by the Second Brigade, the
First being held as reserve. Gen.
Watch led OH his line in gallant style.
Iiisright was speedily engaged by fresh
troops which the enemy had thrown
across the bridge aud deployed to their
left, hut with little effect. in stopping
The onward march of our troops. The
infantry engagement which followed
was sharp, short and decisive. H.
twenty minutes from the time the rebels
opened their fire, four hundred of them
tutC" uoM tuVlf anu Cll
.lered, while hundreds ufothers escaped,
some by throwing themselves into the
river and reaching the opposite bank (:
"a few made good their retreat acros.
the bridge; others broke for the right
and lett, some throwing away their
arms in their fight. The rebel batter,
was then drawn To our rear.
During this time the rebels opened
another battery on an eminence omar.
ter of a mlie in rear of the brid e,
across the river. At this time Ger.
Hurlbut was just bringing up the re-
serve brigade, or all of it but two COM
panies, which proves the desperate
character of the engagement. All OF
the artillery WAS also being hastened
forward. Pretty warm work." saws
Gen. Ord 10 Gen. Hurlbut "Notvery, !"
was the cool reply. THAT battery"
pointing to the one across the bridge g.
must be silenced," said the comman
der. ''ll shall be in twenty minutes"
was the reply. Some doubt being
raised As t. the proper point of placing
section of B"ltun's Battery, "Show
me the place, 'sald Senior Lieut. j. N.
Moore, "and viii plant it there, il IL
is Ill" Sucn was the spirit and de-
termination of the whole army. Gen.
Ord had just ordered the Fifty third
lndlana To cross the bridge, aud they
were dol 9 SO under Il most terrible
fire from The battery, and from the enc
Ia Stl..f I'm,
the leg, just above the ankle JOINT, the
Dall loltunatiy passing between the
bones OF the leg, but necessarily DIS
abllny hlln from further Immediate duty.
TINS was not Tar from ten y clock. Gen.
Ord had been very active and devoted
IN conducting the battle. AS we'll as
every thing had prospered So far, yet
our troup> were entirely unacquainted
With Their new commander. However
brave and skllIiul he might be, they did
not know him. HuriDnt they did know,
and believe in him, that was sure. tie
hal planned this engagement, aud un
u"uutedly the troops thought they
could execute it better, and with more
confidence, under the man they knew
and trusted, Than any other. 1t Was
natural.
The Fifty third lndiania was strug
CLING against storm of lead and iron,
which swept the entire length aud
breadth ot The bridge.
The I2,h Michigan, the 6Sth Ohio,
and the 46lh Illinois immediately fol
lowed. The most of these troops de-
plo, ing To the left, drove the rebel III
tanlry from every position they at
tempted To maintain. Gen. Veatch
here received stroke on the head OF
his scabbard from a passing round shot,
which for time completely paralyzed
him. The rebel battery, perceiylng
the l,ss of its infantry support and
the imminent danger it was III from our
advancing columns, was rapidly hauled
nff To an"ti er eminence, some distance
To the northwest of its old position,
when the hill in front al tile bridge was
iininediatly occupied by the First Mis-
souri and Burnap's Batteries Bottoms
Battery was planted ON another emf