The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-06-18
NUMBER 218.

MIL.
As soon as Gen. MCPHERSON line was
ready to take part in the contest. about
lu:50 A. M, ordered Gen. McGinnis
and Col Slack to press their skirmishers
forward up the hill and follow them
firmly with their respective brieades. In
few inmates the FIRE opened hriskIv
along the whole line, from my extreme
ieit TO the right of the forces engaged
under Maj. Gen Mcpherson, and AZ
eleven o'clock the battle opened hotly all
along the line The contest here con,
tinued for an hour BY my forces.
FOR over SIX hundred yards up the hill
my diFision gallantly drove the enemy
before them, capturing eleven guns and
over three hundred prisoners, under fire.
Ihe Ith Indiana, Col McCauley. and
18th wisconsin, Col. Gill, captured the
iour guns on the brow Of the hill at the
point OF the ,bayonet. Col Brinohurst
with the 10th Indiana, gallantsy drove
the enemy from two guns on the right of
the road, and Col Bryan, with his brave
and eager 24th Iowa, charged a battery
OF i've guns on the left of tbe road, driv-
ing the enemy away, killing gunners and
horses, and capturing several prisoners.
At this time Gen. McGinnis requested
me to permit him to take one section of
the 10th Ohio battery, commanded bv
Capt. Mitchell, up the hill. The section
was taken up, and after fighting rallantly
and hrlng sixteen rounds, was withdrawn.
the danger OF capture being imminent.
Capt. Mitchell, who fell during this at
tempt, will prove great loss to his
friends and country lst Lieut.. Muir.
dock acted very gallantly during this
affair, and deserves much praise for his
GOODNESS and bravery
In the meantime the enemy he;no
rallied under cover of the woods, poured
down the road in great numbers upon the
position occupied by my forces. Seeing.
from the character of the ground, that
my division was likely to be severely
pressed, rs the enemy would not dare
advance on the open grounds before
Gen. Mcpherson, who had handled them
roughly ON the right, ordered our can
tured guns to be sent down the hill. a
short time afterwards | received a re-
quest to send support to Gen McGinnis
on the right.
Ar this time my whole division, includ-
ing reserves, had, for more than one
hour, been actively engaged. and my
only hope of support was from other
commanders. Brig Gen. Quinby's di.
vision, commanded BY Gen. Crocker. was
near at hand, and had not yet been un-
der flre l sent to them for support, bus
being unknown to the officers of that
command, considerable delay ensued,
end was compelled TO resort 70 Major
Gen. Grant to procure the order for their
aid. Col Bornan, commanding Sd brig
ade OF Quinby's division. on receivinr
the command from Gen. Grant, came
gallantly'up the hill. ol.:Holmes, with
two small regiments, 10th Missouri and
18th Iowa, soon followed, the entire
force sent, amounting TO about 1000
men. Ny division, in the meantime,
had been compelled to yield ground be-
fore Overwhelming numbers. Slowly
and stubbornly they fell back, contesting
with death every inch of the field thew
had won Col Boomer and Col. HoImes
gaiiantly and heroicallY rushed with
their commands into the conflict lint the
enemy had massed his forces and slowly
pressed our whole line backward tn a
point near the brow of the hill Here a
STUBBORN stand was made. The irrepu
iarlty OF our line of battle had previously
prevented me from using artillery in en-
fliadlng the enemy's line, but as our
forces were compelled to fall slowlz back
the lines became marked and distinct
and about 2 o'clock P. NJ. / could easiIy
perceive, by the sound of fire arms
through the woods, the position of the
respective armies. / at once ordered the
Ist Missouri battery, commanded by
Capt Scho6eld, and 10th Ohio bat.
terry, under first Lieutenant Murdock.
to take position in an open field, beyond
slight mound on my right, in advance
OF and with parallel ranges of their guns
with my lines About the same time
Captain Dillon's Wisconsin battery was
put In position. Two sections of the
10th Ohio battery on the left, the Wis
consin battery in the center. and Can
tain Scho6eld's battery on the right
Through the rebel ranks thesse bs5tttaSi5d Ebas5ta
she'll, entirely enflading the rebel col
umns. The fire was terrific for several
minutes, and the cheers from our men on
the brow of the hill told of the success.
The enemy gave back and our forces
under General McGinnis, Col SIacI,
Col. Boomer and Col Holmes drove
them again over the ground which had
been hotly contested, for the third time
during the day; five more of the eleven
guns, not taken down the bill, falling a
second time into our possession.
| cannot think of that bloody hill
without sadness and pride-sadness for
the great loss of my true and gallant
men, and pride for the heroic bravery
they displayed No prouder division
ever met as vastly superior foe and
fought with more unHinching frnness
and stubborn valor II was, after the
conflict, literally the bill of death. Men,
horses, cannon aud the debris of an ar
my lay scattered in Wild confusion.
Hundreds Of the gallant 18th division
were cold in death OF writhiug in pain.
and with large numbers of Ouimbys
gallant boys, lsv dead, dying or wounded.
intermixed with our fallen foe
Thus ended the battle of Champion
Hill, at about 8 o'clock, P. NJ, and our
heroes slept upon the field, with the dy-
ing and the dead around them naver