Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-03-28
TnR RATTLE or HLnmoRY

From the Viczg6urg Wing Msrch 26.h.
We had an interview yesterday with Lieut.. 6
A Thornton, of McCuIloch's staff, who is on his
way to Richmond under orders He left For
/ Smith ou the l7lh instant, and brings some in
/ teresting particulars Of the battle OF Elkhom
1 Lieut.. Thornton is young E1Tgiuan, eud went
! to Arkansas with Gen. Mcintosh after The battie
of Oak Hills, and was immediately appointed on
/ Gen McCuloch's staf BE participated in the
/ late battle, aud of course his statements in re-
gard to IL msv be set down as 1eiisble
I On the night of the 9Th iBs ant the division OF
/ the army under McCul0ch uaa q forced march
OF fifteen miles up the Beutouvii.e road go meet
/ Srel who was at Sugar creek. On the zlb in
staut Mcintosh al raucrd with some OF his cav
( airy wheu skirmis hinc commenced, which IT.
suited in 3 loss Of three ora our side and SIX on
tiat Of the enemy. He then advaueed in force
and charged the enemy, passing eutIolv through
their lines and coming round ega|u to bis former
position, bringing with him tarce pieces of the
enemy artillery.
McCuloch then started with Mcintosh to
show hitn where I0 charge the enemy again, but
while riding through the woods a bah from the
enemy entered bis heart and he fell. McIutosh
then returned 30 his men, and while trying 10
pet an Arkansas regiment % charge the enemy
and recover McCulloch's body, be himself Nc
Iotosh) was shot dead through the heart. Rec
tors Arkansas regiment tIfau made success iUi
attack driving the enemy r5m their position
and recovering the body Of AcCUH0ch. That
Of Mcintosh was not recovered until the mex.
day, the Sih Oar troops succ=a5al in driving
the enemy back uucer both Curtis and Sige.,
and slept on their arms during tine night OF
the 9Th.
The uext morning Gen. Van Dorm discovered
that they had gained a much stronger position,
wheTeup0n he resolved not to attack taem but
ouly make a feint in order tO rsJea. down the
Huntsville road.
Stones regiment was sent TO protect the train,
which was In danger Of being cut of. the
train was on what is known IS the telegraph road
while the army was on the Huntsville road. east
of Fayetteville, and the Federal army between
the army and train thus reducing cur men to
great straiis-they having nothing to eat sz-
cept what they could kill Iu the retreat our
troops strayed of on different roads, and for
several days il was thought cur loss was much
greater than it really IS
Goods Texas battery, which did such good
service, was thought to be lost. but Capt. Cook
came ug to the army three or four days after the
fight. Rect0r's Arkansas regiment, which was
LETT behind 10 cover fbe retreat, took the wrong
road, left al their aJms, great Gaal Of camp
eouiDage, etc. Oar loss Of lie in the retreat WIS
small, as the enemy did not pursue us. Some
captured some Of our men who had lain down on
the roadside from sheer szbaugaon They took
but few prisoners during Jhe battle We cap
.ured one hundred aud fifty prisoners ou the
field, and sixty more were takan by foraging
parties.
There were but two OF three regiments of In
dans in the battle, and they did no service, hav-
ing fed after the ffst charge. Nee lloch at
tackled Sgel at Sugar creek, with force Of about
ten thousand and Price and Van Dorm made an
attack on Curtis y tn force of five or six thou
sand, at the junction Of the BentonvIlie and tele-
graph roads three miles below the State liue
aad about four mics from AeCulloch. Our loss
Lieut. Thornton says, has been over estimated
He has not been able 70 ascertain Whatit really
Is, but is Of The opinion the killed viii not ex-
ceed one bundled agl twent i've OF thirty The
enemy's loss be says i three fines greater than
oars. Oar flag Of truce buried eighty-two dead,
sud the Federais say they inferred quite nam
Der Two Federal lieutenant colonies which-we
took, have been exchanged for Col. Hebert sud
Major TUanaTd