Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-04-12
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CHIcAen, April ID "A special dispatch 10 the
chioaTo Tribune from Cairo saws:
,,, From sasssn who were s.,s on tie ssld
s.:. asS S.n &c f sssSE eoss.: sise o. b. SLIT
Illinois, 18th Wisconsin, Gath Indiana ald list
Ohio, were attacked while eating their break
fast by what seemed 10 be the whole reba force.
General PreEtss had no artillery, and his brigade
was nearly cut to pieces and forced u retire.
Gen. Prentiss and many Of his men wen taken
prisoners.
At twelve O'Clock the entire line was Engaged,
but soon In foil retreat AT four O'Clock the enc
my had taken scwsttt's battery Of SIX guns, Dres.
den's battery of four guns, and Wahrhause's
baitefy; also two Ohio batteries, names not known:
Thousands Of our soldiers who Had takm refuge
under the bank OF the river utterly r,fused 10
light, and, In fact, they could not as officers and
men were mixed In inextricable confusion.
The army at this time seemed to be Utterly de-
feated. At this juncture the gunboats Lexington
and Tyler opened tremendous Are of shot and
shell upon the enemy, and kept II up svery half
hour during the night. Some OF the ,helis set
the woods on Arc, and many dead re,els were
burned.
At seven In the evening the Airing had generally
ceased. About midnight the rebels Attempted 10
plant battery within three hundred y,rds Of our
siege guns, but were driven away by ne gun.
boats and siege guns, supported by tHee regi.
ments Of Gen. Mitchell's division, which had
arrived and crossed the river about six In the
evening.
Our informant persists In estimating our los,
on Sunday at coo killed ard 5000 wounded as
being low fgure. -
During the night the rebels were reinforced by
Gems. Van Dorm and Price, from Arkansas, with
very large force
General Lewis Wallace came I'D with the nth
and 23d Indiana, iith Illinois and Sta Missouri
and Mallard's Battery. and In the morn no 8ercsly
attacked the enemy's lef! wing. The, went into
the fight at the double quick, with Tremendous
shouts, and did horrible execution. By 10 O'Clock
they had driven the rebels back twomiies. At
about 10 O'Clock the rebels Were reinforced, and
for few minutes our men were freed to WELD
The other divisions of General Buell;s army
now appeared, and at once became fully engaged
For two hours all the acknowledgements of the
ca tn seemed to be striving for the mastery on
that fatal field, but at last the southern chivalry
broke and fed In all directions
The rebel troops were mostly from Texas Mis-.
sissippi and Louisiana, with maw from Georgia
aud Alabama.
Our informants say that they could ride through
the battle field where our forces were posted hut
the dead were so thick In the eneny's lines that
they could not do il there. They assure us that
the rebels occupied cur camps on Sunday Nigh
and took care Of our sick and wounded destroy
Ing nothing-expectng confidently tn have our
entire army the next day. They thought the bat.
tie already fought and won.
On Monday General McClernand cut his way
through the enemy that had surrounded him
most Of bis troops behaved with graf paIlsntrv.
but the 18th Ohio were ordered 10 the rear in dfs.
grace for refusing 10 fght. ~
Our infornants state that John G 3reckInridge
is taken prisoner. They say they NV him pass
TO The general headquarters