The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1862-10-03
LETTER FROM IUKA.
IukA. Mss. Sept. e2L, let

IuKA, Miss, Sept. 92l, 1859:
DEAR BRorHER,-Our long continued
marching orders Terminated in the midst
Of splendid rsih STORM at O'Clock; on
the morning of the 18TH when the Hrmy
of the Mississippi started in quest of Gen.
Price Il Co., then supposed to be in the
vicinity of this place. It seems to have
been the understanding that Gen. Grant,
with about l2,OOO men; was to take ain
eastern road, and coIiie nj on the rear of
the ehemy, simultaneously with the army
of the Mississippi, under Gen. Rosecrsns!
who was to attack the enemy in front, or
OH the western side. The army of the
| Mississippi marched about six miles the
first day; hothing of importance occur
ring: We fessufned the march at day
break next mbri!lhg, the 5th Iowa Regt.
in advance, the 1ilh Ohio Battery irhttie-
diately following. Skirihishing with the
enemy's pickets commented 1t about 10
o'clock, and thence continued all along
the way, several being killed and &ound.
ed on both sides. When Within ab6ut
Eve thiles of this place, we Supposed that
we had found the enemy In force, and
formed our line of battle accordingly:
We soon discovered our mistake, and
moved forward with greatly increasing
skirinishing, until arriving within about
mile and half bf this place; when a
volley of infantry and artillery from the
enemy hastened US into line Of battle, on
the double quick Our front was in the
form of the letter 4, the i1th Ohio Bat
terry being the apex, the 5th Iowa OH odr
| .s.l,t IL RI I,,l; 1aft, md
the 25th MISSOURI iii our rear; to support
us. Our position Was among thick un-
derbrush, in which it was impossible ior
!, artillery to maneuver. at all, had there
been occasion for it. Before we had halt
time to form, two divisions of the enemy
commenced charging upon lis : we recip-
tocated as fast as possible, and g. was
to pay in less than no time" The enc
my seemed to concentrate their fire upon
the battery, which suffered most severely
as YOU can Judge frUhi the following list
of killed, wounded and missing.
Having published a full list elsewhere,
we give only the names of those from thi:
eounty.-ED
, Killed, sergt: M. V. B. Hall, James W
Brewer and John Ettle. Wounded, Is
Lieut.. Cyrus Sears, commanding battery
Acting I'd Lieut. Amos B. Alger, ant
taken prisoner, Acting Sergt: Il: G
Worley, j. B. Brooks, William Bower
$ Jacob Everhart, Matthew Free, Henri
Mclaughlin, Ira G. Swayze, H. NJ. Welsh
2. Welsh and ]. Woolsey.
The total casualties are Is killed, g.
5 wounded. two Of whom are prisoners, ant
II 3 missing, but of iO3, as near as ca,
y ascertain) including officersj engaged.
). The action did not probably last Uve
:, 90 minutes. It is doubtful whether til
- history Of Warfare furnishes a parallel i
: destruction Of a Single corps in one en-
J gagement. The men of the battery, as
at whole, exhibited obstinate and perhar
g etet fool hardy BRAVERY: The 2Bth Mis-
Q souri seems to have become panic stricl
= en-, and entirely failed to support us: Th
N battery was the first to open FIRE, and tn
J. last to close, until the rallyihg Of ot
ii sec0hd line ths remainder of the tf1en
n the battery falling back after the infantr
of our first line and the battery being no
Oh lost
SIS Instances of personal bravery not to
al exceeded, were exhibited at almost ever
ts piece, two or three of which l will me,
ton. John Ettle, after being mortal
s wounded by a shot through the breas
rs the blood flowing copiously from h
le wound; passing by me for ammunitio
" and smiling as though it were only goe
~ Joke, remarked, s'Well, Lieutenant,
y guess I've got h--ll, but Pm going
tiry
We yet" Suiting the acti5h to the word,
he continued at bis post Until he fell. Ac
to ing Corporal Buckley fired three OF fol
r shots alone; after every other man at h
oi piece was either killed OF wounded. ]
1T w. Montgomery continued at his bos
H. carrying ammunition until the last; whe
of DISCOVERING there was d load in the gu
,d he Seized the lanyard, to discharge
~ ~ When he was throttled By a big Secesh
re who raised his gun 30 strike him. I
ed got rid of him by selling canister o
tn of his haversack, and, administering
. externally over tie eye, foored hi
Henry Mclaughlin did duty at his pc
III after being wounded four times, once S
y. verely. Several Of the Wounded are S
ok verely hurt, two or three perhaps me
on tally. Allhough the battery was tn
a., severely handled, it fully reeiprocate
" 1t fred about bne hundred rounds, nes
ne ly all canister, right into tie, face al
IRE eyes Of the enemy; doing terrible destru
ol- tion afiiong them, as they freely ackno,
;or ledge, Our first line vas now overpo,
-. cred and fell Back, leaving the batter
we with the exception of the men, Id t.
cd hands of the enemy. Fortysix out
us eighty -four Of the horses with which
~. went into action We're killed, and a lar
~ PROPORTION of the rest wounded Eve
:, commissioned and non commissioned oi
Ill GERS hbrse; except one; was either kill
10 or #ouhded: The ineh Of the bate
he now retired 6r were carried to the re;
III when our second line charged upon t
''A enemy, and fetock what was left Of t
OF battery; and darkness put AIN eud to t
nd fight. .-z- ea -. -,
ed; My 1FouHd Is tathst severe, thotish
| dangerous, Gin the right shoulderJ a
,,.s SO far has rendered me nearly helple
''ssss 1t will probably disable me three or fc
ell, weeks 1t is from rifle or tni,stet bs