Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-08-05

got bewildered. They barely saved one |
IF their flags and the staff of another, and |
then. with thiDned ranks, retreated |
the showers of iron hail, leaving |
their Colonel in the fort, many officers
unaccounted for, and msny black bodies,
lifeless or disabled, along their track
All the other regiments got, wholly or in
part, on Or over the perapets, but all were
finally forced TO fee. The contest on
their part was short but bloody one
Had these regiments held on together but
moment longer, they would have had
whole brigade to help them; but the dit
hcultles were greater than had been an
ticipated, and they could not be longer
held where victory seemed go Impossible.
With one or two regiments 1t was rou';
they went off helterskelter, running Wild
ly, anxious only for some shelter from the
rebel fire. Others marched OFT as orderly
az if executing simple manRuvre, carry
ing their arms and taking away such OF
their wounded as were outside the ditch.
ADVANCE OF PUTNAM's BRIGADE.
The brigade of COL Il. S. Putnam, with
his Seventh New Hampshire regiment on
the right. when the advance was ordered,
moved to the rear of the old house behind
our batteries, and deployed into line. In
| this form they advanced to our intrench-
ments, and then depIoyed into line, and IN
| this manner advanced to the works. Col.
Putnam was one OF the first to reach
| the parapet, surrounded by bis brave New
| Hampshire Seventh boys, and inspiring
| his whole brigade by his fearless, gallant
| conduct. In approaching the ditch the
retreating men o. the first charge were
met, and some portions of the brigade
were detained Tor moment, but not per-
mently demoralized. Col. Putnam sent
| Lieut.. Col. Abbott, of the Seventh, and
| Major Henderson, his Adjutant General,
| TO intercept stragglers, rally those who
/ halted and hurry forward all troops
/ They did this under very hot ire, which
was az terrible short distance from the
| fort as in it. The rear division of the
| Seventh and portion OF the One Humid
| redth New York were massed together,
| crossed tue ditch ard essayed to get &
| foothold inside from one point, while the
| Sixty-second and Sixty-seventh Ohio
went TO another. Every regiment be-
| haved nobly, and all have a fearful roll of
| casualties to attest the persistency and en-
| ergy of their effort TO obtain and hold the
| the fort. One corner of the fort only was
ours, and that was swept by grape and
| canister and exposed TO musketry. The
| troops looked back, saw they were alone
and began to falter. Gen. Strong had been
| up and cheered ard rallied his quondam
classmate and ever friend, Col. Putnam,
and returned to try and bring up rein
forcements.
Col. Putnam implored, entreated, COM
manded his troops to hold on but for a
moment longer, and then another minute,
and then a moment again, but no help
came. He had sent q messenger to ask
for reinforcements. He did not know
that Generals Strong and Seymour had
both been carried from the field wounded.
The messenger learned the fact, and went
to General Gilmore. The latter, anxious,
but still cool and clear-headed, told him
the reserve, fresh brigade, had been or
dered forward as soon as it was known
foothold had been gained IN the rebel
work. Before this messenger bad LETT,
another arrived to say that Col. Putnam
was killed, and that our troops had re-
tired from the fort entirely. That was
the result, briefly told. General Steven
sons brigade was being conducted by Col
Turner, Of Gen. Gillmore's staff, to rein
force Col. Putnam, when the news of his
death and the retirement OF his troops
reached them in season to prevent the
whole rebel fire taking effect on them
Sadly and disappointed they turned back,
and the battle field was left to the enemy,
and our dead and wounded. The rebel
fire ceased, the ambulances met the
stretchers at the edge OF danger, and the
gIoans of the wounded, the chirps OF the
crickets and the beating of the surf were
soon all the sounds we could hear, for the
Gre on both sides haC ceased
q. Our fresh troops tell back to the en-
trenchments in good order, occupying all
our old positions; and the shattered regi-
ments rallied around their torn, burned
and smoked standards, to go into camp
and call the names of the absent forever.
The total of killed, wounded and mis-
sing on our side is stated 1900. Many
however reported missing at first, reioined
their commands, and large number were
so slightly wounded as not to be unfit for
duty. The HeratdS correspondent says
our serious casualties since Gen. Gilmores
operations commenced, including killed,
prisoners and badly wounded, will not
exceed 1000, our dead outside the fort
were buried under a flag of truce. The
correspondent says:
Several rebel officers came out of the
fort during the burYing and conversed with
the officers in charge of our parties.-
They complimented our troops in the high
est manner. They said their charges We're
so determined and vigorous that 1T was
almost impossible to stand before them
At one time they anticipated being driven
from the tort. When the fight commenc-
ed on the 10th they scarcely expected to
hold the fort all day; but now they said
they intended to keep possession OF it.
They were very bitter on the negro troops,
urging that it was unchivalrous to send
negroes to fight gentlemen, aRd said such
as they had captured would be sold at
auction.
Rosecrans Preparing Tor Another For
ward Movement.
A special from Cincinnati to the New
York Irt5JRe, dated on Friday last says:
Gen. Rosecrans' headquarters were re-
moved on the day before Yesterday tro,n