, 1862-12-25
D3TTLE OF PRAIRIE GROVE.
Part of the Tb1rty-seVenth Illinois
Thcretn-An Interesting Letter.

CAMP S7rn III. Vols, BATTLE FIELD
PRAIRIE GROVE, Dec 10th: 1868.
On tllis beautiful morning, US write, the |
sun shines out clearly and brightly, and the |
hum aud bustle In our camp is as plain and |
cheerful as though battle,.smohc had not hung !
like pail over this valley three days ago and |
none, to look around, would suppose that in !
that time many Of our brave men had been |
made martyrs BY death or heroes by wounds. |
But the smoke las foated away on the winds |
which now serves to purify tic air. The |
lodics Of the dead are mostly gathered home,
and over their last resting place the yol1eys
have been fired, and the wounded whose
groans Of agony filled and frighted the night
Of the Tth Of December have been carried to
the hospitals to be cared for in the best way
possible under the circumstances.
The excitement Of the day has passed, also,
aid We can now sit down and write cooDy Of
tue incidents Of day which has given this
little spot q place in history, and given
another step forward in the effort for the
maintenance Of our Government 10 the armies
which have sprung mp as if by magic and ral-
lied to the flag of the Union.
An actor in 6 battle has not perhaps the
best opportunity of describing I'LL the moves
in the grand but terrible scene going on, hut
lie can at least give accurately a description Of
| that part which he acted. Aud so though
shall strive to do all justice, you will expect
| HE to refer more particularly to the part Of
my own regiment and those Immediately con-
neeted with us in the proper place. The
second and third divisions Of the Army Of the
Frontier, under Gen Heron, on the morning
Of the 4th Of December, we're camped, the
third on Flat Greek, twenty-nine miles south
west Of Springfield, Missouri, and the second
some six miles nearer the same place. On
that morning we started at three O'Clock, on
tue march for Gen. Blunt, who lay Mt Cane
Hill, Threatened by Ill overwhelming force
Of the rebels. On that day the second
division marched twenty miles, and on
on the 9Th marched twenty miles, and start
ing at midnight Of the Gtl, marched on the 7tt
to our present position, distance Of thirty
miles, ar1iyingabout halfpast o o'clock P. N. Or
1hc last ten miles Of onr march, We had beer
chccred By the music Of cannon, from Wlicl
we knew that tile Sd division in advance Of u!
| were engaging the enemy. Already the news
: | Of the Tont Of our cavalry and capture O.
eighteen or twenty Of their wagons, hal
, reached us, and from this VIC knew that
: | powerful and determined enemy was oefor
) us and that Gen. Blunt needed our assistance
] | which had arrived just in time. Arriving o.
/ the field, re Immediately formed line Of battl
r | and the battle opened as all modern battle
+ do. with the laundering Of artillery, and jus
t ! here while our artillery is at work and dom
i splendid work too, as we lay IN line support
$ ing it. Let me describe the position the cnt
G MY had chosen on which to meet us. 1nstea
0 Of Prairie Grove, this should be called Groy
d Prairie. For it is a beautiful open vale
:, lying between these hills, which form
d Arkansas, running Gust to west some III
d | miles long and ono mile wide, bordere
J. o., ether side bya range Of heavily Woode
j. shills and watcrcd by Illinois Creek- On th
d range Of hills on the south side, rising q
d ruptly in some places, and in all places rapl'
II y, iii some thirty to fifty feet high and the
g E1ering gradually back for one can anu ae.n one-na
10 and formed their line Of battle Across tn
D. valley, then, we witnessed an artillery dut
re | proving as at Pen Ridge, and all Western BE-
Ties, the superiority Of our guns and l2raeti
This could not last long, However, Tor =
from the field, and as our regiment on the
treme right moved forward to new positio
e. supporting hInrphy's battery, {1st Nilsson
light artillery We saw line OF lnfanIrS ms 5s
ee steadily and gallantly forward to t
nc foot Of The bill, and carrying their bannt
oI~ proudly up and over its crest, till they vi
I'd | lost to our view in the woods. But soon
~ heard the roll Of 1uusketry, m instant scatt
ing and then concentrating n' aeaay aea1e14t snd
liz Iowa were having terrible work How {
- | boys chafcd at being compelled to listen vi
.'ie ont aiding. But we knew our turn was co
hat ing-had already come, for the order :
cal given to move, and with & feeling Of posi-
Int Telief the banner Of the S7th was borne I
IL. u-s ward, As we moved on our eyes were on
sca hill, and soon We saw our men g1E1ng Va :;
to | one. and then smother, then handtuu; u
ted those regiments, Which had gone SO plou
ha+ np,werc hurled down the hill broken and 81
nat tered IN pieces. From the right OF ouf nne
ble S1tb Illinois and 26th Indiana were moved
uce tlc extreme left and faced to the same
+ha where the 18th Iowa and goth wisconsin
eue amo1nent before been driven. Steadily,
ION idly and unbroken those tTo Tete1aR ets ;+r
ties ments, the 37tl on the right and the 2otn
the lei. moved across the open ground TO
, foot Of thehi lay down under cover OF
fence. and threw forward skirmlshefs TO
>, cover and unulask the enemys poSi!lqn
Sns- drawing their fire. Ine regiments ,oss oE
eas the enemy's flank and the 377th in the eneu
hftsi front. moved up that hill in the face OF
very terrific fire to support their sklrmlshcrs:
low The S7th at the bloody battle Of Pea II
muc had looked the wolf IN the 1ace-oaa e9h'
; Of cd tie ground inch by inch with MeCulio
s,ol div;sio1. but never had we been welcomed
ne4f ~ 1he sieht Of such an overwhelming tore
iiato rebels nor shrouded in SO terrible e
duct II bullets as greeted us on gaa1
that fhc surnit Of the hill. Forward
ation rushed however to the cover OF Q tenc
2 2 ny g front, and thence we paid our compimen
L oe the rebel line, which rose like q wall be
us, and not more than eighty yards DIS
,'g. Yet cool as we were, thus engaged our
'rces, manding officer, Lieut.. Col. BLACK,
whom there Is no brarer man or more si
ablic officer in this army, discovering that T The
have | Indiaua had been driven back under me
ther ieas1ng oas er ,;iant;nf battefT on our
pub which would sweep our entire line, CAV
icers. order to retreat, an order necessary ~ M
ofa- luctantly obeyed. To retreat N tiie IA
.,s7 such fire is not an easy or bioodless
neral Down the hill We went, however, acros
ence. meadow. at its foot, and into the corn
mia- where our regiment halted at The hzsL 6
9th. and formed rapidly with our left resting
- battery. 1xo ,1o,5:
0 Ray there awaited orders. Meantlme, the
! ran. Indiana had formed under cover OF
and: were already at work again: %Bn
er pa moment their line Was broken r And
kKnA