Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-12-17
General BIunr,s Charge.

A correspondent describing the battle
of Cane Hill, thus speaks of a charge made
after the rebels had been driven from the
battle field proper;
FFinslly, at a point in the mountains
some eight or ten milas distant from Cane
Hill, q narrow, funnel-iike gorge was
reached, the head of which the enemy
seemed to have resolved on defending TO
the last extremity. Their fire from
it on our advancing force was deadly; and
a portion Of the latter, for the first and only
time, temporarily gave back. Then it was
that General Blunt furnished to those
about him-and to the admiration Of the
enemy, even, despite their bitter prejudice
and hate-renewed evidence Of his most
daring qualities as a commander and his
resolute purpose to win or die, by leading
in person a charge with three companies
Of the Kansas 9th, in the face of the en-
emy's heaviest fire.
"They were as strongly postedas it was
Wen possible for them to be, and poured in
upon our men perfect storm of cannis-
ter and other shot. Our six mountain
hoWitzers and section Of Rabbs battery
were again brought forward and so placed
that q simultaneous discharge from them
just on the point Of being made-must
have made awful havoc in their ranks,
when, under the false pretext of desiring
TO care for their dead and wounded-but,
in fact, to escape the fate in store for them
they threw out white fiagl Another
object of this pitiful subterfuge was to
save their artillery, in which they thus
succeeded, but barely by " the skin of their
teeth" One Of their pieces, il was sub
sequenuy aseertained, they, in their haste
to get away, threw into a pond of water
by the roadside. A small force, from our
side on learning of this fact, went the
next morning, by order Of General Blunt
to get the gun; but the tricky rascals had
returned in the night (after our command
had left to come back here and taken it
away with them, in their flight to the Ar
kansas, which they have doubtless reached
ere now.
ain the last desperate charge above de-
scribed, Lieutenant Colonel Jewell, of the
9th Kansas most gallant and valuable
Ofhcer-whose very mein and bearing upon
all occasions Ito say naught here of his fine
personal appearanee,) proclaimed him
every inch a soldier-Was among those
who fell, mOrtally wounded. Lieutenant
Johnson, Of the same regiment, also re-
oeived severe wound, but it is hoped not
to be fat. Among the narrow escapes
Of which there were many-Gen. Blunt
himself received musket ball through the
top of his hat but the death of one Of the
enemy, whom, with a shot from a revolver
in the thickest Of the melee, he slew with
his own hand, atoned sufficiently for this,
besides demonstrating once more most con-
clusively to his command, that in him they
have q leader who viii never ask them to
60 where heis not most perfectly willing
and ready to 90 with them, or before them
If circumstances seem to require at all that
he should do so. No leader Of armies, Of
any day, has furnished to his soldiery
more conclusive evidence of his reckless
daring and contempt of danger 10 himself
personally than our Blunt and this con-
vietion, with his recent brilliant achieve
ments, are creating in their minds strong
belief in his invincibility-on that goes
as far generally to bring success as any
quality thata General can possess"