Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-04-21
LATEST NEWS
AN INTERExTING LETT Err.
BY THE NAILS.

AN lNTERExTING LETT Err.
CAN, At PI.rssuac L LANDING, Thursday morning,
April 10, 1862.
DsAs .ss:-Aftsr getting . little reposs l
hssten, to vyits Jon. have bees - unvell
since the battle that l could scarcely make out
| to move around 1t ell. exhausted myself on
Sunday carrying off the wounded soldiers,
which vas the hardest work ever did. am
like sI the boys here-I know nothing hard
y about ths:.6sttle-no moro than I think
Gss. Grant fell short Of his duty. lie knew.
| or might nave known, that the rebels were
coming 70 attack ne. and hs stsid It Savannah
| until after they had commenced their work,
and vhsn he did cone be did nothing 20 cid
10 checking their sdvsnce.
Last Friday evening ws had the long roll
| beat, and we formed In line and stood from
dark until half past 10 o'clock out 10 the mud
waiting for On attack. but it did not come. and
ws marched to camp andlaid On our arms all
night. The next alarm came on Sunday morn.
ing about Z o'clock. when We heard heavy
musketry on o1r left wing. about three. .faurths
Of mile of from us. We fell into line, and
Col. Hare commanded the brigade - Brigsdier
General 1t. Col. Hall the Regiment. While
avsiting orders to pitch ir, . large conicsl
ball few over my head within reaching dis
tanee, and struck the ground abou 90 yards
of. which made me thiok Of stopping down .
little. but It vas only . stray shot We soon
marched out TO meet the enemy. The whole
brigade was formed in line OF battle. The
nth was on the extreme right the right
rested with company A. 10 tho woods the
balance oil being in sn open place except Co.
B, which vas in the WOO 1s on the left of the
clearing.
When our men saw the enemy coming, and
saw them commencing FIRE. they Ill lay down
fs., and the balls al went over. We get up
and fired. and euch . roar I never heard. The
batteries then Opened right over our men.
The rebels then fsll back and'cur men gave .
cheer and advanced quite . distance and fred
. few rounds more, and we're then forced 10
fall back to the cannon which kept play ing on
the enemy and their battery. Our men we're
then overpowered and again had TO fall back,
and We contioued to fall back. contesting ev
cry inch Of the ground. We finally made q
staod Ia the woods and fred until cur ammu.
milton gave out, when We we're compelled to
60 to the river for more. COL Hall here ral-
lied bic men, got their ammunition and went
out 10 eupport another battery. but were not
attacked again that day. and we're held 10 re
serve all the next day. aud in the evening We
went out aud occupied our camp. which the
enemy had held f0l - hours. All the trunks
which had been lett by the officers we're
p.lIaged, and al the knapsacks aud blankets
st4'.:1cm".herwise .1cs,..h the camp w.1,.t ho,es and
holes where she'll had fallen and burst in the
tents. pieces Of guns. dead horses. broken har
ness and four or i've dead men lying around
took . ehort walk through the battle field
Of our brigade just at dusk, aud oh. such
sights dead acd wounded men every where
Where We made our first etand the sight
was appalling. am sure our regiment killed
ten Of the enemy 10 one Of ours Eiled BY th ctr.
The ground vas covered with the dead enemy.
% . wounded Sou herner here, and talk.
ed to him. He said the two regiments that
came up there were The 9Th Mississippi and
the 18th Alabama. and said that their entire
force left CoriDth on Thursday morning. He
said he did not know wha, General was in com,
mand. guess be knew it was Bssursesrd, bus
did not like to own that their pet had been
whipped.
One Of tho boys has Just got 10 from stroll
over the battle ground where have not been.
He says that wat have seen would not com.
pare with what he ssw. He was down TO-
wards the river. where the gun boats shelled
them on Monday. lie describedit it as awfu in
the extreme, aud says that the dead secesh
cover the ground thicker than any place be
has vet seen. The shells from the boat Sc. FIRE
to the woods and leaves, and burned the cloth
ing off the dead and wounded. burning the
bodies to . crisp. aud be could tell that mum.
bers Of them were burnt before they died.
Some tell me that Gen. Grant knew that
Bsauregsrd was going to attack him, and that
he made no preparations whatever to meet
him, and others tel! me on good authority that
be instructed certain Brigsder GUheral to
send out pickets, which the General did not
do, and in that way allowed the enemy to eur.
prise % unex pected and unprepared. In the
morning when We marched out to take our
.taud " met plenty Of wounded and tired
soldiers coming back, al taken BY surpriss
One Of their wounded told me that they slept
Saturday night and lay al day Saturday
within hearing Of our drum.. and ths: they
marched on Friday night and Thursday
morning, which looks reasonable enough. ~
Corinth 10 only ls miles from here. and II
they had marched ell the day could certain.
" not surprisa 10. II Grant knew ws were
going to be attacked, Why did be, not send
out men to support those brtsades that we're
6gh,ing the ensny single handed. 10 plsce
OF doing 90 be allowed the Brigadier Gen.
erals to do ~ they pleased-6ght or run,
and let the enemy come on into our camp
and pass through 70 tho pext. whereit would
meet another. which would fight for half 40
hour, until overpowersd, and then retreat as
their prsdscessors had done.
Such was the rnls Of the day. until Gen.
Buell. came, at about o'clock +. N. He
| then took command. when ~ were driven
to our last battery slmost. He begged the
men to fight until his men would come. whom
be said. keep them back for one hour, and
! tomorrow I viii whip them twice over for
you," which think saved u, for they had
% IN . small space mar the river, and com
| plstely hsmmed 10. and % Beadregard said
to bis men 10 . speech that night that I'll
they would have 10 do 10 thu morning would
be 10 march 10 and take us Oh prisoners,
ETC.,. sts, But Busll showed hin something
different in the nsrniag. be having arranged
HE guos TO suik having planted heavy siege
Guus and thrown up brsastworks, and made
rihs pits to protect bic men, which turasd
| the tide Of victory.
-Duelf told sy0rant tbat be eoSld blow lie
0epesalship. 70 I'LL With { thimb's full 81
novder.. and that be had bic ne, scattered
over erossd enough for 100000 men Buell.
followed up the sse0y -vhss they een@ss>ed
their retreat
We expect - march % Corioth . soon q
| the rosds imorove oowe-tbey ore In %