Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-04-22
omc,u, Eaerors or tie ,,A,tie OF Pea aidss

! GMcluI Eter0rt or tie I,a1iie OF Pea Mijse
! The President transmitted 20 Congress-, yes
terdsy, the tollosiIy: r=po:l Of U.';. Van DorD:
hE4DQu.krEEs Ts4Ss. MIS-. Di:ralcra.
J4cEsoSPoKT, Ark. :hsrcn 81, '62 +
GENERAL: have the honor rG report that
Willie at rccanonias, received dispatches on
| the "a February, Informing mn thht Gen.
Price had rapidly fallen back flum Springfield
beiorh superior tolce Of the enemy nEd @es
endearorns 10 form junction With tho divl.
SION Of Gen. McGuluch at Boston Mountain.
fe REASONS which sncinc;. 10 nc imperative,
! resolved 10 20 in pc!stn aud lake command
CT thu ctIuoiEc,! forces Of Price lid McCulloch.
/ 7escLea their Headquarters Gu the 30 OF
Mlrcn, and beiGs satisfied that t!!,s anelny, who
had k.l.e:. On Sugar Greek, 80 miles distant,
Tas ONLY awaiting large ronIoi,crao:.ts bslorc
To w0ud si7&ncJ, Tcsol7e3 10 attack hin at
onue. Accordingly ssnt for Gen. Pike 10 jpin
tnc near Elm Springs with Ii: forces under
kia coE,u,.nu, ard Cn the :Ioraing OF he 4th
Of Mhrcn, moved wih liza divisions of P.ice
and McCnIloch hY way Of Fayetteville aad
B=nfonri;e t. attacl: the ea;eny's lnain camp
on Sugar CTacs. The whole lurco under my
coTrl,u:Frd w,s a:I.5ut 8 UG0 ngh.
! Ga lilo Jf n. lett Elm Snriual inr Benton
Silis and iivu plr:.ono.a cap.urtt y ,,i,: scUnL.
'ns. i.a:tiea or The 5tb, became convinced that
up IT, that tine no arisvciou HaS.ah;crtsred Of
cur advance Glid that there Tera atreGg kop$s
I'll our etociiug i c0tupeta surprise and attach.
| ing ti:a oaGI.ry beiu:e ihe :ars. l:ia chmefits
cn,a.nped n varIou5 pUu;s il, tna Surround
ing Country could jrii ito Halt rbiy.
| therefore, srroasorod IL reach Gyr:tJnvilic, II
miic; distant, by 6 rsi.id march; bur tho troops
'a""ci so 7=Ty sloTly That it vas |, A N. De.
iurc til. head OF The leading dlTising (Pnce's)
reached tho village; and We Ehd tho l:.Crii6
cation to see S.ege's division, 1000 strong
leaving It as Tu enteroh Had wu te6n dne
lour sooner we should have cut him OF With
his whole force .rd Certainly have bea!en the
enemy next day.
We inipScd hirG our advance skirlnishing
@tT lis rclc guard (1hlcii vas admirably
handlsdJ nn'!l ". had gained point On Sugar
Greek, About seven miles beyond Eentonvili c,
and within oIC or Two miles OF The strongly
entTcncned cNrGp Of the enemy.
IN conference with CisiiorHlg McCulioch and
Meiniu-h, wha hal al accurate buoa ledge Of
! The country, i had asceylained that by making
4 drinur %; $ miIas Could reach ttc telegraph
road leading !.nm Springfield 10 Fayetteville,
md f:n lirins diutuly N lie rear Q! The enemy
.nd his entranchurrnts
| taL resolved to adopt this route, and,
therefore, halted lio head Vi my column near
the point whore tho r3sd by which proposed
ID lnovci di9crges throw out NY pickets and,
bisduscked, as for tilo night. Ru! sGon after
dark ] morct,od ss4iii, moving with PRICES
division in advance, and taking the road bT
which, hoped before daylight 10 reach tho
resr @! tho enemy
Suma obsiructiuna which tts eneuy had
hastily thro@n III tho way, so iupsdcd our
march that 7Fe did rot gain Tho telegraph road
unit, near ton O'clock, A. d., on ths 7tb.
