The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-01-09
ARMY CORRESPONDENCE
CALHOUN, ian. 5, 1862.

?
CALHOUN, Jan. 5, 1862.
Eds. JoarnaE:-I notice in your issue OF
the End an editorial criticizing the late I
skirmishs between detaehment=o Jaekson's
cavalry and the rebels at Sacramento, The
criticisms being founded on information re
eeived from mes5T The Information gave you
/ reeeised from several of the men that
were engaged in. the fight (not in the run)
and believe is generally correct, although
doubt very much the propriety of your
publishing everything you hear, and more
especially all you get from a friend as a
friend andrnot as an editor Major Murray
who was in command of,the detachment
has just waited or. me after reading your
comments on the affair, and informs
me. that in tive. particulars, the infor-
nation is not correct that they were not
coming careIessly along-that his rear
| guard were about one fourth of a mile in
the rear--the advance marching in order.
/ that just as they were entering Sacramento
i they heard the fire on the rear guard. He
then wheeledshis men into line Of battle in
an open space between the town and wood
adjoining, the rear guard retreated to shern-
and rallied that they made a stand tiit
the zrpepay7 came up through the woods,
and as they were having the advantage of
the timber he gaxe-th order to charge and
every man obeBed- valiaptly. They fought
! them hand to hand and while the rebels
-, Al.
and Aanking them on the right opened a
7 very destructive fire on them, killing quite
a number, to his own knowledge, where
Il upon they retreated in confusion until they
i were REINFORCED. They then rallied and
i CAME st our men again with force six to
I zone just then some one, unauthorized, gave
: the order to "retreat'' to Sacramento and
rally, then commented the stampede, and
= the men were perfectly unmanageable The
!. Balance of your remarks were correct. This
statement is given me by Major Murray,
that you may be corrected. have not the
4 least inclination to injure any one in the
: affair, and know that you have not, but it
is unfortunate for the Major that he did not
correct the nis-statenents Sooner, as 1t is,
and has been the general impression that
the whole affair was dishonorable fizzle.
r He attaches no blame to his men, and
says he will take the same men and eight
anywhere two to one, and risk his reputa-
tion on the result. We here. all know
that he regiment is made up of fighting
d material, for they have proved it on several
occasions. ! will GUARANTEES Afaj, Murray is
4 not a man to run or allow his men to run
without a desperate effort to rally them
He relates several instances of bravery that
are. not excelled in history One of which
was as follows: After Capt. Bacon was
wounded, having fought desperately against
an odds of five or six, who were determined
to Kill him, (mistaking him for Col Jack
+ sony becoming faint, be turned with look
Of despair and said " Major, for Gods sake
trally my men, and tell them to come and
4 help me-" when Lieut. Jewett, who had
been fighting by his side from the first, said
retreat Captain, and Pll cover you" and
actually threw himself between the Captain
and his antagonists, and kept them at bay
for mere than a mileS billing several of
them his horse, then fell with him, and the
rebels bent on their prize, passed him and
succeeded in taking the Captain lie slipped
into the woods and escaped. Another.
One of the privates who had "A personal
encounter with one of the rebels, took de-
liberate aim at him, and shot him. right in
4 the breast, The rebel yelled ''shoot again,
. you id rascal, your pistol amt worth a
Cd id" He burst into tears and said
the id rebel shot at me, and now my
pistol wont kill him. # 5sgs es
The general health of the division, / be-,
lieve, is improving. | suppose we will
know by spring what we are going to do
, this winter. We are all restless aud i'm
patient aud it is difficult to convince as
that it is a display OF prudence and iudg-
mept 10 keep us here month after month.
Our dIvislon is certainly being neglected,
i and while we are idly waiting to be, helped,
others are helping themselves and taking
4 all the supplies, and don't really see that
we are likely 10 gel a good ready for all
time to come, unless tbere is more system
ina ugnraled. Gnd energy displayed. the
department of supplies. Your very hnmble
servant has not, up to the present writing,
had look at the place where they make
military men, ana is consequently not en-
titled to public opinion, but may dare
have d private opinion That there IS some
( humbug somewhere. Don't tell any body
and will quit before l. say something that
would bring me up standing 7 am most
respectfully, your obedient servant,
4 L. wooD.
sfoG Is5 ii c7R 8scs - TO- -ae9
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