Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-11-07
OUR ARMY CORRESPONDENT

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| PEA RIDGE, Ark, Oct. Goth, 81. J
DEAR JOURNAL After tramping around
in the ''wilderness'' for the last three weeks,
we have finally made stand at this place.
How long we will stop here, or where will
be our next move l am unable to state, but
suppose that we will go on down towards reb-
eldom.
We received marching orders at Spring
field on the 2Sth inst, and on the Goth we
started on our way rejoicing, glad to leave Oft
working on entertainments and go where we
supposed there was some prospect of seeing
the elephant" From Springfield we march
ed 70 miles southwest of Newtonia, where
considerable force of rebels were known to be
encamped. Here we expected to see some
fun, but the enemy, by some means, hearing
of our movements, and probably believing
that 'discretion is the better part of valor, y
had skedaddled for more congenial cline, "
to the great disappointment of our troops.
1t has been reported that an engagement
occurred here between our forces and those of
the rebels, but such is not the case, although
there was fight here about week previous
to this between about 500 of the Kansas
troops, under Col. Solomon, and 1000 or
5000 of the enemy, which resulted in onr
troops withdrawing from the field with a
small loss on both sides.
The only instance in which the 18th has
''smelled Southern gun-powder" occurred on
the road, eight miles east of Newtonia. We
had been travelling all night IN order to at
tack the rebels at dawn, and just before day
light our regiment was fired into from the
brush, by about dozen bushwhackers, which
resulted in the wounding of three Of our men,
one of whom, Sergeant of Company [, has
since died., They made good their escape be-
fore we cou1d return the compliment. We
remained at Newtonia until the 9th, and then
marched % miles southeast to Cassville.
Cassville is a small town once containing a
population of 200 but now almost deserted,
the inhabitants having mostly gone South
We left Cassville on the morning ofthe 18th,
and arrived here in the evening, after march
ing distance of % miles.
We are now encamped five miles south OF
the State boundary line, near the old Pea
Ridge battle-ground. The SCARED and splin-
tered trees, which bear the marks of hun
dreds of bullets, cannon balls, fragments OF
shells, and the graves of the fallen, are all
that now remains to mark the spot where oc'
Cured the memorable battle of the 9th Of
March. ....
The rebels are about cleaned out of Mis-
souri,, and Arkansas is getting to be a warm
place for them. Cross Hollows, their great
stronghold, proves to have been evacuated
some time since, and suppose our army viii
push on to Fort Smith, near the head waters
of the Arkansas river, unless we overtake thu
'chivalry" sooner.
The 10Th and goth Iowa infantry and thu
LIST Iowa cavalry are in ills division. They
are not brigaded with us. The 18th is il
the 1st Brigade of Scho6eld's command.
The health of our regiment is rather in
different at present, great many being un
well, from causes incident to the climate, ant
resulting from exposure. Company E ha
but very few sick, and none of those are Sc
riously ill. We are all enjoying ourselve
highly and find that soldering is nothin!
when you get used to it. 5. N. >.