The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1862-12-22
Battle of Prairie Grove.
DETAIES
'alIantry of the Western Troops.
Special Correspondents Mo. Domnocrat,I

PRAIRIE GROVE, Ark, Dec. s.
There has just been another great bat
tie in northwestern Arkansas, exceeding
IN tlerceness the famous contest at Pea
Ridge, as was remarked by some of the
veterans who were present on both of the
occasions alluded to- The details are as
follows:
Gen. Blunt had advanced some twenty
miles south of Fayetteville, Ark, with
his forces, and there drawn the attack of
Hindman, who advanced upon him rap
idly from Van Buren, with about 10000
troops and twenty-five pieces of artillery.
Blunt, with his little band of 10000 men
at Cane Hill, would have been but
mouthful for such an immense army of
well disciplined soldiery as as this He
knew his danger and sent hurried mes
sages to Gen. Heron, who has the com
mand of the I'd and Sd division of the
Army of the Frontier, and was at the
/ time at Wilson's Greek, four miles south
of Springfield, Mo. The moment Gen.
/ Heron received intelligence of General
Blunts danger he sat his army in motion
and made forced marches, accomplishing
the feat of pushing his infantry one hun
| dred and twelve miles in three days. and
his cavalry one hundred and thirty-two
miles in two days and half
On the morning of the 7th inst, as the |
advance guard, consisting of the lst Ar
kansas Cavalry and a portion of the 9th |
and 7th Missouri Cavalry, were entering |
wood upoh the south bank of Illinois |
Creek, ten miles south of Fayetteville,
they were fired upon from ambush and |
thrown into a panic that resulted in a
rout, and the loss of their baggage train
of twenty-four wagons. They went fly-
ing back two or three miles until they
met the main body, when they were rail-
lied once more. Major Hubbard of Pea
Ridge fame, with portion of two CON-
panies of the lst Missouri Cavalry, tried
to stem: the tide of rebels, but without
success Their superior numbers bore
down all before them, and amongst 9TH
ers the little band. Major Hubbard and
two Of his lie Lieutsnfnsass ts as EssMdTv as they
came. Gen. Heron followed up his ad-
vantage as quickly as possible, and soon
found himself in contact with the main
rebel force.
This splendid army, contrary to our
expectations, WAS "ei SAO'i -,
armed and well fed, and better drilled
than our own sUldiery 1t consisted OF
a corps of 10000 men, commanded by |
Gen. Hindman, and was IN four dlVis-
ions, commanded respectively by Gems.
Parsons, Marmaduke, Rains and Frost,
and was supported by park of artillery
of TWENTY-FIVE guns. Besides this, they
had a great advantage in position. The
battle field was magnificent stretch OF
omen Ground, skirted on the east by an
abrupt hill. covered with thick woods.
On this bluff, concealed by the forest,
were posted the rebels in full force.
Our forces only numbered 6,50O or
1000 and consisted of the following In
fontry: The Oath and 37th Illinois; the
18th and 20th Iowa; the 26th Indiana
and Goth Wisconsin. In addition to
these were four companies OF artillery
who worked "a guns, and some hait
dozen companies of cavalry. Our men
were worn down by long and continued
, forced march, and some of them had
! been without food for twenty-four hours
: However, when the ball opened they de-
. Moved into the field with loud huzzas,
and went at the work in hand with great
bravery. 1t took some little time to get
. into position and place the batteries IN
the most commanding localities, and 1t
= was fully ten o'clock A. NJ. before the ar
T tillery duel was in full voice. As may
g be imagined, forty-fve or fifty cannon
r well manned and discharged as rapidly
re as possible, make a tremendous racket
!, This was kept up until dark, when By
~ that time green troops who had nevel
'r seen a cannon before laid down within
n ward Of gun and slept undisturbed b.
:. the firing. We did not lose single maj
e, throughout the whole day by artillery
NJ NJ though a score or two of horses wer
ns killed Our gunners were much NOR
skilled and precise in their aim than th
~ rebels, which was shown by the result
Upon the bluff or ridge occupied b
n the secesh, were many fine farmhouse
which had been erected upon the elevs
ton to escape the damps and vapors {
- the plain below. From the rear of tw
of these houses, was kept up a weld
. rected fire of some eight or nine gun
General Heron ordered the whole hi
Gs of our artillery to be directed upon th
at. one nearest to us, and silenced 1t in te
the minutes.
ice The 2Oth Wisconsin Infantry, led
T~ I1s' Lieutenant Col Bertram, then charge
eon up the hill and took the battery upon
double-quick They had no sooner gal
LY ed possession of the well-earned priz
;. than the rebels arose in myriads from t
W. bushes in the rear of the garden contai
ing the battery in question, and poured
:. fire into the ranks of our boys that Sc
AR their columns reeling back down the q
=. clivity again, with great loss Of life al
= limb. In this struggle 1917 were repo
ed officially as killed and wounded.
Within twenty minutes afterwards, t
. 18th Iowa, with the gallantry charact'
. istic of the soldiers of that State, essay
the vain feat with similar i'll succe
Thnr nerformed deeds of valor aim