Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-04-15
SOUTHERN ACCOUNTS OF THE BAT.
TIE OF PEA RIDGE


TIE OF PEA RIDGE.
The Richmond WING Of the stb Inst contains
the following southern accounts Of the battle Ct
Pea Ridge
From the Richmond WING, April 8 -
BATTLE or PEA RinsE-coNFspKRA ACCOUNT OF
THE DEFEAT or PRICE, AND M'cuLLOcE.
The following Interesting and reliable account
Hon. 6. G. vest, through whose courtesy we are
enabled to lay IL before our readers this morning.
The letter Is fsem an ofacet Of Prices army, who
"The battles fought but whether or not
twop," neither Coufedefates or Eederals can tell.
Yet ell can understand. We have abandoned the
field, and nave bad to ask permission Of them to
bury our dead. Capt. Schonbusg, who went up
with our flag, reports that he superintended the
interment Of eighty-eight bodies, and the enemy
claim that they buried Others Of our dead. They
may have done 90, but II was unintentionally
omitted on our part, and In isolated Instances
Our loss IN killed does NOT szesed one hsHdrsd and
thuty. IL CANNOT 60 up TO one HUNDRED and fry.
Among them, however, are McCulloch, McIn.
Of chivalrv, Capt Churchill CLARK. A crimson
ocean drawn from Hessian and Yankee veins
would be no recompense for the loss Of these
heroic sons Of the South. Gems. Price and Slack,
wounded, the two latter seriously. Slack almost
in the same spot he was shot at Springfield. Car.
neal hiss his shoulder badly bruised. and Gen.
Price an ugly hole through the arm, below the
elbow. But must tell you what came under my
own observation during The conflict.
When the enemy left Cove Creek, which is
| loeb, Pike and Mcintosh seemed to think-at
least camp talk among officers high In command
so repreeented-that our united forces would car.
~ into action nesrly 30 900 men. more frequently
estimated at 35 900 than lower fgpre. believe
Gen Van Dorm was confident that no. man less
than IS, 600 Were painting to follow his victorious
plume to field where psouder honors awaited
than any he bad vet gathered Besides this he
under -e1timRted 10 fnps In
case did our estimate reach rs per cent. Of their
| actual number. Ii was believed that Curtis left
part, Of course, would be left as they came
along to hold Springfield and other poihn am
certain the enemy have more accurate informa-
| ton In regard to US than we Of them; and, be-
| line.
| Well, out we marched with music and banners
thinking we had IS Geo men ''eager for the fray,b
besides teamsters and camp followers The army
| went without tents, carrying blanket each,
| with three days rations. Long and energetical-
ly did the poor fellows irudge on through mud
| and snow until twenty-five miles were measured
| the first day. The second day discovered no
| abatement In their zeal, and the third morning
| confronted them with Sigel's forces In the en-
virons Of Bentonville. Gates' regiment, the bat
| TALON forming General Prices body-guard and
the Louisiana reg iment, charged and routed the
enemy, the gallant Louisianians and Missourians
/ rivalliDg each other In deeds OF desperate valor
l under the immediate eye Of our heroic general
II
i istic subbornness, placing his batteries and re-
i ceivinG our charges, once or twice damaging the
i assailing columns very much, and I'm 10 Instance
i losing gun. In this way he moved backwards
l towards where Curtis held the main wing Quite
l number OF men were lost In this days skirmish-
Ing on both sides, the Louisiana reg lmcnt being
the greatest sufferers our side.
And now have clumsily brought YOU up to
| Friday, the day Of the fall Of McCulloch and
Mcintosh. Al night friend and myself, within
hve miles OF Bentonville, rose and started for the
II NJ tbai rxnr,a linz, h.StI
| miles up Sugar Creek, north of Bentonvile |
| stopped to get drink Of water, my friend going
| on ahead. In few minutes the Federal scouts
and then one OF thei, reg imens galloped Into the
before me. ] rode out into the brush, and then
commenced the roar Of cannon four miles in id I.
vance, where Van Dorm and Price pushed forward
some six or seven thousand Missourians against
twice that number OF we'll posted Fedcrals After
listening some moments to the terrible tumult I'm
the distance, suddenly, and within three hundred
YARDS OF me, two or three cannon opened their
brazen throats, hurling their missiles Of death
through the underground In almost every direc-
uon. AS the sound Of the cannon came the third
or fourth time, like the noise in springtme on
the marshy margin OF lake, only more shrill,
loud and apparently moro numerous than even
frogs, came the war whoop and hideous veil OF
The Indians. Here i was unconsciously In the
midst almost Of McCulloch's charging squadron
and In range Of battery Of three guns that were
hutling death and defiance at them.
The battery was speedily charged and captured,
| tuOS6 supporting u DelDg DOfne backward three
quarters OF mile by the impetuous forward press
Of the Confederates. Their retreat most OF the
way was through a cornEeld, down a road upon
It's borders, but continuing into woods adjacent,
full OF uDdrgrowtb, where the main force Of the
enemys strongest wing was posted. Here began
the Tattling musketry, which soon increased to a
Nisga'a In sound. For hours there was hardly
an intermlssion save that created by the stunning
roar OF the cannon, close that the ears Of bot6
parties were deafened. Within this vortex OF Are
fell McCulloch and Mcintosh. At one time,
tnr AaI 60 -
diate command Of General Price, after passing
from the corDfeld down to the edge Of the woods.
just as four OF us entered the woods q shell was
thrown at us, bursting In our midst, but without
injury to any OF our party. We were brought to
standstll, and In an instant another Yves SHREK.
Ing In the same psth. Whether any more came
In the same direction am uaable to say We
yielded the place, not drawing of In as good
order as people generally preserve at funerals. I
then went leisurely over the cornfeld and rode
back to the deserted guns.
About forty five men lay in the space Of two or
three hundred yards to the rear OF the battery all
save one entirely dead. One was gasping In the
agonies OF dissolution, three Were our Comrades
Here was sterner feature Of war than any ad
YET seen: The Texans, with their large heavy
knives, had driven skulls In twain minylino
blood and brains and hair.
III 10 now sunset, and we have everywhere ad.
ssnced the stan. and bars" have said nothing
OF Gems Van Dorm and Price, for the reason that
have been separated from them during the en-.
tire fight; but all accounts from all Quarters state
tnht the Mlssourlans surpassed all ancient and
modern history Of valor under these penersh
Gen. Van Dorm exclaims, "The Old Guard of
Napoleon was not composed OF brayer men -
have never In battle seen their equals" &c,
DC. Truly can he say so. We have seen theif
Trials and their gallantry. Amidst the bravest Of
the brave, we know that the army of Missouri and
its leader, Sterling Price, should have the high
est place.
The next morning Saturday we all expected
10 capture The Federal army. ! was on the way
In my second attempt to reach Gen Price, when
the most terrific shocks from artillery that ever
ssiuted the w estern ear burst forth The guns
OF friends and foe, at least one hundred and fhr.
ty-nye in number, were in coucert. Amidst this
terrific cannon,de, and whilst the Missourians
again Struggled hercely with the foe, our army
fcll back. IL was In this moment that the head
OF Churchill Clark gallant young hero) was
iaken on by shot from rinsd cannon; and here,
TOO, kives, the dashing hero Of other fields, was
billed by wound which as he told me = fc,u
days before, he most dreaded, a MIME bali in he
The reasons for retrcating were doubles GOOD.
Az any rate we are not dishe artencd: ana ~ cne