The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1863-01-07
Army Correspondence.
CAMP PRAIRIE GROVE,
Arkansas. Dec Il, 1862

| the frontier fought the hardest hattie the
valley Of the Mississippi ever witnessed. -
It was clear, lovely day, but ere nigh,fall,
the sun shone upon field thick covered
| with dead and dying-brave men with
frightful, CHASTITY wounds, praying for death
to put an end to their S, fferings-and
strong men horribly manned, clinging te
nacio,lsly to life, borne away to drag out
miserable existence, living representatives
Of that awful conflict
The Cd and 3rd divisions having receiv.
ed orders to march from Wilson's Creek to
the relief of Gen. Blunt, moved forward
Immediately, and by forced marches, arrv-
ed upon the ground near where the rebels
had taken position early in the morning of
the 7th. The LIST Iowa and 10th Illinois
cavalry, formed the advance on the 9th,
and reached Gen. Bunt's headquarters, at
Cane Hill, about 12 o'clock at night, hav-
ing passed over the ground where the bat
tie was fought, only few minutes before
the enemy arrived there and took up his
position. The 1st Arkansas and detach-
ment of the 9th Missouri cavalry were
next in rear Of the advanced guard Of cav
airy, and came upon the enemy at sunrise.
The first intimation they had Of the where
abouts Of the rebels, was a heavy volley
poured into their ranks from the brush on
each side OF the road. At the first volley,
the Missouri and Arkansas cavalry faced
about and commenced hasty rcteat, close
" pursued by large body of the cncmy's
forces. This disgracelul stampede was kept
up ill the advanced guard of the Goth
v isconsin infantry arrived, and poured
volley into the pursucrs, which ended the
chase without further ceremony. The list
Ark. lost their co,nmissary and baggage
train which was carried off by the enemy
at the first dash into their ranks.
Gen. Heron hurried forward the artillery
and planted some rihed cannon in the field
where the encmy's cavalry had turned
back from the pursuit, threw so,re shell
amongst them which soon drove them back
to where the main body Of their forces lay.
Our army then moved on and crossed the
Illinois creek when it was discovered that
the enemy was occupying thck'y wooded
hill on the opposite side Of large field
which extended along the creek for several
miles. Gen. Heron soon paced his army
in line of battle and opened the ball by
throwing few shot from two Parrot guns
placed near the form Of the creek. The
enemy replied by throwing shell from four
heavy pieces on the hill side, but. the shell
exploded in air done us little or no injury.
All the artillery belonging to Herron's and
Totten's divisions were now brought to
bear which soon induced similar move
on the part Of the enemy and most terri
fic cannonading ensued along the whole
line of the eontending armies. A deafen-
ing roar was kept up for about an hour
when the infantry was brought into action
and ordered to charge the batteries on the
hill. Notwithstanding the latiguing march
es and the many hardships endured by the
Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin
boys, they rushed into the thickcst of the
fight with all the seeming vigor and en.hu-
| siasm Of fresh soldiers. A battery was
taken by the Goth Wisconsin regiment,
but the battery being supported by a whole
| L., nc% h, u ,a1 n
regiment of our brave boys who stood their
ground and fought their way up to the We.
nv summit of the hill and even beyond
The gallant 10th Iowa was ordered forward
to attack strong point and detachment
from Wisconsin cavalry regiment ordered
to support them in tho charge; the cavalry
faltered and fell back. A cry was then
heard along the whole line Of the 10Th,
"W Where is the First Iowa; give us the FIRST
Iowa - But the LIST Iowa was far away
with Biunt's command and fears We're en-
tertained that Blunt would not come up in
time to save the two divisions from being
annihilated by the immense numbers pit
ted against US. Our men held their ground,
however, against the right flank and CEN
ter Of the enemy till the middle of the af-
ternoon when General Blunt came in on
the extreme left and opened murderous
fire with his howitZers and Rabb's cele-
brated Indiana battery. While Biunts
forces were coming rapidly into the field
howitzer was run into an ambuscade of the
enemy who captured it and drove the gun
ners back but the rebels did not retain
the piece long, for detachment Of the LIST
Iowa cavalry immediately dashed up and
recaptured it. Blunt's artillery told with
fearful effect upon the encmy's left and
center and soon succeeded in. silencing
several Of his heaviest guns. The Indians
Of Blunt's division annoyed the enemy
considerably by their skirmsh fighting and
the Kansas Infantry also did themselves
credit on that hard-fought field.
The infantry of the three divisions. suf-
fered terribly, but at length night closed in
and put an end to the sanguinary conflict
At the approach Of nipht the rebels com
menced a retreat and before morning all
had left the battle field and were far away
on the road toward the Arkansas river
Most Of the rebel dead and wounded were
cared for by our army. and by three o'clock
the following morning the wounded were
taken off and provided for as we'll as cir
cumstances would permit. Having aoofii-
cial report of the number of dead and
wounded, rely solely upon my own OBJ
| seryation and what I have gathered from