The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1862-02-05
Murder Will Out.

known, feared and respected in I'D ,xie," at
least, the ignorance of Illinois newspaper
reporters, Of our identity as regiment, to
the contrary notwithstanding. @,a
From Mr.. Terry Leonard, rather shrewd
Tennessecan, who since the battle of Bel
mont, has been making his way northwar1
in search ofthe 7th iowa, and found us on
the 25th inst. as volunteer, we gain the
following information as to the real rebel loss
in that memorable action, with other invalu-
able items of interest: n5@ 81 zee
He asserts that he was in Memphis on the
day Of the battle, and for several days sue.
ceeding that they secretly acknowledged a
loss Of 1850 men killed, wounded and missing,
about $50 ofwhich they think were drowned
by trying to escape by swimming the river
We know that many of them must have
drowned, as our boys shot quite q number
who were in water to their armpits. At the
crack of our arms there was one large wave,
few gurgling blubbers, and their graves
were made. The 18th, the crack Tennessee
regiment, were well armed and uniformed /;
they were the immediate and principal an
Of our regiment in the first attack
They fought desperately, and lost 500 men,.
The drowned men were of the 18th Arkan-
sas, the survivors that regiment have been
detailed as laborers, to the end OF the war
for their cowardice. Mr.. Leonard says that
a boat load oftheir wounded arrived at Mem
phis day or two after the battle, and were
cared for only by the sympathy and charity
Of citizens. He saw many Of our blue army
overcoats being sod to secesh soldiers for
ST., each, the government price is 1920
One Of the Illinois regiments lost all theirs,
with their knapsacks, they having stacked
them in the field prior to going into action,
then retreating by another road Red flannel
shirts sell at s., each; coarse brogans at
$3.50 per pair shop shoes at SO bacon at
25 and S3 cts. per ID. butter so and 70 cts,
coffee at 81 and rs. taa
Memphis as well as all other points below
Columbus, he says are not at all fortified.
Their arms are principally common squirrel
rifles and donble-barreled shot guns. They
depend entirely upon the strength Of Column
bus and Boiling Green. Their troops are
generally poorly clad and scanted in rat:ons.
They have never been paid anything but
Confederate scrip:, which is virtually value
less, and tine time of enlistment with MANY
is about up. A general mutiny or stampede
is expected. Should our arms be successful
Of which we have no doubt, at Boiling Green
and Columbus, with one or two decisive bat
ties on the Potomac, victory will everlastingly
perch upon our National Ensign. re
To Serg't Hope, of Co., II, and others who
were for short time wounded prisoners at
Columbus, we are indebted for various opin-
ions, of secessionists, the estimate placed
upon us as reg't., &c. In the first place,
they mistook us for regulars, and for time
persisted in the belief, but being assured by
all our men that we were Only volunteers,
they said we must then have been regiment
of picked men. w E
The following is "a dialogue between two
Seccsh scntinels, overheard by our boys
while there: nniioag 5Wsi osih 1e-
LIST Scntinel-"Well, these northern troops
are made up out of the lowest scum of soci-
ety." E%
I'd Sentinel-"Sir, you are mistaken! for
l never saw more roble, intelligent look.
ing set Of fellows in my life. They appear to
have been well raised" aasf asG. Is. a.it.
lst Sentinel This may be true of those
western men. | had reference to the east
ern division Of their Yankee army" :.
3D. Sentinel, interrupsing-"We mistook
the 7th Iowa for regular. I don't care q
damn who nor what they are, the devils in
He'll could not whip them il their gunboats
had moved down and cut eff our transports,
we would have been whipped community
In our ramblings we are now At Smithland,
2 beautiful village at the mouth Of the Cum
berland river. The place is well fortified
and garrisoned by some three regiments,
Col. Lauman being the commander of the
post. More anon. JOHN WILCOX.
Smithland. KY. Jan. %. 1862.
Oskaloosa Herald and Washington Press,
please copy
The weather the past three days has been