From prisoners, wi,h forage wagons; whom
cur Cavalry riHt=;s brought il, ne were as.
snred tnat we wsrs not expected in that qucr-
ter, and that the promise Eas fair !0r @
complete Tprisi. Iat onca mado dispositions
foT sn attack, and directing General Price to
move forward cautiously, s1on draw the hre OF
fc@ skiemishe1s, who were rapidly rein.
idr:cf, 50 that before II o'clock sc were fairly
ongagci; HE enemy holding very good posi-
tons, aT'l 'iasintaninE Eeavy fire OF artillery
and small arms Ipoa tho constantly advancing
columns which Te;c being pressed upon him.
mad dirccte Con. McCullcch TO attack
with his forces the caa.ny's loft, end bafcra
o'c,0ak ii wss evident, snct if his division
could advance, III ever r!aiatsa its ground,
could at oDon throw forward Price. left, ad-
vance our whale lille, and end the battle. l
goat clio Dispatch to This effect, but it T1s
neEer recci7sd l.; him. E,I3rc it was penued,
lis brave spirit hal winged ts fiisht, and one
Of the most gEiiaut commanders of the Con-
federhcy hh'l fought his last bsttle
About 3 P. NJ, ] rnGe!ved by aid tie.camps,
the iniormstion that Gems MaCuiGct, MeIn-
t sh and Ool Herbert were killed, and that the
division was without any head nevertheless
pressed for ard ssilh tie ait.cS, ana st sunset
lIo eneny were dying bftcre Our victorious
troops 1T every pcin. III our front; and when
nigh; tnl we had driven hin entirely lroul the
hcld OF battle Our trGo,is slept upon their
arms Desriy mile beyond lha point at which
hu made ns last stand, and my headquarters
for the night were at thu Elk Horn Tavern.
We had taken during the day, caRlop and
about 200 prisoners.
In the cJu!so Ct the night, understood that
The Ammunition Vas HlTo0st exhausted, and
tno GtticeT il charge Of he ordnance supplies
! cGuli net find his wagons, which, with the
| subsistence train had been sent TO Bentol7ille.
Most Of tic troopa had been without any food
since tho morning OF the 9th, and tha artillery
horses We're beaten out. twas, therefore, With
DO little anxiety, that awaited Tic dawn Of
dar. When IL c.fnr It revealed to Inc the
cucmy in new ana strong position, Offering
| pa;lie made M diSCCsitiOGS az once to accept
tus caco, aud by : O'clock the cannonading
vas as heavy al on tua previous day. On the
siin oi lho eTeny tho hi3 WAS much batter
suslsi;c,l, for bliag irce,. from the attack Of
nv right wing, no could naT concentrate his
whole artillery f5rcc. Finding that my right
wing Was 80 much disdrganzGd, and that the
batteries were one hftc. another retiring from
the field, With every shot expended, resolved
to Withdraw tho armr, ani Is. once placed
the ambuGuces, With all the wounded they
would bear, upon the Hu1tsyillo Road, Sid
G portion OF McCuloch's division, which had
Joined nc during the night ia position to fol.
low, whio so disposed Of my remaining force
ss best to deceive tina enemy nstC my intentions
aud to hold BIN in checi: whie executing it.
ab5u, 10 o'clock gave the a. : ;0r Tbs co-
umn 10 march, ard soon al. 7ard for the
troops engaged 10 tell back g. . cover tins rCGr
Ct the eLemy. THE was dol very STEADILY.
The attsmpt wus made by tho .euy 10 follow
us, aud Ta encamped about :. A about SIX
miles from Lie field O: bstlla. Soon, demon-
| EtiHLlDnS WCfc lie upoh IL J
bsrcuce train and the batteries Of artillery
which returned BY dforant ;.ntea from thh,
taken by tho enemy, but thsy wore instantly
attacked, ,auJ thanks To the kill and courage
Of Col. S.une and Major W:dz, sll OF Tho ar
tcry and baggage joined l'o army III safely.
So fur as cdD ascertain, vur losses Gin0unt
to COO killed snd wounded, aud 200 prison
crs, nni orc CANNON, which bscame disabled
and ordered it to be lhroT.i into ra7ino
The best infvrD,atiCn | can procure places
the cnemy's killed at more than TOO, With OF
least on equal number oI wounded. We
brought away about 800 prisoners, $50 that bis
total loss is about 10000 icus cannon and the
baggage wagons, end We burnt on the FIELD
tbi % cannon, taken by Mcintosh in the bril-
liant charge, the horses having beer killed
These guns could not be brought away.
The loTce with w'':h wert l:rta The actlor