Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-12-23

Int ueluj looking from q distance IKE
nest Of ants. Our infantry seemed mere
handful in comparison to this multitude,
but they held them in check while Coles
battery ran up and stuck their guns un-
der their very noses and fred canister in
to them with such deadly effect as to
cause them first TO pause in their career,
then lie down, and finally hastily to re-
treat. Again they made their appearance
still farther on the left, in a number equal,
apparently, to our entire force Their bat
teries again opened fire briskly, and for q
time the fortunes of the battle seemed a.
gainst US. The immense and overwhelm-
ing odds enabled them to harass and ap-
proach US from three directions. The
greatest discouraging circumstance, how
ever was in the fact that new battery
had opened heavy fire at our extreme
right, nearly two miles from our center.
This was at clock in the afternoon. A
good portion Of our infantry was fearful
! ly cut up and nearly disheartened.
Everything, nearly, pointed to defeat
of our forces. Murphy battery, a portion
Of Backofs and the Peoria battery, kept
pouring a CALLING FIRE into the opposing
I IUrCes. Inc men were again rallied, and
at half past three the Hippity-whiz Of the
shells, the booming Of the cannon, and the
continuous roll Of musketry told US that
our boys were determined to hold the field
if possible, till dark
The rebels fought desperately, and
seemed no more to regard shower of bull
let's or a storm Of grape than if it had been
but summer wind. No sooner had q SOL
id shot ploughed its way through their col
umns, or a shell opened gap in their
lines, than the vacancies were filed by
others. They advanced steadily, once
more upon our left, and there, we knew,
would be the hottest tug of the day. "Tis
darkest just before the dawn" some one has
said; twas so in our case. By a bold
movement the rebels were once more
checked, and just then the word came that
the firing upon our extreme right was that
of General Blunt who had arrived with q
strong battery and about FIVE thousand
men. This intelligence added new courage
to our men and sent Vigor into every
movement, that meant victory or death.
General Blunt ranged his twenty-four |
pieces in line and opened a CALLING fire |
upon the left wing Of the rebel army, and |
drew a portion of their attention toward |
his forces. They advanced upon him from |
the woods at adouble-quick in eight ranks, |
seemingly half a mile long. They went |
down q gentle slope, with an easy prey |
apparently in view. When they had got |
to q certain point within canister range, |
he opened his entire FIRE upon them, 'sfair- |
ly lifting them from the ground" as he |
afterward described it. This checked their /
impetuosity and put terror into their
hearts, but still they went on. Another
and another volley was given them until
they broke and fled, and when the remnant /
of this storming party had left the field the
ground was strewn and piled with rebel /
slain. In the meantime our boys had not /
been idle. They pressed the enemy hotly |
at every point, and as the sun went down
they we're falling back in every direction.
Before it had become fully dark, the only
sounds Of firing heard were those of our
own musketry and cannon. The field was
won and the victory gained.
Az nine o'clock of the same nvnninn the
enemy were in full retreat toward Van
Buren, and at daylight this morning they
were twelve miles away. A more com
plete and glorious victory never was OBJ
tained As. soon as the pail of night had
descended upon their motions a perfect
stampede took place. Everything this
morning denotes hasty flight and great
fear least we should pursue them. Although
their force was large enough to crush US
completely-in fact, annihilate us-and
they were well equipped and handled, our
little army ofcomparatively inexperienced
troops effected a brilliant repulse and won
an unquestionable victory. This morning
all the contested ground and every inch Of
the battlefield are in our hands, and the
only rebels in view are the piles Of dead
and the ambulance parties carrying away
the wounded.
Long before daylight Gen. Marmaduke
came with flag of truce and remained for
two hours, evidently with a view of Great
ing delay. He had no sooner reported back
to his command than another message was
received requesting an interview with
Gems. Blunt and Heron. This consumed
three hours more, and by that time their
army was at a safe distance.
The ruse was perfectly transparent, yet
the game had progressed too far to be
stopped without transgressingt the etiquette
of war before their intention was fully di-
vined.
The weather of the 7th was delightful.
The sun shown Clearly in cloudless sky,
and the air was as balmy and quiet as on
q June morning. It was remarked by
many old soldiers that if the continent had
been searched it would have been impossi-
bic to have selected more beautiful field
Of battle than that of Prairie Grove.
General Herron's forces entered it from
the northern extremity, and those Of Gen
eral Blunt from the southern. The rebels
we're posted upon the hills and in the
woods for four miles along the eastern
side Of the field, while our batteries oecu-
pied the elevations upon the western side,
q little more than mile from the rebel
lines. The intervening space was firm
EaEa pSGHshsdh G dhnd feds nafFSN Rhli strS 5f 81
1rushwood, which skirted a little brook !
.unning through the middle Of the valley.
This open country was held by our infant
y, and there they went through their
in full view of General Heron,
who, for good portion Of the time, oecu-
1ied little hill near Murphy's battery, on
he western side Of the field. There could
,e.witnessed the whole Of this intensely
exciting strife, not q movement of which
escaped the quick attention of our Young
The brilliant but disastrous
.harges made by the Wisconsin and
9th Iowa upon the rebel battery were as
,lainly to be seen as the moves upon a
hess-board. The swarms upon swarms Of |
'ebels that came trooping out Of the wood
lpon our left in numbers sufficient to ap- l
'al heart less strong than that of our
were as openly seen with their
,leaming muskets and Haunting banners,
IS if it had been holiday parade, instead |
4 the hottest battle that has taken place
N this side Of the Mississippi. As an i'm
'osing spectacle, it was one Of the most
errifc, and, at the same time, magnificent
ights imaginable. {
Our loss is roughly estimated at 800
,illed and wounded. Col. Mcfarland. of
he 10Th Tnma IL J;TIad E,sz- rT-ztI