The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-05-03

y1hiIs with Gen. Prentiss division ct Pittsburgh
early Sunday morning, furnishes that paper
with some interesting incidents Of the conflict
which have not been anticipated in other re-
ports. On Sundry night the rebels who occu-
pied our camps we're very jolly, and confident
Of satisfactorily finishing up their work on the
following day. Trunks and boxes were broken
open and their contents greedily appropriated.
Gen. Prentiss and most of the prisoners cap.
tured ON Sunday were hurriedly disarmed and
started for COrinth. Some surgeons and hos
pital stewards, with the wounded and disabled
were left behind. On Monday about 2 P. M,
orders were given to remove these remaining
prisoners to Corinth, butthe fight Of the rebels
soon became so precipitats that the prisoners
guard, at first consisting of one hundred men,
dwindled down in fifteen minutes time to about
fifty, and these last not long after began to be |
more concerned for their own safety than for |
that of their charges. As natural conse.
quence, several of the csptlves, among them
the writer effected their escape. He continues: |
The last determined stand had been made
where now stood in dense cover Of black
jack bushes. At this time occurred the deadly
contest which took place between several Ala
ALBANIA regiments and number of our own,
from different States, and which ended the light
Of Monday. These Alabamians were mostly
armed with fintlock muskets, undoubtedly
those stolen BY Floyd, some hundreds Of which
were here returned to the Federal Government
in significant manner.
The bushy cover had not saved them from
almost utter humiliation. Pressed on the left
by our forces in the road, and partially fanked
on the right by our artillery, the destruction Of
these butternut jean clothed rebels was beyond
the power Of pen to describe.
1t seemed as if becoming bewildered, they
had endeavored to retreat several times, but
each time encountered our men at an opening
in small cloverfeld of one or two acres where
they were actually piled up along the fence,
quite number settling down between the
stakes, and remaining there in death, while
others, their legs and feet becoming entangled
in the rails, died so suddenly that they hung
in various positions, as if in the act OF climb
ing over the fence.
Although the fight at this place was brief,
| the loss Of life on the part of the enemy was
greater than at any part Of the whole battle
| ground, including o space of four miles front
by one and q half broad. Iconcluded TO make
an estimate of the number killed just about
| this vicinity, and set about counting them up,
| until my number of dead men, clothed in rebel
attire, reached four hundred and twenty-six,
| while those in the Union uniform were eighty
nine.
| found no other locality, however, where
this great disparity between the Union and
rebel killed existed. It is just to say, and
there are those who accompanied me on the
battlefield the subsequent day prepared to as
sert the same, that the killed of the enemy are
one third greater than ours, while our wounded
perhaps somewhat exceed theirs Arigid scru
tiny enables me to speak positively on this
topic. They labored diligently all day Sun
day, through the night, and again until the
retreat, carrying away their wounded and
most prominent dead, such as it was possible
for them to possess themselves of, thereby
compelling those who were wounded in the re-
treat to become our prisoners. The number
captured in this way was perhaps about five
hundred.
sHILo FIELD AN HOUR AFTER THE BATTLE.
| 1t was curious to see the strategy resorted to
by some of the wounded rebels or their friends.
While surveying the killed and wounded in .
thickly wooded locality, but where trunks Of
large trees lay about in q half rotten state, l
stepped upon one to look about the ground,
and hearing something move at my feet, looked
down upon what was evidently the figure of a
man, covered up by blanket, and lying close
up alongside the log. The ground was thickly
strewn about him with bodies, many of whom
found only to be wounded. Lifting the blan-
ket from the wounded mans face, as l dis
mounted from the log, he Immediately faltered
out, "Oh, sir, Pm wounded; don't hurt me my
leg is broken and Pm so cold and wet"
Within three feet of this wounded Secession
list lay dead Unionist, with his hair and whis-
kers burned off. Just at this period two or
three of our men came up, and observing the
horrid spectacle of their dead brother-in-a arms
with his hair, whiskers and clothes so burned,
addressed the wounded man referred to in vio-
lent terms, accusing them of aiding in setting
fire to their comrades. For o. moment felt
apprehensive that they might retaliate, but
upon his assuring them that many on both
sides were burned in q similar manner, quiet
was soon restored l soon learned that the
leaves and dead underground had been fired in
various places by the explosion of shells, and
also by burning wads the fire communicating
to the bodies and burning them shockingly.-
Some of the wounded must have been burned
to death, as observed one or two lying upon
their backs, with their hands crossed before
their faces, as o person naturally does when
smoke or heat becomes annoying
Replacing the blanket over the face of the
wounded man, proceeded to step over another
log near by, and was considerably startled by
a loud exclamation of pain from another wound
ed rebel. Having stepped on small stick that
hurt wounded limb of his by its sudden move
ment he was compelled to cry out He, too,
was snugly laid up IN ordinary, close along
the poor man begged for some assistance. The
only thing that could do was to get him lit
tie water, and promise that somebody would
soon come to his relief. l do not think he re-
ceived any, however, before the following day,
as it was more than we could do to attend to
our own suffering men, night being near
"What will you dc with us?" said the wounded
man to me- Take you, dress your wounds,
give you plenty to eat, and in all probability,
II IL
of allegiance, and then send you home to your
family, if you have one"
"Oh, God" replied the suffering man; 81
have family, sir, and that's just what my old
woman told me. She said if the Northern men
was SO ugly and bad as our Generals says, they
must ha' changed heap" Occasionally there
was pause, accompanied by distorted coun-
tenance that showed the painful character of
his wound. Stranger" continued the pros.
trats man, .''Pve got six little boys at home,
and the biggest just goes Of errands. live on
the-river in Alabama, (the name sound
ed so peculiar that l was not able to recollect
IT'D faint further than that cottonwood from
the bank, where my house stands" "What
has your wife to maintain the family with, or
does the State help them?" said 1. "Oh, she's
shifty, my wife is, stranger-she's mighty
shifty; she's Northern born woman, and her
father lives in Wisconsin now. never was
North before; married my wife in Alabama"
was obliged to leave this man, who possess.
ed an undercurrent of nobility, although his
superficial knowledge had allowed him to follow
the fortunes of base leaders. He persisted in
saying, as left him, that he was certain that
he never had killed man.
THE STUDY OF ATTITUDES
Perhapsa finer opportunity has not for many
generations occurred than that after the battle
for the study Of attitudes. There was the old
man, his locks sprinkled with gray, kneeling
besides stump, as if in the attitude of prayer
his face now resting in his hands and head in
clining on the top, apparently having gone to
sleep in death while in the act of devotion. A
CHASTITY wound in the side told of his end.
Another powerful-looking man had just
placed cartridge in the muzzle of his gun, and
had the ramrod in his right hand, as if about
to ram it down. Death caught him in that
moment, and as he lay with upturned face, the