Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-11-25
THE BATTLE OF PINE BLUFF.
harmaduke with ,018 Mea Il Defeated nv
Colonel Clayton with less than 6oe

OF musketry lave subsidized, and the smoke
from a hard fought battlefield, or rather bat
tle-town, has disappeared enough to enable
us to see where we are and what we have
accomplished
This place Is s:tuated on the south bank of
the Arkansas River, about fifty miles from
Little Rock, ninety from the Mississippi river,
and sixty from Arkadelphia (Gen Prices late
headquarters). 1t contained, before the war.
some three thousand inhabitants, and was one
of the finest and most business towns in Ar
kansas. For six or seven weeks it has been
occupied by the Eederals, during which time
ii has been garrisoned by the 18th Kansas cav
airy, and the LIST Indiana cavalry, under the
command of Col. Powell Clayton of the 9Th
Kansas cavalry. There is also here one COM
pany OF State militia, which has been re-
cruited since the Federals came here
About two weeks ago Col. Clayton took
$50 men and four pieces of light artillery and
by making circuitous route, and marching
ninety miles in thirty-three hours succeeded
in surprising and completely routing Col. Dob
bins cavalry brigade at Tulip, capturing one
stand of colors, all his camp and garrison
equipage, quartermaster and commissary
stores, medical supplies, transportation, &c
The rebel authorities feeling ashamed and
grieyed at this, began TO concentrate Gen.
Marmaduke's cavalry force at Princeton, for
ty-hve miles from Pine Bluff, Friday, (Oct
23,) about noon, with about 1000 men and
II pieces of artillery, mostly l2-pound rifled
guns, and started to take revenge on Col.
Clayton, who only had between 500 and 900
men, and nine pieces of light artillery. Sun
day morning, about O'clock, Lieut.. Clark of
the 9Th Kansas cavalry, with one company,
was sent out Oh the Princeton road TO see
what he could discover, but did not 90 far
before he met the enemy's advance, which
fired on him at once; they did not shirmish
but a few minutes before an armed party
bearing flag of truce came forward, and the
officer commanding it said
8 must go to the commanding officer i'm
mediately." Lieut. Clarke replied, you can
not see Col. Clayton. You have no right to
be here with flag of truce; you have al
| ready been firing on me, but / viii give you
halt an hour to wait here for me to send in
| and get an answer He replied Il will not
wait. | have dispatches from Gen. Marina
duke, as | suppose, demanding surrender of
the post. must go in Immediately" Lieut..
Clark said: "1 GU cannot 90 in. Col. Clay
ton never surrenders, but is always anxious
| for Gen. Marmaduke to come and take him
and now, God damn you, get back to your
place Immediately, or l will order MY men to
fire on you" He fell back, and they com
menced skirmishing again.
Meanwhile, Col. Clayton assembled his
whole command and sent out skirmishers III
every direction, and come the Gen. Jackson
on them by setting 800 negroes to rolling cot
! ton bales out of the warehouse to barricade
| Court Square.
In less than thirty minutes every street and
| opening leading into Court Square was com
| pletely and very formidably fortified, and the
artillery planted so as to command every
| street and opening leading into the Square
| and sharpshoOters placed in every building
| adjacent thereto, so that the rebels could ap
| prOach the Square in no way except through
| the streets and openings that were command
| ed by our artillery.
| Thus did Col Clayton, with few negroes
| and plenty of cotton bales, almost g in the
] twinkling of an eye" convert a place appar
| emily detenceless into strong fort. Surel,
| cotton with his ebony sceptrc is king Abou
nine O'Clock the enemy had succeeded il
| driving in the sBirnishers, and approached us
! in three columns namely: on our right, cen
| tire and left, the main one being in the cen
| tire, and commenced pouring in their shell
and canister like hail. The first fire wa:
! greeted with loud cheers from our boys, shell
| and canister from the guns and a Sharpe's
/ rifle ball from every man that could get his
| eye on "Butternut." From this on there
was perfect tornado of shells, canister and
| bullets flying from both sides for five hours
| During all this time Col Clayton rode round
! the works and gave directions with as much
| GOODNESS and cOmposure as though he was di
| rectin,- the movements of some celebration
| instead of battle. Every man also seemed
determined to fight as long as he could get a
| round of ammunition. Between II O'Clock
| NJ and l o'clock p NJ. the enemy set fire to
| the buildings the right, expecting to be
| able to rout US by fire, though not able to do
| SO by force. Two hundred negroes were set
| to carrying water and throwing it on the
| buildings on the right, adjacent to the Square,
| and by thus doing prevented the fire from
doing US any damage.
As soon as the enemy found that he could
| not rout US by fire, he changed battery from
| the right to the centre, kept up sharp can
nonnading for a short time, then retreated,
leaving his wounded and dead on the field
| We followed him for about two miles then
returned and put out pickets the same as
usual. The battle was fought and won. Two
regiments, the 9Th Kansas cavalry. the lst
Indiana cavalry, and one militia company
less than six hundred men in all-fought and
kept at bay for five hours, four thousand men
and finally made them beat an inglorious re-
treat,
Bravely they fou ght and we'll,
The gallant six hundred"
No words or comments to show the efficien-
cy and gallantry of these two regiments are
necessary. The battle they fought and won
speaks for itself.
Our loss was II killed and 80 wounded,
and one missing, of whom of the killed and
II of the wounded were prisoners.
The enemy'S loss, as far as ascertained was
50 killed and l64 wounded. We captured
three officers and thirty men. Gen. Marina
duke in trying to burn us out, burnt several
of his own wounded men. 0, what an act of
barbarity TO men who, by taking the front OF
the battle, were wounded and unable to get
away. Their screams and grOans, amid the
| cracking of the flames, and the thun-
dering of the cannon, struck terror to our
| hearts, but it was impossible to rescue them.
They were burned to DEATH and almost entire
| ly consumed by the fire that was kindled BY
| his own ruthless and barberous hand
| They plundered every house that they
| could get to, and stole from the citizens all
/ the mules and horses they could find. The
| Court House was nearly destroyed by the en-.
| emy's artillery; so also were several dwelling
| houses. The women and children, by order
| of Col Clayton, went down under the river
| bank, and not one of them was hurt. The
negroes the most of whom were employed
| during the battle in rolling cotton bales, and
| carrying water, though exposed most of the
| time to a heavy fire, did most admirable ser
vice, and behaved with a gallantry that vii
ever entitle them to be clas5ed among the
| brave.
| u +La aIa.-;o, y,orf1aroa