Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-11-04
PROM GENERAL BRAGG,s ARMY.

$3.50 1919 49, ONo~1a ~
Since my last communication, from BSrdE-
town, important events have transpired, and the
Army of the Mississippi" has been compelled,
by the forcs of circumstances, to fall back from
Kentucky upon what wo know to be Confederate
soil While in Kentucky We fought one hard
and bloody battle, and as the victory has been
claimed by both parties, it would not be unin-
teresting perhaps to your readers to have E faith
ful account Of what 1 saw and heard for myself
on that ~ssngulnSry field.
THE BATTLE OF ~Yvn
Our army had fallen back from Bsrdstown to
HArrodsburg, By way Of DAnVille, followed by
the enemy, when it was AscertAinsd By our
scouts that 4 large bsdy of FsderslI were in the
vicinity Of PsrryVille, some ten miles distant,
and in scsordance with this information our
generals dstsrminsd to give them battle. Our
division, commanded BY General Chesthsm,
with he exception Of Preston Smiths brigade,
left HArrOdsburg ct 5 r. N, on tbs 7th instant,
and about midnight We took 3 position On the
outskirts of PsnyVille, and slept on our arns,
expecting the fight to open early in the morning.
Absut daybrsak a scattering Ere OF pickets was
heard SONS two miles distant, which VA soon
discontinued. Presently = cannon, and then
another, and still another doomed in the dis
tanos, and we thought the aGtion had opened in
earnest but not yet. Thus az occasional can
n~SnAding was kept up for several hours, the OBJ
Jet being, on our part, to ascertain the exact po-
siiioA Of the enemy.
About noon We learned that the Federals were
in heavy forcs on our right. Consequently our
whole line was pat in motion, and, indeed, the
entire front changed. We marched about a
mile northwest o. the town, when the action was
eOmmsncsd At snS o'clock by csnnOnading at
long range. The position Of the enemy was
wall chosen. They were posted en- a range of
hills in the sdgs of 8 large old field about a mile
in width, their lsh flank resting upon = skirt of
woods, On the opposite side of tAs field, upon
a similar elevation, two or three of cur batteries
took positions and opened the hght. Our guns
were Gix-poundsr, smooth bores, and howitEers,
both ineffective at such g lsng range, so that
they could not cope on fair terms with the sups-
risr artillery Of The enemy. Consequently enc
Of these batteries, which wss most exposed, was
compelled to retire from the heavy IRE Of the
snsmy's guns, some Of the ~eGnnonesrs and even
the gunners having let their posts, though after
ward they took a better position, and, it is said,
fought well.
General Chsathsm seeing the condition Of
affairs, called for a battery that could stand,
when our brigade commander, General Stewart,
remarked that be had one that he thought would
do for the emergency. So stanfoTd's battery,
which had been seeking = suitable position for
half an hour, WAS brought into action on tho
very ground the retiring battery had just oesu-
pied, and formed under = tsTribls fire OF shot
and shell from a lasge battery Of underground
srs, Nspolsons, and James rihsd pisces, the
best artillery thAt is ussd.
Anew knight had now entered the lists, and
soon the shIill rspsrt of our 6-pounder riAed
pieces responded to the heavier bosm OF the en-
emy's guns. Each battery wss in plain view
Of the Othsr on opposite hills one mile distant,
the Intervening space being as before mentioned,
an opsnf field. Every Cash frem tks distant guns
was followed 8. intervals Of FIVE seconds by a
report, and tbs next instant a eonicsl she'll or
solid shot would cone screaming and p~luuging
into cur midst, tearing up the earth, OF irving
the timber into Pigments Fortunately for Us,
most of their shoss were simed too high to strike
Us. In a short time after We formed. however,
one Of our horses rss killed, and soon q fssal
shell struck down thrss Of our brave boys, two
to rise no more, and the third SO dangerously
hurt that bis recovery ia doubtful.
Our battery, in connection with two Others,
now fought q regular artillery duel with a cor
responding numbsr of the ensmy's guns, for an
hour and a hall, tbs loEs on eur side being small.
We DO not know for certain how much damage
we did the enemy, but Major Bankhead, who
ocnVersed with the Federal chief Of artillery,
after the capture Of the battery, says that we
succeeded in exploding 8 caisson, killing a num-
Der Of men and horses, besides doing consider
able damage with other shots. After We had
fred from forty to sixty rounds to the gun, We
CEASED firing fer our guns to cool, when it was
determined by our generals to storm shs enemy's
lines with infantry. This was about three o'clock
in the afternoon. Our brigade, fren which we
had been separated, formed a part of the right
wing, under General Chsstham, on which part
of our linz the heaviest fighting was done. The
30th Mississippi regiment, Colonel Esill, lay i'm
modihtely behind our battery, while the SD,
belonging TO Bucknsr's division, followed it a.
e reserve, when the charge Was made. We we're
in an excellent position to observe the move
nsnts Of our troops in the fight, and watched
with the deepest interest as they we're led
on to the assault. There were several brigades
in plain view marching across the old field to
attack the enemy in his strong position.
o, it was a noble, a glorious sight, to see cur
gsllant boys marching on undsunted apparently
the very jaws of death. When they had
arrived within six hundred yards of the enemy's
Ines g terrible Are Of canister and m1sksty
poured into thsir ranks, but they pressed
on without returning q shot until they
Fsrs in close range, when they opened Ere with
Fuch terrible energy and execution, that the en-
lines were soon thrown into confusion.
The Fsdsrals fought well, bat cozld not stand
before the fierce charges of our gallant troops.
fAeir artillsrymsn we're shot down, and their in
driven back, leaving several fine guns in
,ur hands. But they fell back, slowly disput-
nE every inch Of ground as they we're repeat
,1ly reinforced.
The battle now ragged vita terrible fairy. TIE
Tery heavens we're rsat with the ~seztisusus
rash Of small arms, interrupted emily by the
numbering boom of artillery, and the fearful
.~Iplosion Of shells. Oar battery now took q {
lew position much nearer the enemy, and were !
o situated that our FIRE, together with the in ;
autry to cur left, subjected the enemy to a ]
svers cross FIRE. We direeted our pieces toward /
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