The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-10-25
Army Correspondence.


FRIEND OsMAN-l have thought every
day since the battle that would giveyo
some account of the part which the gal
liant SD took in the desperate battle of
the Hatchie, but poor health and increas.
ed duties have prevented, and now / can
only give you very hasty sketch which
l am all the more anxious to do because,
SO far, our regt. has not received the praise
in print which it has SO nob,y earned.
Gen. Ord's official report, which I sent
you on the day after the battle, (the 6th)
and the letter in the Chicago Times of the
18th, give moderately correct history of
the affair in part, but do not assign that
credit to the lst brigade which it deserves
As stated in the documents referred to-
the battle began on Sunday morning, TIE
5th inst, by our troops driving in the
rebel pickets and then by our artillery
Smelling the ground occupied by some
rebel infantry q brigades) and battery.
You are already posted as to how our boys
prisoners, and you also know that the I'd
brigade marched fearlessly across that
bridge which was raked by a terrible fire
Of grape and canister, filing to the left as
soon as they got over except the SD Ind.
(some say 18th Ind }, which filed to the
right But writers seem not to have
known that the LIST brigade just as gal
lantly followed followed on Immediately
after the other brigade, the SD HI taking
tie lead, am. filed to the right, when both
directed their fire towards that destructive
battery on the hill, some 40 rods from the
bridge and towards some rebel ipfantry
which was supporting the battery mea-
toned, the fret firing direct and the
others right ob!ique.
You will thus see that both brigade-
Were equally advanced and equally *
po-ed, one on the right side OF the road.
the other on the left, and that our I+g;.
was only covered by the Indiana Rert
mentioned, which having taken a position
too hot for them or any other troops TO
hold, was ordered TO fall back and III doing
50 broke through our lines on the double
quick, and formed in the rear Of the 2sth
in the front This movement alone would
have been sufficient to have Disconnected
a regiment ahIch had never been under
fire, but it had no effect Whatever on our
heroes who coolly closed up their broken
line and fell TO work "a steadily as though
they were on dress parade. although shot
OF every description raae2 about them
like a hail storm, and men fell thick and
fast on every side. When the order va,
givea 10 take or drive away that rebel
battery which was so murderGu-ly moving
down so many of our brave men al
rushed forward. and the day was won.
Tins was the first time our regt was
ever in action Il couat as nothing the fire.
qu.nt skirmishes before Coriuth last
spring They fought like veterans They
covered themselves with glory Enco-
blium, are !avisheI upon them Oh every
side, and the men can now say with pride.
e. ] belong to the J3d Illinois"
All with reTy few exceptions and they
are numerically iampooned.) uobly done
their duty, and can particuiar.ze no one
! would like to mention SOM iam,iIa.
Ottawa names, bu; j, would be iny.diou~
and refrain.
Thirteen brave fellows were left dead on
the battlefield, and one, Geo TrumbulI of
wounded, but nearly every one will proba
bly, recover. aud some are already an dat:
Those seriously wounded are a. follows:
CO. Al I Moss. thigh John q Leary.
knee, Memo Shawl, shoulder
Co. B-Corp. Monroe Dealt. chest
Co. C-Beuj. johnson, head, Corp. Jas
Ii Hays, shoulder, Anthony Iensier arm
Go. D-F Chase, chest, Corp. Harvey
VI Halleck, thigh and privates, John II
Miller, hIp.
Co E-Capt c NJ Vaughn, knee. badly.
Corp Tretiie Prevancia. thigh, Willis Fusen,
wrist, John Babin, shoulder
Go. F-AieN Saric>, ankle, badly, Serct
\ c Unrule, heal Corp Corp Jas Boston,
bowels. John Sullivan, finger smputated,
Henry Palmer, arm, Peter CInk,nalie,
shoulder
Co ll-Act Lieut. D Hatfield, mouth,
Caleb Wilkinson. hand
Co k-Sergt Ralph McCiintock, arm
badly, VIM Mcmahon. arm amputated
John d Kennedy, head
How we came of with so few casualties
Is d wonder TO me! For something like
two hours our men stood under a rapid
and continuous fire of musketry, grape.
canister and she'll, and yet our whole loss
in killed and wounded was only about
400. Had Gen Hurlbut land in passing
let me say the whole credit OF this victory
belongs to Lim) held the position occupied
by them with but one division 1.-The fight
ing Fourth, as he is fond of calling it.
$4,000 rebels could not have dislod ged
him. He has the full and complete con-
fidence of the soldiers of this division, he
gives them credit for their merits and
they ia turn would rather fight under him
than any other gen raj with whom they
are acquainted Gen. Hurlbut has recent
/ ly been promoted and is now a Major
General, long deferred honor which he
he has well Snd fully earned, and which
gratities his men no less than himself.
Very much to our regret, however, he
has been assigned to other duties, and the
4th division is now commanded by Brig.
Gen. Lanman, another good General, who
is well liked, especially since he so skill
fully extricated his brigade from tkeir
perilous position on the Doth ult., an ac
count of which / sent you.
The health Of the regimeht-now com
manded by that excellent officer, Major
s. G. Earl-is:very good at present but we
| miss those heroes who nobly fell in battle
and those who are suffering from wounds.
All are sadly missed, but none more so
than Lieut. VIM. D. Price, of Co. A, and
Lieut.. Pallisard, Of Co. E. Both were of
the same general character affiable, kind,
educated, gentlemanly, beloved by their
| comrades and all who knew them. Their
loss is regretted and mourned by all Our
other heroes may have been equally de-
serving, but was not so well acquainted
with them ! speak of these as know
them to be. But such is the fortune of
war. God grant that it may end before
other familiar faces are missed, before
other families shall mourn the loss of
| brave and noble sons.
Yours, truly, REvEILLE.
! P S.-Lieut Dewey, of our regiment, is
Provost Marshal here, and he tells me