The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-06-10
Thr Great Rebtlliun.
THE OPERATIONS At vICKsBURG.
The Battle OF Baker Creek.
CHAMrIoN Nut BATTLE FtELp, 20 miles
East Of NICKSBURG, NAV 10, 1868.

East of NIcKsBuRG, May 10, 1868
The Union army under Cen Grant has
won another glorious victory. A furious
battle lasting nearly five hours. has resulted
in tho defeat of the enemy at all points.
with the loss Of from 81, 900 to 30 600 killed
and wounded, three complete batteries of
heavy ritied cannon, beside several single
pieces, and from 500 to 1000 prisoners in
our hands, and an immense quantity of
small arms ard camp eQuipage. Our sue.
cess is signal and complete. Nothing mars
the intense satisfaction of officers and men
hut the heavy sacrifice of life Ivy which it
was achieved.
Ecarly this moring Gen. Netherlands
corps was put in motion. Gen. Hoveys di-
vis;Gu was on the mann road from jackson
to Nicksbmg, but the balance Of the corps
| was few miles to the southwark, On
| parallel road Gen. McPhcraon's corps fol-
! lowed llovcy's division closely
At o'clock. General Huvcv discovered
the enemy in front on Champion Hill, to the
road near Bakers Creek, apparently in force.
Skirmishers wero thrown out, and the Iii.
vision advanced cautiously and slowly to
| give Gen, McPherson's advance division
under Gen, Logan, time TO come within sup.
| porting distance. Gen. iovcy's div ison
advanced across an open field at the foot of
| Champion Hill, in the line Of battle, at II
! o'clock, and commenced battle.
The hill itselfSs covered with timber,
and is in fact but All abrupt terminus of a
| high ridge running north and south, llsnked
on both sides with deep ravincs and gullcys,
in many places covered with an almost I'M
| penetrablo growth of scruhby white oak
bushes. The rebels appeared deficient in
artillery throughout tho battle but opened
with rather heavy fire from u gun battery
! OF ritcd siX-poundcrs, planted about 400
! yards back from the brow of the hill
Tho woods ON both sides of the road lead
ing up the side of the hill, and winding
back on the ridge a mild or more, were filled
with sharpshootcrs supported by infantry.
Here the baltic began in earnest as our
men entered the timber, and ragged terribly
! from | o'clock until } and t.
Cen A. p. Hovey's division carried the
nights in gallant style, and making dash
on the first battery, drove the gunncrs from
their posts and captured tho pieces. The
! 18th Indiana claim the honor of carrying the
battery. The rebels lay thick in the vicin-
ity of the guns, and their horses were more
than half killed, gun-carriagcs and caissons
broken and overturned, while knapsacks,
| blankets, small arms. and other debris at
tested the deadly struggle for the ground.
|
were captured there also, but | failed to
learn by whose hands.
At this iuncturc Mitchells Ohio Battery
was opened about eighty yards from the
hill The enemy made dash for it. but
the tlcctnoss of the horses prevented its
capture Capt Mitchell was wounded and
is believed to have fallen into the enemys
, hands.
At this jmcture. the rebels appeared, re-
inforcod with fresh troops OH that wing,
and redoubled their efforts to hold the pO-
sition and dislodgo our troops on the hill.
Gen. llovey was slowly driven back to
| the brow of the hill, but brigade from
Gen. Quimby was ordered to his support,
and the ground was speedily rcoccupied by
us and tho rebels finally rcpulsed.
At the commencement of the engagement
Gen. Logan's Division marched past the
brow of the hill, and forming in line of bat
! tie on the right of lIovey, advanced in grand
style, sweeping everything before them.
At the edge Of the woods in front of Gen.
Logan, the battle was of the most dcsper-
ate character imaginable The rattle Of
muskctrY was incesaant irom the first mo-
ment, and blended in a continuous deadly
roar in which reports were SO blended that
a single discharge was rarely heard. Not
man ilnched or limo wavered in this divi-
sion so far as could discover, All behaved
| like veterans, and moved to new positions
with the conscious tread of victory.
Two batteries were captured by this di-
vision and enough hard fighting was done
| to mmortaliRe it, lieside this it captured
n large portion of prisoners, small arms, &c.
Between 3 and o'clock Gen. Osterhaus's
and Gen. McArthur's divisions came into
action on the extreme left, and completed
what had been 80 auspicously carried for
ward. They were both miles away when
the engagement hogan, but were brought
forward with all the dispatch possible.
The enemy were in full retreat soon after,
and these divisions pursued till o o'clock,
and are now enCamped at Edward s Station,
| eight miles beyond the battle-ground,
Unfortunately, we have no cavalry pur-
suit is therefore out of the question.
| From rebel prisoners we learn that Gen.
Pemberton commanded in person and Gems.
Fitz Hugh Lee and Gregg, who commanded
at the battle near Raymond, and others Of
note, had subordinate commands.
1t is TOO early yet to do more than approx
innate our loss. | think il will be about
| 900 killed and wounded. 1t may prove
| less, but cannot be much more, / think.
But few officers of distinction are injured.
The 34th Indiana Regiment lost loo mon,
and Lleut-COl. Swain commanding is killed.
Major zones escaped unhurt, and subse-
| quently captured an Alabama battery. Not
a general or staff officer on our side was
! hurt.
Col BOuch, of the l4th Wisconsin, in
/ formed me, at the close Of tho engagement,
that but two privates in his regiment were
| injured.
This has been the hottest and most bril-
liant fight in the Southwest for several
months, and may only be q prelude TO others
OF the same character in store for us within
three days / say three days, because
within that time Grant, will have marched
! TO the suburbs of Vicksburg, if every mile
of road be not contested. The men are en-
thusiastic wherever Gen. Grant appears
Gen. G, has been fairly outdoing himself of
late and his reckless exposure of himself
on the field begets unbounded admiration
among the priyates.
Well authenticated cases of rebel bar
harity to wounded men can be enumerated.
No less than three different men who we're
shot to-day in battlo were subsequently sa-
bored by rebels when they temporarily re.
tsok the ground. The men live to narrate
the atrocity, but will scarcely recover. |
have been slow to believe such stories, and
know that such instances are rare but they
do occasionally occur, 10 the disgrace of
our common humanity.
|