, 1862-08-21


ion Of full particulars and noble attesta-
ion Of the ga1Iantry OF our western troops.
ne following extract from q letter, written |
y q national surgeon, gives summary Of
he circumstances Of the attack:
From 5000 to 1900 rebels, under Gen.
s1eckinridge, attacked about 5 900 Union SOL |
Rouge, at d. m, on Tuesday, August 5. |
Tie fight lasted until 10 O'Clock, when the |
rebsls were badly Iepulsed and retreatea in a |
ront, Gen. Williams fW2s shot through the !
heart wh5le relying his right wing, which Tas'
being driven in By SUPERIOR numbers.
cept its officers. The colonel was killed. The
2lst Indiana, 30:h Massachusetts, 9Th Con-
nccticut, and 4th Wisconsin, did most OF the
fighting, and nobly too.
Lieut. Col. Keith Of the 21Et Indiana, was
wounded through the right shoulder. Adjt.
Howe, Of the aoth Massachusetts, WAS shot
through both aegs; may have to lose one by
smputation. Lieut.. NoEcress, from Lowell,
Of the 30th Massachusetts, arose from his sick
bed, and Joined his company in The thickest
OF the. fight, and with his 0wn hands saved one
ftld-piece, about to be taken by the rebEls.
Many Of our officers are wounded, and our to-
tai lcss in killed, wounded and missing las yet
not accurately known, probably 800 viii cover
ill
This rebel loss is very great, as Witnessed By
myself. saw eighty y-1hree dead rebels in one
small corn field
The rebel wounded report Gen. Breckenridge
with loss ct right aynl, Gen. RuygEes kilied,
Gen. CLARK taken prison and wounded, Col.
Allen prisoner and fa+allY wounded, also Capt.
Chunp. Gen. Lowell is reported killed but
it is probably his brother, as the general is
thought to be in Richmond. One, rebel iold
tue, rs I Vas ac:putatirgg bis leg, tha4 the .tb-
els lost nearly $40, which think il nearly cor-
rect
Breckinsidge sent flag Of truce fo7 permis-
zion to burg bis dead.
Nt1aa' battery saved the day, when two~thirds
Of its members were on lhe sick list.
The gunboats Essex, Cayuga. Kineo and
morning Of tie 7;h. when she skedald1ed into
the banks. Rtr officers aud crew ran, and in
teW minutes after she blew up.
The seeesh in Baton Rouge fired from their
houses on our wounded as they were beiug
brought In, consequently their houses were
pulled Gown. BreckiD1idge made speech to
iced to have his band playing in the State
House by 9 o'clock q. H. I.
DR.. Buf6ngtos, q rebel surgeon, told his
niger, "Jack," that it they rot separated
during tue tight, to 60 directly to the State
House, for. he would surely be there BY 9
but the doctcr did not
Correspondence Ee8 York TImes1
To f.,~sa ct,u1r idea or The DatEIe, 1T Is nesrr-
sary to understand the character Of the
ground. Baton Rouge is situated upon the
first nigh bluff to be met with on ths Mssis-
eirpi River banks from Its mouth. Here,
Some thirty feet aboTe high water, isa plateau
that extends back, in more or less width, to
the mainland, thereby relieving tile town Of
the usual surrounding Of swanpy marsh. For
this reason it is easily approached, and, com
partd with New Orleans, ,per{ect1y defenseless.
There are two. roads that approach the own,
both leading from populous communities
Hliles distant7 the other, the highway that
passes through st. Trainsgille, Woodviile, aud
NatchcZ, The wealthiest and most popalIous
part, indeed, Of the State Of Mississippi The
Town itself lies along the bank OF the river,
the upper eide bounded By the United States
garrison and arsenal buildings; outside Of the
| built-up streets. 5ou Of course Keep on the
levee and unoccupied land, pass the strong
| buildings occupied By the pepitentiary, and
then Genes to mixture Of open field and
| groups Of forest trees. Hero, three quarters
| ef mile or more from the village, comes il
| turn aud RUS into the city. TO the righ;
again, and at an cbtuse angle, comes in tht
/ +. ad that leads to Camp Moore. Strange As i
may appear, neither at the junction Of thest
two roads, Or anywhere else, lad been erected
| lhe slit htest attempt at q forti6casion. Sank
| llEt5 ltAU uEcu (ub AUhu p5 6lSNlItFH, X
| give general ylew Of The field, ont shat Is
Find Of engineering " that is equally adyan
| tagcous to both siGes.
