The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-11-11
schmucKsr's history OF the ne
beIItou.

splendid national sacrifice made on the
altar Of nationality, in offering up the
heroic Logon. Read and see how heroe
can act and die
II was the seventh Of August that the Rebel |
force under McCullooh ard Price reached position /
twelve miles distant from springfield. The inhab. /
itans Of that town at ouoe became panicstrcken 1t
the prox nifty Of the Zoe, and earnest appeals were
made 10 Gen lyon 10 induce him to withdraw his /
troops from the place. and not q subject IL, by bis
presence 70 the horrors OF au attack Many Of bis |
Oficsrp, discouraged by the immense super GRITTY in |
numbers which the enemy possessed, rega' ded zoe |
rsking Of battle as the height Of impradencej and
asserted that II would lead 70 iney table defeat
a council OF was called, aud majority were |
10 favor Of retreating at once toward kolla But |
General Sweeney earnestly opposed the measure and
General Lyon colucided With mis- holder counsel The
Considerations which induced the commander ~ risk
a battle were the following
Il was very true, indeed, that his numbers were
greatly inferior 70 those OF the enemy. He had re-
peatedl besOught the Federal Government 70 REIN
force him; and had set forth with cearncss aud
power the reasons which rendered such course m
peratiye Bot the Government was either unable or
unwilling 10 comply and he was lon to his fate. But
II was asO evident that a retreat from Springfield
would, at that critical moment, be highly pernilous
to the cause OF the Union in Missouri, ana might
produce the most disastrous elects. Thousands
would hencelorth regard the Rebels irresistible
aud ideatiy themselves with their side defeat
even would be preferable after battle, than fight
officer, Lyon anticipated victory even az iinst
whemlng Odds aud he resolved to try the issue Of
desl crate and deadly conflict.
His first plan was 10 make night attack on the
foe; but his arrangements could not be completed
until several hours after the appointed time. lie
then determined 10 postpone the engagement until
| the next uay This was Saturday iAug. 10Th, 1861.
Al O'Clock ON the preceding evening, Col sigel
was ordered 20 march with his command, with that
/ OF Col. Solomon, in a southwark direction from
| Springfield to pass aroand the camp unobserved; to
take position in their rear, and when ne heard the
guns OF lyoa's division in the front, 10 commence
| att OK on the Rebels Sigel accomplished this jour
| ney by 2 O'Clock Saturday morning. lie had taken
six cannon with him. General Lyon advanced from
| Springfield with all the troops under his command
during Friday night and reached the pos ton of the
enemy, nine miles south Of that town, at4 )clock In
the morning. He then halted until the hour Of at
| tack arrived. At O'clock tho 2ction commenced.
The Rebels were posted Ia an advantageous position
Their camp had been placed at the northern end of
verdant grove; but their troops were Drawn out to
meet the Federals upon the hills which interviewed
| between them and their camp. The pickets oil the
Then Captain Wright, with four companies of
Mounted Horse Guards skrmiahed with small body
| of hOrsemen who had taken position In advance OF
| the left. These were the mere lures Of an ambus.
cade and by retiring, they endeavored to draw the
Federal detachmenls Iuio position Of danger The
artidce partly succeeded, for three thousand Rebels
rushed upon the liberals, and by superiority Of mum
bers compelled them TO give way.
By thus time the Federal troops on the other eX-
tremiiy Of the line bad engaged the enemy The first
Missouri r, giment, the battalion OF Osterhaus aud
tho battery OF TOtten, ere adgantageousy posted
on an eminence, aud they commenced vigorous at.
tack upon the Rebel host arrayed against them. soon
tia latter broke and ued IN confusion, unul they
reached the summit Of another hill in the rear. The
Federals pursued, but in their ,vante they encOun-
tered fresh regiment OF Louisiana troops. A des.
perae hand-tO-hand light ensued between Them, This
lasted about forty live minutes.
The Rebels were again routed, and as they retired
pursued ti the yictors reached the brow the
third eminence. There they encountered another
fresh detachment oil the enemy, and another degpe-
rate contest followed more furious and deadly than
had yet occurred. The contest here was also pro
traoled, and the ccmbatants struggled inch by inch
for the possession Of the field. TIE lire Of the Rebell
was very destructive, and the result was tor a tim,
doubtful Fresh Iowa and Kansas troops were or
dered forward TO support those all eady engaged ant
were assaed by isehle their own numbers. Captain
erat1 was slam while CALAMITY leading forward hi
men. Lieutenant Brown disabled by a severe
scalp wound, and was carried 70 the rear. Tue
slaughter on both sides fearful. The powerful
batteries of Totten and Dubois, which were admtraD,
served, moved down the serTled ranks OF the eueml
like frost work, and covered the ground with heaps
the wounded and the ain Bat the vast number o
tue Rebels enabled them 10 repair their losses will
detachments, aud 10 hurl back the tue or dealt
upon their assailants.
