The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-04-14

into our old camp, from the front of the
hardest fought, most strongly contested
and bloodiest battle field upon the Ameri-
can continent. But II cannot lie down
without Rrst preparing a short account of /
it, to assure yon Of my own personal safety, /
tho gallant conduct of our regiment, and /
ths glorious triumph of our arnaa Alter
ribie conflict of two full days of continuous |
lighting has this evening left us in posses |
sion of the field, which was at one time al |
most lost Yesterday fS1nday( morning |
about half past six, o'clock, just.after we !
had finished breakfast, we were attracted by |
a continuous roar of musketry, with occa- |
siona1 discharges of artillery on our ex-
treme left, near the river. In few min
utes we we're IN line Of battle, and moving |
| forR ard 20 the attack. = We had hardly left |
| the camp before we saw the roads full of
oar flying men, and al, along the route for
the two miles we passed over were strewn
guns, knapsacks, and blankets, and We
/ found to our disniay that cur front had been
completely surprised, one whole division
scattered and retreating in utter confusion,
and the enemy in force already a mile with
/ IN our camps. We were drawn up in line
/ of battle our brigade, under command of
Col. Veatcb, in skirt of timber bordering
q large field, on the outer edge of which
our troops were engaging the enemy. But
the enemy pressed on in Overwhelming
force, and Just as the troops in front OF us
began to wayer, we discovered that the
enenay had flanlked us on the right and was
rapidly advancing Gin what force we knew
not, but the woods were perfectly swarm
4 ing), to attack our brigade on the right and
rear. So it became necessary for us to
change our front to the rear to meet them.
The 18th Illinois was on the. right, the l4th
Illinois In the center, ana the 25th Indi-
ana on the left, the other regiment, the 46th
. Illinois, by the rapid fankingof the enemy
. becoming detached from the brigade and
was not with us again during the whole ac-
ton. This brought Che first fire upon the
! 18th Illinois, which stood it nobly but was
soon! overpowered likewise the l4tb. In
the meantime the troops in front and on
the left were completely routed by the enc
0 nv and came pell-melI right through our
A lines, causing some little confusion, and
< hardly had they passed through to the rear
before the enemy were upon Us, and here
the fire of musketry was most terrible
,, Our men tried 10 stsnd up TO il, but
Q everything was breaking TO pieces all
a around US, and il was more Than we could
do short Of humiliation. We poured IN a
, few well directed voliies, and reluctantly
= left the field-many of our men firing as
{ they. fell back. The loss here was very
heavy. III the field officers of the 25th
Illinois were killed instantly, and many
commissioned officers two of our Lieuten-
2 ants were kliIsd and three wounded, and
I. | one OF cur ..,'a,ns is either killed or a
= prisoner. w. will make thorough search
9 for him on the field in the morning. We
u left dead on this field fifteen men killed al
most Instantly on the first fire, and large
b number wounded. At the first FIRE Lieut.
Col. Morgan was wounded in the leg mot
seri0usly1, and was Immediately carried of
81 the field. From this time I led the regi-
o ment in person. IT I did all could to make
O the men contest the ground firmly as they
y my might. eIieefed ara elIIf,li ,,,,S,, e.
10 men 70 rally on the dag-neyer IN. daser,
D Their colors. All of the left wing respond.
J, ed 70 my call most nobly, and rallied with
!, coaslaerabie aiacrity under most ralIing
4 ana Dangerous fire. did not see Col. Nor
q gan fall and supposed he had charge of The
: ligue Wing-but the various captains COL
HsS'eu large number of their men, and "a
soon as got under cover of the re~in,anto
t on the left and rear, they brouobt ,ba;r
/. men up and Joined me, and [ thus had sin
3 qulee battalion, Notwithstanding the kill
ed and number wounded and the strav;ng
OF IOst ones. The men who came To me Al
thus time had been "tried in Tho furnace J;
soo were vac meDy aud during all the try-
ing scenes OF the rest of the day and of to-
Gay, they never faltered in obeying INV
comnHnds, and did most bravely. As soon
as Our brigade was collected, Col Veatch
siaovsd US over to the right to support Gen.
McClernand's division, which was h 49,:
very. hard pressed by the enemy. said tn he
commanded by Beanregard. The Ieft ~
our prisoners report was commanded IN
! n,Taaggi ana The center by Johnston. They
Hiso report that the column that ATTACKED |
ou brigade IN the morning, of which ! |
| nave just spoken, numbers $4,000 undar
bragg-and that the whole force was noo.s
IVU'VVU-Dut We do not know, only chat -
was very large, sufficiently so to attack
our extensive camp on all sides in heavy
In the afternoon our piclzets reported the
enemy advancing against ms. on the Isf, 'l.e
General McOlernand. AS soon az nc o' ~ "a
Drawn them well up By our picket si;~-
inlsh under Capt. Rheinlander. the Fon--
.eentn Illinois fanked them. and YVES
guss beginning TO pour upon theR heavy
nIe' WINE we were moving up to the a. II
SlstanCe OF the Fourteenth in fine afvIa
WI mhen the whole mass of our left, which had
i ior I'VE or SIX hours been steadiiy.and sinh
~. ny Oontestihg the victorious advance of C
eli 10y "a eHat direction, gave way in I
al oirse IONS, ebeut half past three, and
came sweeping by US in utter and total
confusion-eaTalry, ambulances. artiIIerv 4
ana thousands of infantry, all in one mass 81
WINE the enemy were following closely IN G.
pOrseit at theSsame. time throwing crane s
can nlsser, and shells thick and fast a1,opo, v
them; 1t was time of great excitement ]
ana disnay-it appeared that all was lost p
~, was unwilling TO throw our regiment =
nis ~ s"e hying mass, only to be trampled to
pieces, and thoroughly disoroaniZa5 erS d.
broken So held them back IN the ,vost, al
20 the slJe OF the road until the mass 81 IS
.le rout- had'passed, when put nv men D.
a 'ne rear Of the retreat and by this Ri
means tel into heavy cross fse Of the do
nemy, bat preferred that, to being crush e,
q 20 pieces by our ewn army. Here we va
0ss aamoer OF cur men killed, and many
Wounded. Among those who Il vvo1nIJodd Ell
61ly, Tie IPp. Sarn-oor N xxy-,1 I do