In the opep space and farthest in the I'D
vance was encalnped tie 21st Indian the1
scattered around them ia favorable location:
| 9Th battery, Capt. Everett The remaiude
Of the force-the Soth Massachusetts was d
the State Houee, the 4.lh Wisconsin was in thl
! arsenal; aud the 9th Connecticut was in til,
barracks the 9Th Michigan was on the ex
| trsme right Of what vas called the river road
OF all these regiments there were not NOR
than {, 500 perfectly effective men.
| The night Of the 4th was warm and sultry
ard an unusual amount Of fog rested on tn
1ard.cape-tllings Whjch were favorable for
successful attack. About shutdown, in an
tic:rsaion Of an attack, the linz OF battle va
fermed as follows:
The 4tA Wisconsin On the extreme left VIII
two piects Of ARTILLERY; the 9Th Connection
wss OF tie right Of the 4th WISCONSIN Wit
:our pieces Of artillery, all Of Maunlng's bat
tery; next came the 18th Maine; then III
9lst Indiana, posted in the woods near tn
Magnolia Cemetery, rith foar pieces Of E,
cre1t'e battery, under the command OF Lien
| Cor1uth. The Indiana battery Of two piece
came to The support of Lieut.. Corrnth afte
| the battle commenced. Next came the Ct
Michigan. On the right Of the Magnolia Cen
ete1y, their left supporting two pieces Of b
t
in the rear Of the 1naianiaas, the sofa Mass
ehueetts came next, coming nearest the tow
; / supporting Minis battery.
Ii this disposition, with the town in tt
rear, our troops remained all night. It is saj
Gen. Williams chiyalrously abandoned IL
| women aud children, who would otherwi:
| t.aro t.eoa 7u%-oivcd III the horrors uf the: :ba
lie Knowing, OF course, that at auy tiu
+ the struggle might commence, the terra
stricken people, in many instances fed tt
Town, but the majority Of the women al
children went under the protection Of t!
t banks Of the 1iyer, and there remained.
About o'clock In the morntug, the f
resting heartily on The landscape, the enen
Tas heard approaching, not along the roa
4 but across The fields, in this way avoiding 0
! ST outs, and giving only time for one or two
), our pickets to fire ere the enemy approach
:, III double quick time, and In a lew minutes
= 1er the alarm WAS given the action beca1
general .>-
The enemy evidently well maneurers
and in vastly superior Numbers concentrat
n its fire on our centre, the indiana regime
"a which regiment nobly contested every inch
20 ground, until, with the 18th. Maine, tt
II were forced beyond tbeif camps q distance Q
- hundred rods This brought the enemy il
not only these, but that of the 9th Vermo
which were taken possession Of with ye
! T and instantly plnndered and bnrnt: In t
II repulse our troops lost one piece Of EVeres
- battery. The 9Th Michigan and lite artin
1e nov opened On the Indiana camp, occap
~ by the enemy. In the meantime the 1udi
y tans rallied, and, after severe sud brills
contest, retook their camp and the piece
artillery Gen. Williams, who had been
r. tie field from the commencement Of the
q. t1on. everywhere in the thfckest of the fle
N headed the charge Of the 9Th Michigan
N .lst 1nd:nna, reanazking that he relied u
tsI them 10 saFe The day. He saT the enemy
stfeat, and at the: same instant fell from
being carried of be noticed some troors in
7as rear, :#hen he raised his arm, and tho
in.} DYING, said: "Foilow the" example Of Il
rst troops fighting IN ii ont, and the day is o11
- Elfe EElfe enemy. after being repulsed- at the
diana camp, Esllsntly charged On the 9Th NJ
igan, killing all the horses of one p1ec,
I'm. ! the. Fourth battery which the Michigan
" defended at the point Of the bAyonet,
- fighting the enemy within ten Or fifteen
Of each other. The piece was finally draw
bY hand, by one company OF the Mlchf
{,wlo grounded arms to accomplish the Y
nm. their comrades gQarding these tempor
W sbaDdoued Weapous' until their owner
af~ tu1u6d, which feats were greeted With CHI
As the piece Of artillery was being drawn
-. the enemy attempted to scale high tpi
lbia Eas 1or snme time contested bV comnanv
in The 9Th Michigan, who deple5ed; along
fence, and In SO doing. actually put their
- kets through the openings in the pfckets
go fired th1ouRhi-ta1e3 enemy returning th
am and In the same Way. This nurdero9s and
she |: conflict was carried on until the enen
Kentucky regiment, tore of the picket
- - : r, =: :ts:.