Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-09-30
The Brittle OF E-u-ka-The RetreR1 and
safe Arrival at Baldwin.
Correspondence Of the Mississippianl
BALDWIN. Santember q. 1862.

I Correspondence OF fIe MlSASklpplaLI
BALDWIN, September "a, 1862.
! DEAR COOPER: l wrote you short cOmmu
nicatiOn from I-u-ka, announcing its peaceabl
! capture on the I4th, by the army under Genera
/ Price. beliel | was little coDgratulator.
I in my remarks. and spread cut on the rich fruit
! of the bl0odless capture. Indeed, 1t was sigh
/ to gladden. the heart of a poor soldier, who's
| only diet for some time had been unsalted bee
and whitleathsr hoe-cake, the stacks of cheese
/ crackers presel YES, InackeTel, coffee and 0the
| good things that lined the shelves Of thi
suffers shops, and filed the cOmmissary
stores of the Yankee army. But, alas the
| good things which should have been dis
tributed to the brave men who won them, were
held in reserve for what purpose l know not, un
/ less to sweeten the teeth OF those higher in su
thority, whilst the men were fed upon husks,
and / suppose were devoured by the flames OF
the day Of our retreat Had these things beer
given to the men they could have eaten them
during the time of our occupancy Of the town
and saved TO the Cenfederacy subsistence (such
as it wss) for its army during that time. Viii
our government and our generals never learn
that it is policy as well as duty to protect aud
preserve the private soldiers2 1t is no trouble
to get officers, but when neglect aud bad treat
ment has killed tee pTivates of our army, where
shall suPPly th~iE Ple0uS7 DHs 40 uigIes-
sing
We held peaceable posses SIGN of I-u-ka one
day, aud on the next evening were alarmed by
the booming of cannon, and called out to spend
the evening in battle array in the woods. Shift
ing our positions We lay in the woods until the
evening of the 19.h, when we were ordered to
move egsiD, and supposed we were going back
to camp to rest awhile, when the sharp crack of
musketry on the right of our former lines, told
that the enemy were nearer than we had i'm
agiued. In fact, they had almost penetrated the
town itself. How 0l earth, with the woods full
of cur cavalry, they could have approached so
near our lines, is a mystery. They had planted
battery sufficiently near TO she'll Gen. Price s
headquarters, and were cracking away at the
third brigade in line of battle, under General
Hebert, when cur brigade Che 4th) came up
at a dosble quick and formed on their
left. And then for two hours and fifteen min
utes was kept up the most terrific FIRE of mus
kerry that ever dinned my ears. There was one
continuous roar Of small arms, whilst grape and
canister hOwled in fearful concert absve our
heads, and swept through our ranks. General
Little our division commander, whose bravery
and kindness had endeaIed him to she men un-
der his command, was shot through the head
early in the action, and fell from his horse dead
He was sitting by General Price, and coHvers-
ing with him at the time, and both generals were
no doubt marked for death by the same hand.
The % brigade was in the hottest of the fire,
and most nobly and gloriously did it bear itself
Hereafter let it be known as the "Salsmander
brigade" for it literally lives in fire.
They charged and took Che battery which was
doing SO much damage, after desperate strug-
gle, pling the ground with dead The 81 Lou
isians regiment, of this brigade, entered the
fight with two hundred and thirty-eight men,
and lost one hundred and eight in killed and
wounded. The Sd Texas Jared about as badly.
What glorious brigade it is The 40th Mis-
sissippi, am proud to say, is in this brigade,
and galantly shared the glory of the day. The
troops against which we were contendirg were
Western men, the battery manned by Iowa
To ps, who fought braVely and well. OF the
part borne by our brigade and regiment 1 will
not speak, but leave to others the chronicle
of our deeds. 1 know this, that the events
of that evening have considerably increased
my appetite for peace, and if the Yankee will
not shoot at US any moro / shall be perfectly
satisfied to let them alone. It was a terrible
struggle, and we lost heavily, though victory
was with Us, as we drove the enemy from his
chosen position, and slept at night within one
hundred yards of their army and beyond their
line Of battle in the evening. All night could
be heard the grOans Of the wounded and dying
OF both armies, forming a sequel Of horror and
agony to tie deadly struggle over which night
had kindly thrown its mantle. Slddest Of all,
our dead were left unbuTied, and many of our
wounded upon the field to be taken in charge by
the enemy
During the night the enemy were reinforced,
and as our strength would not justify Us in try
ing the issue of another battle, q retreat was
ordered and at daylight next morning com
menced a retreat for this place As we marched
IL ~ I,
recting their aim, as we judged, at the head
quarters of General Price, but the old hero was
not at home, but on the road direc ing our
march. The retreat, made in the face of a foe
ouEumbering us by odds, wss perhaps more
brilliant than victory; and General Maury,
whose division brought up the rear, deserves the
highest honor for the skill and courage dis
played under circumstances so perilous.
The enemy pressed our rear all day on the
26;h, until General Msury pl, nted a battery
commanding the road, and as their cavalry
closed upon us, sent a yolley into their ranks
which settled the sardines Of about sixty Of
them, and taught them caution for the balance
of the route. During the entire retreat we lost
but four or FIVE wagons, which broke down on
the road, and were left. Acts of vandalism
disgraceiul to the army, were, however, perpe
tTsted along the road, which made me blush tC
own such men as my countrymen.
Cornfelds were laid waste, potato patche:
robbed, barn-ysrds and smoke-h houses despoiled
| hogs killed, and all kinds of outrsges perpe
trsted in broad daylight, snd in full view o
| officers / doubted, on the march up and OF
the retrest, whether l was in an army Of brave
men, fighting for their country, OF merely fol
| lowing a band of armed marsudefB, who are Al
terrible to their friends as foes. once though
General Bragg too severe in bis discipline bu
| am satisfied none but the seveTest discipGn
/ will restrain men upon a march
The settlements through which we passe,
were made to pay heavy tribute to the rspacit.
of our soldiers; and l have no doubt that wo
men and children will cry for the bread whic
has been rudely taken from them by those VIII
should have protected and defended then
This plunder, too, was without excuse, for rs
tions were regularly issued every night, an
though the men did not get their meals as punC
tually as in camp, still there was no sbsOlut
suffering to justify such conduct, and it deserve
the seveTest TsprobatiOn.