! Thus the action became general between both ar
mics along the whole lse The chief brunt OF In
battle had been borne by the Missouri, the Iowa. an
the Kansas regiments. 6eatral Lyon bad supeI iu
tended all the operations Of the Federal troops. H
rode lc1rlessly from regiment TO regiment, encoura
ging the men and giving tue necessary orders. Ill
4 had received two WOUNDS, which, though painful
not dangerous. still Lac rode from rank to rank
Q | inspired with herosm which, by voice and ges
tuIe lie endeay0red to communicate TO his men. IA
" well knew the mi hty and overwhelming odds aga ns
which lac and they contendedi and when he saw un
usual acts Il steadiness and bravery, he oheered tn
/ aotOts with almost boysh ard0r. He had feared be
fore the battle began tnat the first Iowa regn ent
under Colonel Merritt would not prove Whit
made 20 confront the foe. When, however, he say
them pass into action under heavy fife with the Ut
n most nrmness assault the enemy with the vigor an
energy Of veterans, compel the successive masses
4 fragl eran teh fha
recOil relieve the fr5t Missouri regiment which
d afe two hours Of lighting, were nearly xhauste
=, and were about giving away, and thus recover tn
advantage over the exultant foe; when Geu. Lyu
A | observed all this, he cheered HE Iowa regimen
= heartily, and expressed his admiration OF then
? with the utmost enthusiast n.
at length that heroic commander resolved TO ma K
+ a still more vigorous and combined effort to over
| power the Rebel host and secure tho victory II
gave the order 70 prep re 70 MAKE general bayone
a charge. When all was ready, and the troops Wer
about 20 advance IL was discovered that the con-
| manding OfliIer Of he Iowa was missing. No tim
was to be lost, aad Gen Lyon exclaimed "Come on
Z brave men will lead you % At the head of Ia
:, | gallant Iowa he rode forward toward The enems
whose mexhaustble numbers still swelle1 up toyai
them like the Iumnltaous tide OF an endless an
Athomless sea. The charge was mace u G enem
wavered aud hed, after terrific collision but Geu
Leyons, during the struggle, was slain. he receive
ball In the side fell from his horse and mmediate
| ly expired, About the same moment Gen sw en-
| was wounded In the leg, and disabled. The com
maud then deyoved upon Major sturgs. The par
| tlAl retreat OF tne enemy now caused an interval
twenty minutes III the nrng, after which they made
fresh assault That assault their most deeperai
| one, but Il was tieir last.
The hed was already covered with bleeding an
0 manged multitudes Of their dead and waunded
Their immense nories had been greatly thlnned b
the he Ole and desperate vaor OF the Federal troops
but the IRE Of T0len's battery, with the general on
ergy and bravery OF our men, again shattered an
2 broke their columns, aud again they fed IL Wa
now eleven O'Clock, and during ve hours the batll
had ragged. Before retiring, the enemy set ere
lhrty wagons lest they might f,i into The hands
| the vict0gs.
a Al this time, though the Federal troops had game
decisive victory, they we're unable To continue IN
4 contest or 90 make pursuit. The reason was bt
cause the ammunition Of Tottens battery had benom
, exha usted and because the death and wounds OF g
many officers on the Federal side diminished the
2 confidence and vigor Moreover, Il had been ascer
tanned that the trUOns under Sigel had been INFO M
nate and had not esctually carried their pOrto
Of the programme. AS soon as that ofcer heard "a
guns OF Lyon In the front OF the enemy, he al
Q | preached the scene Of conflict and commenced a
attack. But he was met aud overwhelmed by So vas
body OF Rebel troops that, after a brief out vgor
Gus contest he was defeated, and compelled 10 Civ
way. he lost Ave Of his guns and many OF his meu
and effected nothing favor OF the Federal troop
= who were operating Ia font. lie succeeded after
ward In making his escape with the larger portion o
his command.
: AFTER the conclusion OF the battle the whole Of I'M
a Federal army retired In good order 10 Springfield
und still latter 70 Roa, under the sknl guidance o
Colonel sigel the defeated foe making no effort &
D pursue them. TIE loss OF the Federal troops wa
considerable, being about two hundred killed, A.,
seven hundred wounded They tOOk four hund rpt
horses and seventy prisoners The loss Of the enc ~,
was much greater than our own, though the precis
number Is unknown % us. The battlefield oOvere,
with CORY heaps Of their dead ana wounded. Thei
vast superiority In numbers, aud their lormidab,
batteries OF twenty one guns, we're the sole Uausei
that they maintained the contest so long, aud thi
reason by their defeat was not stu more n astrOug
Tho praise Of superior bravery, stoadnfss am