The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1862-10-22

ken to hospitals two or three miles to the
rear of the town, at Clear Creek.
About nine o'clock the enemy made an
assault upon the fort little north of the
NJ, and G. Railroad, to the north of west
of the town, which was under command
of Captain Williams, of the First United
States Infantry The rebels we're led
by Acting Brigadier General Rogers,
who moved his forces at quick time, and
so stern was their march upon the fort
that, for moment, they occupied the fort,
and General Rogers planted the rebel flag
apon it, when it just had time to take one
float, when downit came. Two volunteer
regiments, whose names I have not been
able to learn, supported the batteries of
the fort, and drove the rebels in terrible
disorder back into the timber Their
march and retreat did not cover distance
of more than two hundred yards, and oc-
cupied but few minutes, yet hundreds of
their dead told how fearfully terrible had
been the earnestness of our troops. At
the moment Gen. Rogers had hoisted his
rebel flag, drummer boy in the United
States service seized musket and shot
him dead, and as he fell he dragged down
the flag he had just hauled up. He was
dead before he had time to claim the prize
his flag was intended to cover Then fol-
lowed the terrible charge which showed
the rebels out of the fort and sent them
howling to the timber a.
Foiled in this attempt to gain admit
tance to the town, another point Of attack
was decided upon. The whole force Of
the enemy was massed in ore column, and
with fixed bayonets, they marched rapid
ly along the north side of the town across
the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, and then,
turning the head of their column south,
brought their forces down the streets, into
the main part of the town, the advance
reaching bridge which goes over the
Memphis and Charleston Railroad. Dur
ing the time, which occupied half an hour,
the artillery fire from the forts and the
public square played torrents Of she'll and
canister shot through the rebel ranks, and
when those columns came pouring along
the streets. the artillery from the public
square moved down their ranks, and piled
the streets with the dead and dying.
Still they moved on till they virtually
the business part of the town, aud Price,
it was said, occupied the Provost Mar
shal's Office as his headquarters, from
whence he issued his orders, The citi-
zens, negroes and outsiders, had generally
fed the town during this terrible time,
and the commissary and medical stores
were set on fire. The advance, as l sSid
before, had reached the bridge over the
Memphis and Charleston Railroad, upon
which they were met by Lieutenant NJ.
Schultz, Of the Thirteenth Wisconsin,
who, with squad Of twenty five men and
number of stragglers rallied to his as
sistance, held the bridge, stopped the ad-
vance, and as the stragglers increased his
number, charged upon the head of the
column and rolled it back from the bridge.
Other infantry forces were brought up to
meet the enemy at different points, who
then, for the first time, showed signs of
wavering, and as the rush of bayonets
cleaned through the smoke of the battle,
the whole column of the rebels were fall
ing back pellmell over the paths they had
just tread so confidently but short time
before, in one confused mass. In less
time than have been writing this, it see Hs
to me, from the time their advancing col
umns were headed at the bridge, the town
was clear of the enemy. In a moment
they were gone. Corinth was safe. The
FIRE set to the public stores had not time
to do much damage, but was speedily put
out. The people began to return. and in
little over am hour from the first advance
of the enemy's column not gun was to
| be heard-all was still or seemed to be so
for the terrible agony of the hour had
suspended all ordinary emotions; but, a;
the sense of stiffness crept over the
thoughts, and consciousness came again, il
was not still, for the cry Of the suffering
and the groans Of the dying fell upon the
ear from every direction. The battle
however, had been won at a terrible sacri-
| fce-how terrible I hope to inform .you1
readers in day or two. The enemy were
in full retreat. They stopped severa
miles from town, provided for whs
wounded they had with them as well al
they could, and before morning continued
their retreat. t.
| Sunday I passed over the battle field
and saw another sad side of the war ii,
ture. In one place I found thirteen reb
els who had all been xii ed by one shell
Their lives had been rendered as "a terrible
tribute to the destructive force Of powde
and iron. Everywhere, in town and 70
miles, the dead laid in heaps, killed i,
every imaginable way. Dead and wound
ed horses, broken wagons, scattered guns
and every thing that pertains to a army
was scattered in alldireetions proceed
ed to the hospitals which the rebels ha
established, and found, should guess
about 500 of their men there. A few G
their surgeons remained with them, and
number of our surgeons were also there
, Friday and Saturday had beth been ex
tremely hot days, and the rebels sufcre
for water, and at their hospitals water va
E very scarce, and the wounded were yer
!, thankful for our efforts to supply thel
) with this necessity. v.'at>
5 Among all the dead rebels I saw bu
5 one who had meat in his hayersack. Nos
a had corn in the ear, nearly ripe; Other
: had corn parched and acorns. The wount
D ed said their attacklupon Corinth, as Fl
E az the elsoldiers personally were concerne,