Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1862-04-24
of the Charles City Intelligencer
Letter from the Army.
COMPANY X, Sd REG, Iowa INFANTRY,
ALL 1900

Letter from the Army.
COMPANY X, Sd REG, Iowa INFANTRY,
PITTsBuRG, Tenn, April 9, 1862. !
FRIEND HnDRETH AS soon as pos
sible, l hasten to give you a sketch OF
the greatest battle ever fought on this
continent. You will recollect that in
my last spoke of skirmish which
had Just taken place? This was on
ly the preface to what was to come.
On Sunday morning, at o'clock, the
enemy commenced the attack in force,
on Sherman's Division and, owing to
poor Generalship, they drove his boys
with ease. At 9 O'clock, Hurlbut's
division was formed, and marched
nearly one mile, meeting stragglers.
all the way who reported themselves
as badly whipped. We formed our
line Of battle, and waited for the "ball
to open I" The enemy planted a bat.
terry and sent the shell at us, and over
US, we lying close to the ground. Gen.
Hurlbut ordered up a battery to ST.
lence theirs, but it being wrong in
something, they never fired shot and
left their guns on the field Col.
Williams horse was killed under him
the first fire, and he 81 paralyzed as to
be unable to stand. The command of
our brigade now dcvolvcd upon Col.
Pugh, of the sd III. who ordered us
to fall back and take new position.
This was done new battery was
brought to bear on the enemy, and
sharp fire kept up for few moments
on both sides, when the enemy made
feint on the right Hurlbuts divis-
ion was on the extreme left. Shortly
a desperate assault was made on the
left. The fight was commenced in
earnest. The Iowa Sd and Ill. 32d
were placed in line close by a log
house, and fence enclosing an open
| corn-Gcld. The 18th Louisiana, con-
tanning the famous "Orlcans Guard"
attempted to turn our flank. In doing
this they started to cross the open
field in front of our lines by the right
flank, when we sprung to our feet and
poured in volley after volley into
their ranks, strewing the field with
killed aud wounded This was under
the eye of Gen. Hurlbut, who rode to-
wards them and bcckoned for them to
come on. They immediately planted
a battery in the woods which skirted
the field, and played upon us with
grape, canister and shell. while Will
lard's battery on our left, another bat
terry on our right, and one in our rear
sent back the compliments in good
earnest.
We had thrown ourselves on the
ground, so that the shot from our own
battery would not injurc us, and, to
escape their shell. The right of our
lines had fallen back, and the enemy
hanked us on the left, when the left
began to retreat, fighting them inch
by inch. Again we made stand,
Hurlbut cheering us on, and again the
fight went on with redoublcd fury.
The enemy had driven our whole
force, taken four Of our batteries, and
things looked dubious, but they had
to fight now, on this point, you may
believe.
Again they overpowcred MS, driving
us back through the camp of the Iowa
Sd. Our forces retreatcd, until they
came within short distance of the
river, where we had planted pow
crful battery, consisting OF two
64-poundcrs, some 32-pounders, and a
lO.inch mortar. Here again the fight
ragged terribly.
The enemy made an attempt to
plant battery on their right, so as to
rake the river bank and the boats I;
but the gun boats steamed up the riv-
or. and gave them broadside after
+, broadsidc of shell, driving them back.
The fight had been raging all day,
and as the sun went down, the firing
on both sides ceased.
This was Sunday night. Our pros
poets looked gloomy. We had lost
nearly all our camps, four batteries,
and had been driven about five miles.
Gen. Grant had been with us, but had
not done much. The fight had been
mostly conducted by Sherman, Hurl-
but and Prcntiss. A good many Of
our troops were raw and would not
stand fire. Among these were the
10th Iowa, who only fired one volley
and that into The Loica Gth, then ran for
the river, and could not again be rail-
lied. 1t is allowed that Hurlbut's
men saved the army and the gun
boats the day.
Sunday night it rained very hard
and nothing was done, except by the
gun.boats, which shelled the enemy
at in tervals all night. "#
Meantime, Buell. came mp with his
force, and crossed the river with part
A good line of battle was formed, in
which was Rousscau's brigade Of U.
S. Regulars.
In the morning, to the great sur
prise of the rdbcls, who anticipated
an easy capture of our whole force,
our lines moved forward and COM
menced the attack. Nearly 80 peiccs
of canon sent shell, ball, shrapnel,
grape and canister in their ranks,
while continual volley of musketry
was kept up.
AT noon our forces regaincd nearly
all the ground lost the day before.
The rebels now made desperate
stand behind breast.work hastily
thrown up, and for a few moments
they held our force in check. But
their cannon were taken at the point
Of the bayonet, and all our artillery
was brought to bear upon them. AT
two o'clock they were on the full re-
treat, and the victory was ours.
As soon as they commenced their
retreat, 500 cavalry charged them,
and they were driven and routed. Blu
ellis force is still in their rear.
! have now given you a slight
sketch of the battle of Pittsburg ON
Sunday and Monday, April 9th and It'll
| will give you more particulars in
my next.
Gen. Hurlbut was the man who