The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-10-24
FRIDAY MORNING oor "a 1852

FRIDAY MORNING. oUr "a 1852
Private Account Of tao Battle Of
CoTinth.
The following letter was received ia
Chicago on Friday from Lieut. KlNzm
BATES, Of the LIST q. S. Infautry-son Of
Hon. GEonoE O. BATES Of that city.
Lieut.. BATES was in the Corinth fight,
and he gives a good account Of it.
CoRa4,l, Miss Oct. G, 1862
DEAR FArHLa: The telegraph has al
ready told you Of the desperate and
bloody conflict OF day before yesterday.
We have again defeated the enemy in the
most desperate engagement of the West.
All say that Shiloh was nowhere 90 the
fight of October 4th. | can hardly give
you description Of the fight, We had
two batteries overlooking the town of
Corinth, one on one side of the railroad
cut, and another on the other about 200
yards apart They were common field
redoubts, one mounting three 20-pound
Parrotts; the other, which | was in,
mounted four 30-pOund PARROTS, one
6-inch howitzer, aud supported on the
flank by a field battery of the I'd regular
artillery of six-guns.
The first days fighting the enemy
drove our troops back on our fortiiications,
that Joined semi i-circle around the town.
On the morning Of the 4th, at 81 o'clock,
they opened Upon us with rifle battery
of eight guns, which they boldly placed
within five hundredyards of our two works
that were manned by our men, and to US
they devoted their entire attention dur
ing the day The other works not being
able to do much, we soon dismounted and
silenced their battery in front of us, and,
after taking one gun from them, the enc
my retired to consolidate their forces for
the purpose of storming our works.
Near noon on they came, in solid column,
sweeping in a semi circle from the rail-
road cut TO the left of the town.
Rushing down at a run, they came on
with a gallantry worthy of abetter cause.
We opened a most terrific fire shell,
bullets and every missile fell like hail
We completely enliaded their line, but
on they came our troops fell back q
brigade of rebels, led by Texas Colonel
rushes up to Lieutenant Botlinetts re-
doubt; the support falls back; he double
| shots his gun with canister, but on they
| come, and the Texas Colonel places th,
rebel flag on the redoubi They crowC
through the embrasures; our men abandon
their guns and take TO their muskets -
The volunteers rally-we turn once agair
on the redoubt, and the enemy are driver
back, leaving some twenty persons in,
side the redOubt, and five hundl ed deaC
in front of it. The Texas Colonel, hi
adjutant, and seventy dead lay in tn
ditch in front of the battery. This is
fact, for last night buried them with
party of our own men. gave the gal
liant Colonel decent burial on the spo
where he lost his life, but buried his me
in one trench.
In the meantime where was /, ! sup
pose you want 10 know. Commandin
two guns that commanded their line lead
ing into town, | kept hard at work.
times the 30-pound she'll would max
0 gaps 800 feet long in their ranks, but, i
Y spite of the tremendous resistance, th
. fire Of our batteries and twenty liel
Q pieces, they reached the town, and som
3 were killed in the yard of Gen. Rose
0 Grams headquarters. We work with des
perate energy. Our guns arc 80 hot 20
: can hardly touch them. The battery re
sounds with the voices Of the officers en-
0 couraging the men. l yelled till [ wa
Q hoarse The rebels cannot stand the fiji
. and retreat to the woods, leaving the
0 dead and wounded on the field and /, ,OC
. prisoners.
0 | cannot say how many were kille,
Q | went over the field yesterday, and
0 saw 1000 dead rebels, killed mostly b
. artillery. We lost five men killed an
o one officer (Lieut. Roliuett) and nine me
o wounded. Our loss altogether must
j. 1900 wounded and killed
,, Rosecrans is in hot pursuit. Gen. OI
\ is in their rear. We can hear his heay
guns now. Reinforcements are pOurir
!. in. They are sending in oceans Of pril
oners from the front In fact the reb
{" army is annihilated and destroyed.
Dangerous IIinoss OF gen, ETarde
General Hardee, commander of a div
- sion Of Bragg's army, who, it is said WI
the last man TO leave BardstOwn, at Il
time OF the evacuation, and who has bee
% bitterly opposed TO the rebel retrogra'
y movement, is in very ponr health, al
70 his physicians think he will not survi
the present Autumn. His complaint
pulmonary, aud his recent severe har
ships and expoure an camp have reduce
him to the verge OF the grave. lie h
be frequent attacks Of hemorrhage and
90 likely 10 die at almost any time. Tie
one of the best officers In the souihe
service, and Che 'Oonederacy could
afford TO lose him.