Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-01-25
The Battle oi Somerset.

he oi cOhnfTSets
correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette
writes as follows under date of January Dist,
from camp near Somerset, respecting the recent
battle tAs e
The 10Th Indiana occupied wooded hill on
the right of the road. On the left was field,
stretching down the hill for several hundred yards
In front of the woods was another field of about
twenty acres. "a tf H
The enemy formed in these two fields, attack
ell the Indiana troops both in front and upon their
lett flank. A section Of Capt. Standards bat
terry had been brought up and was stationed in
the road. The attack here was made about
o clock in the morning. Col Manson coming up
To the position just alter the attack began. and
seeing that his men must be overpowered before
the other regiments could come up, ordered his
men To fall back, which they did in good order,
fighting as they went. Capt. STANDARD reluc
family gave up the privilege of "gving the enemy
one good blizzard from that point, and retired
too. .rtfftfr raf. fre Ef#...
Immediately to the of the woods where
the 10Th was stationed is another field, with
steep descent TO a ravine, and then comes another
dense forest On the left of the road the clear
ings continue to the rayue. the sides of which at
that point are covered with growth of scrub
oaks and other timber.
| After crossing the river another field lies on
the left of the road The 10Th retired through
the field on the right of the road. and through
the woods for about a hundred and fifty yards to
the rear of the ravne. At this point, Colonel
Fry's 18th Kentucky came up and formed along
the fence, which separates the road from the field
on the left There is no fence on the right of
the road at that point. The two regiments here
formed in the shape of Nv, )" its point toward
the enemy advancing from the ravine, behind
which they had reformed after their temporary
success in the first attack For nearly an hour
they tried to break that ~ - but failed
| What rebel regiments came TIN ough the woods
! to attack the 10th at this place have not learn
ed. Those which attacked Colonel Fry were
Battles Tennessee and the 18th Mississippi, the
"Wigfall Rifles and the Mississippi Tigers" as
they loved to call themselves These were the
crack regiments of the enemy. and they sustain
ell their reputation. Again and again they
charged across the field, but were always met
I by the terrible fire of the Kentucky 4th and
! driven back
! There Zolicoffer fell but the death of their
General does not seem TO have greatly disheart
ened the enemy. They continued their attacks
with much vehemence ever. The ID Min
nesOta regiment came up and formed along the
fence. on the left OF the Fourth Kentucky The
rebels still extended their line TO flank US on that
side. The Fifteenth Mississippi charged up to
| the fence, and the men in the two regiments
fought hand to hand. catching hold of each others
guns. and trying to drag them through and over
the fence, but it was all in vain.
i McCOok's gallant Dutchman came up to sup
port the Tenth. forming their right and with
them driving the enemy out of the woods, over
the ravine up the HILL across the field TO the right
of the road The Fourteenth Ohio which, with
the Ninth. had marched all night TO get TO the
tbattle. together with two East Tennessee and the
18th Kentucky regiments, were coming up. The
enemy themselves were in danger OF being out
ilanked and cut off from their retreat STANDARD 5
battery was in full play. with deadly effect, on
their center. Kinney'S and Whtmore's were ad
vancing.
There no help for IL the dag lost to
the rebels. and they must retreat. They were
pushed back. hying rs they went across the fields.
Our deadly MIME balls told fear;ully on them vet
the loss WAS not all theirs Many Of onr brave
fellows dropped. Col. Wooford's horse was shot
under him. as he charged upon their center. Bob
I McCoOk was wounded and his horse shot under
him.
rode over the battlefield in the evening Our
men were burync the dead. but many still lay
CHASTITY where they fell. The wounded had been
all taken up The same kind treatment was ex
tended to the enemy's wounded that given TO
our own. The universal remark which they
made to me as passed through the hospital. was:
We never expected to be treated so. We
have been mised Weexpeetel to he served like
dogs should we fall into your hands You are
kinder TO us than we would have been 10 YOU
The only difference was in the burial Of the
dead Those of the enemy were laid together in
common pits. Our own were buried in separate
graves ami on many of them | saw young ce-
dars already planted by their comrades
Beside one of the graves prepared for the
eneInv's killed. noticed several lying ready to
be inferred One poor boy Law IN the exact DO
siton, a was told. in which he was found. He
rested ON his side his head living on his right arm
while his left hand was loosely closed on his right
elbow HIS eyes were closed. and he looked as
though nc had Just fallen asleep.
The rebels left upon the field OF Somerset one
hundred and fifty dead and many wounded,
besides the many whom they succeeded IN send
ing away before the pursuit became too bot for
them. Our loss thirty EIGHT killed and one
hundred and thirty four wounded.