The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1862-03-29
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March lOsb, lS62


~ Rupss Barns GaocxS, Asx4
March TOD, lSo&
DxAa xsrses:
Assfb9 greae bassle for ID Ua'os
he ben fought, ssd ssstbef victory ssn.
We have nes tbs soebised rebel afn'es @
he Soash- West, and rooted then uisA
great slasshses; ssd right esoriessy hsss
the III asd Oh sustained the veH sasseo
repstssios Of our lows troops, ard Yen m
fading ksseis for the~selves.
Ordered II The nar,ios to oeeapJ 80
bold, Nth ny company, high ball on ses
left o. osr division. 10 prevent The rebels
from turning oar left fapk. had good
opportunity Of seeing the positions occupied
By bosb armies; and although shry sess
mossIy hiddss from view BY the heavy tin-
Der, which, With the exception o. . feu
cleared fields, covered The sslleJ--the roar
Of the ARTILLERY, ard the iocessans rattle Of
nuskesry, designated where the batteries
and Infantry we're posted. The rebels, lo,-
COO strong, under Price, bad BY acircuitoaa
route, GOT beyond us Oh the Springfield road
10 the night, and on the morning Of the 80,
ssrs very strongly pos,ei-sheir rieht wing
resting against ! high biz, and their lsfs
stretching across the valley for nile. :
Dodgs's Brigade formed our right wing,
and opposed the enem,es' left; vandever's
formed the left, and opposed the en- mies'
right. Opposed to Prices force ~e had,
Iofantry, Cavalry, and Artillery, oil told
less than trenfy-one hundred men, and
twelve guns consisting VI the lss snd Oh
Iowa batteries. Al half past s O'Clock Col.
Dodge opened the bail, and the battle vas
soon raging oil along the line, With fierce.
ness and ob.tinacy which omened . terrible
struggle. The weather was splendid, and
tho smoke instead OF banging murkily
among the trees, rose rapidly and rolled
away over the hills in dense, sulphurous
masses. The thunder Of the artillery was
terrific, and the shot and shell Kissed and
screa ed through the air like flying devils,
while the infantry with their riff $, shot.
guns aud muskets, kept perfect hurricane
Of death bowling through the woods. The
rebels fought well, but generally fred too
high !; and their batteries, although getting
our range accurately, missed the elevation
much Of the time. Their poor shooting was
our salvation. Had they done as vel las our
men, with the tremendous odds against Us,
they must have annihilated Us. At one
time, when they were attempting to turn
our right flank, with an overwhelming force,
Col. Dodge led battalion Of the 81 lli-
nois cavalry, and charged on them like a
whirlwind, scattering them in the widest
confusion. 10 riding three hundred yards,
tho Col. had three horses shot under him.
Price told some Of our boys Of the 4sh,
who were captured on the dry Of the light,
and have since escaped, that Dodge fought
more like devil than human being. The
rebel Colonies, (ssveral OF them, inquired
Of our boys who those black coated fellows
were. and who led them. They said there
must have been at leas. three thousand OF
them. When the boys told them that there
were less than sir hundred Of them, the
Colonies sd(d they needn't tell them any
such stuff as that-they knew it was id
lie. But they sent their compliments to
Col. Dodge for the bravery of himself and
his command; and well they might. for OPP
posed to his brigade Of ten hundred and
fJly men, and two guns Of the LIST Iowa
battery, were six regiments of Confederate
troops, large force Of Missouri State
Guards, ard eighteen guns; and many Of
these Confederate troops we're the men who
did the hard lighting at the Wilson Greek
battle.
All day. from half-past eight in the NOR
ming till half-pass Eve at night, the Iron
Brigade held its ground, dealing death into
the rebels ranks; and, when the pressure
became too great, the ith valkcd away from
the ID 10 good order, with the sulen, saw
age kead Of men who might be driven by
mails strength, but could not be conquered.
Company B, stretched cut across the bill
~ skirmishers, away to the left OF the whole
Division, was mistaken By the rebels for a
regiment, and nothing but their Ignorance
Of our numbers prevented them from swarm
ing over the hill and pushing US of-as from
the force they had at it's base beyond Us,
they could easily have sent up twenty to our
one. As il was, ,hey con,ented themselves
with stretching line Of skirmishers just
below the brow Of the bill and across il
among the trees. who kept shooting at Us
all day with muskc,s, .qurrel-rifes, and ar
rows-with poor success, however, for We
held our position, and fully accomplished
the object for which We occupied the hill,
and had only one man wounded. The boys
kept telling me that shots we're whizzing
psss them with no report. told them they
must be mistaken, never thinking Of Indian
arrows. They persisted 10 il. and conclu-
ded that some bu;,ernu. scouudrel, having no
regard for the laws OF civilized warfare,
was shooting wi,h an ARG I, was Van
Dorn's lcd,ans. shooting arrows. Ny men
did better shooting. II was seldom they
could get fair pop a; secesh, bat when
they did, down went his house. One fell
low slalkea along almost 10 our extreme
tefs-ons Of the boys caught . glimpse Of
him, and fred; away be scampered for COW
e.. crouched as low as he could run. Frank
wslton fred, and he fellow fell. Ne1. day
- found him dead. shot through the sboal-
ders. Several Of the boys said they we're
sure thev hit tkeiY man bmf rf ran,sa M