Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1863-03-13
The Fall of Arkansas Post Accomplished

lty 1IcuCHCIys
It seems that Arkansas Post, which made
for some little time a desperate resistance,
was surrendered by the treachery Of one
! of its defenders.
DR.. G. Fl Smith, who was chief surgeon
Of the post at the time, gives the account Of
the surrender which we append.
It is time that such things should cease.
/ The forts below New Orleans were sur
rendered by open treachrry. owing to which
we have been damaged not little, and
no one knows to what this present surrender
may lead. The traitor should have been
shot down-more especially since be halls
from State which has furnished such true
and gallant soldiers.
The troops garrisoning Arkansas Post at
the time of attack consisted of three bri.
gadcs, mostly Texans, and commanded re
spectively by Coils Garland, Desbler and
Huntington, the whole forming division
under the command of Brigadier General
T. J. Churchill, and nun boring on the day
OF the fight not more than thirty three hun
dred effective men. On the 9th day Of
January scout from below brought intel
ligence to General Churchill Or ankee
gunboat having made its appeal in fle
Arkansas river, some thirty miles be aWnthc
Post; some hours later on the same
other scout brought news of other
followed by transports, making the4 way
up the river. Upon the receipt Of this in
tellgence General Churchill ordered every
thing in readiness for an attack, al,1 ere
night closed in all the troops were distribi-
ted along the line of cntrenchmetsts, where
they remained all night in a pelting storm
of rain. The enemy, in the meantime, had
landed force about two miles below the
fort, but they made no demonstration until
about nine or ten o'clock the next morning.
when they commenced Smelling the tort
from their advance gunboats that were eau
tiously and slowly feeling their way up the
river
| Our troops held the position first taken
| by them until about o'clock, P. NJ. when
the General. fearing flank movement on
our left, ordered the men to fall back to a
line of entertainments near the yet un6nish-
ed fort. which line was speedily completed
and all the troops properly distributed be-
fore night set in. just as darkness was
drawing near four gunboats approached the
fort and commenced their bomdardment,
our guns from the fort answering CALAMITY,
and after two hours terrific Smelling, the
gunboats retired, one Of them. the Eastport,
badly disabled. Our loss, up to this time,
consisted of only three killed and some three
or four wounded.
On the morning of the 18th ultimo, at
two o'clock, or thereabouts, the enemy re-
newed the attack with gunboats and land
forces combined; they had also erected a
battery on the opposite side of the river, by
means of which they keptup terrific cross
FIRE that swept the whole area of ground oc-
cupied by our men, The firing now con-
tinued until clock, p NJ, when it seem
ed to cease. and shortly after the cessation
there was yell came from the lines, which
attracted the attention Of the General Com
handing, whose headquarters had been es-
tablished some four hundred yards from the
trenches. On riding forward to ascertain
tie state Of affairs, the General was much
surprised to find the Federal flag floating
in every direction along our lines. Upon
inquiry. it was aseertancd that some trail
tor in the 4th Texas regiment had raised
the white flag and passed the word down
the line that General Churchill had ordered
a surrender, whereupon all the troops ex-
cept Col. Deshler's brigade. Immediately
surrendered. He refused to surrender his
brigade until ordered by Gen. Churchill.
When the General rode into the fort and
surrendered, Gen. Churchill told Gen.
Sherman that he had not ordered sur
render, but on the contrary that he had or
dercd the men to fight until all were dead
in the trenches rather than surrender. -
When asked by Gen. Sherman where his
(Gcn. ChurchilPs) men we're, and was told
they were all there in sight, he seemed sur
prised, and could scarcely credit the fact
that SO small body Of troops had succeed
ed in battling for so long time, and killing
50 many Of his men. General Churchill
had telegraphed for reiuforcements, and
hoped they would reach him that evening,
but none were ever sent, save about 200
| from ST. Charles, on White river, who ar
rived just in time to be taken prisoners.
DR.. Smith says that 1000 would not be
a large figure for the enemy's loss in killed
and wounded. whilst onr loss was hardly
over 100. The number of prisoners taken
at the Post was, probably, about 3, 500
certainly not more than that number.