Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-12-02
The Disaster to Washburne's Forces
[Ftom the Sew YORK Herald. Nov. 2n.1

| division commanded BY Brigadier Genera
Neitzel, the third division BY Brisadier Gen
I | eral Grover; two divisions of the 18th Army
Corps, under command of Generals Wash
, burae and Burbridge, the entire force under
Major General Franklin, marched to Opelou
sas and Barre Landing, encampsd, and SUBJ
seQuently sent forward large cavalry force
! under Brigadier General Lee, which drove
!. the enemy from these points, and then secuted
the country in that vicinity. They overlook
OILY partizan bands of rebel troops, and they
| captured, killed and wounded some of them
The amy remained in camp eight or ten
| DAYS and orders were issued to march not
| forward, but back TO Carbon Crow Bayou and
yermilion Bayou the 18th Corps to take up
quarters at the former place, the 18th at the
| latter Burnbridges' division, consisting of
the first brigade, under Col. Owen, (the other
| two brigades having been ordered, one, GEN
Cameron's, to Washburne's division, the other
| to New Iberia) was ordered to camp at the
edge of the woods, the right resting on the
| Opelousas road, with the prairie in front 1t
| was a dangerous position. Gen. Washburne's
| division being encamped at Carbon Grow
| Bayou, three and half miles saway with ex-
cellent cover of woods on the right for the
enemy to advance, and prairie front and rear
and around but the General posted his pick
cts strongly, and placed his artillery in good
positions, and disposed of his cavalry so that
they could act promptly and effectively. The
day following TUESDAY, Nov. 81 the enemy's
cavalry began skirmishing with ours, but
after short time fell back. Pickets upon
the right were doubled, and hour before
daylight the brigade was under arms
Col. Owen, with his staff rode to the front
to examine the position of the enemy, and
remained an hour, during which time Capt
Friendly rode with some men two miles on
the front OF the pickets, and shelled the
woods with section of the Seventeenth
Ohio battery, supported by the Eighty-th4rd
Ohio regiment, while the Sixtieth Indiana
watched the right flank The firing ceased
A forage train, originally ordered by General
Burbridge to go with an escort at nine a. M
was now started by order of the General and
the Eighty third Ohio was designated at elev-
en- A. NJ. to go with it. Scarcely had the
train emerged from the woods on our rear
when the pickets on our right began firing
when Col. Owen ordered the regiment to hold
themselves IN readiness, at the same time in
forming Gen. Burbridge. A section of artil-
leTy now ordered to that point, supported
by the Goth Ohio, and the Goth Indiana was
sent to hold the bridge and small bayou in
the skirt of the woods, and to throw out Skin
mishers in advance to feel for the enemy his
| force and position. Horse artillery was sent
out; but our forces in the field were in dan
ger of the fire, and it was called in, and
shelled the woods whenever a man showed
himself. Our cavalry and pckets now fell
into the woods. Gen. Burbridge now ordered
the Sixtieth Indiana to advance. Lieutenant
Richardson, Acting Assistant Adjutant Gene
| raj of Col. Owens staff, remained with him
until his horse was shot under him, rallying
the men, when Gen. Burbridge ordered him
to bring up the 96th Ohio to their support,
the General bravely cheering on the men,
The enemy and our own men were now so
| al -1.,r l.,
the artillery. Capt. Slick, Brigade Inspector,
was to place section of the 18th Ohio bat
terry in position slight eminence of the
prairie IN our front, supported by the 9th
Ohio.
The Ninety-Sixth Ohio were now holding
the road on the left and III front of the TWEEN
ty-third Wisconsin, which the left Of
the Sixteenth Indiana.
Capt. Leonard, of Company A, Ninety
: sixth Ohio, called attention to heavy caval-
ry force coming on the left flank to surround
us; but a section of the Seventeenth Ohio
! battery had been placed there to hold them
in check The Sixteenth being now hard
pressed, had to fall back, the enemy advanc-
ing four ranks deep, the men firing ten or
fifteen rounds each. Gen. B. now directed
Col. Owen to rally them. The latter found
it impossible to do so at once, they being cut
up so badly. Before succeeding, the Ninety
sixth Ohio and Twenty third Wisconsin fell
: back, the latter losing its colonel after which
it held its ground under disastrous fire, but
making havoc i'll the enemy's ranks. The
gallant Col. Guppey, of the Twenty third
: Wisconsin, is a serious loss. lie was es-
teemed by his men, and was brave officer.
The enemys cavalry now seen converg-
ing from all points of the woods and from the
prairie in our front on small force. The
remnant of the brigade fell back into the
woods, and through them six hundred yards
into open ground While rallying the men
around the battery Gen Washburne rode up
and informed them achievements were com
ing.
The capture of the Sixty-seventh Indiana
was effected in front of a section of the Sew
enteenth Ohio battery. The enemys cavalry
were surrounding them, when General Bur
| bridge sent three consecutive orders to the
Colonel to fall back He disobeyed orders,
and thus nearly the whole force was captur-
ed. Meanwhile, the General had dismounted
| and personally handled one of the pieces
and with such dexterity did he use canister
that the enemy were alarmed, apparently
but they closed round the Sixty and
it was impossible to fire without killing our
own men. Captain Rice, commanding, the
battery, was conspicuous for his bravery. BY
this time the rebel cavalry had nearly sur
rounded the battery, and the order to timber
, up was given, and they escaped into the
pieces Gen. Burbridge rode forward
and ordered the remnant to join Gen. Cam
eron's brigade in forward movement, the
| Twenty third Wisconsin forming on the right,
under Lieutenant Colonel Hill; Col. Moore,
Eighty-third Ohio, commanding the centre,
and the Ninety-sixth Ohio, Col. Brown, on the
left. Tho remainder fell in under Captain
Walker, acting Major, Captain Rodger being
exhausted.
F remnant of the Sixty-seventh Indiana
fell in under Major Sears, Lieutenant Colonel
Bushler having, with two hundred men sur
rendered to the enemy's cavalry. fresh
supply of ammunition and cannon arriving,
the brigade moved forward to the old posi-
ton, threw out skirmishers with section OF
the Seventeenth Ohio battery, our left being
1anked by cavalry. They swept the whole
woods until halted by Gen. Burbridge facin :;
a lane in which on the previous day we met
and skrmished with the enemy's cavalry.
Our battery took position, supported by a
/ remnant of the brigade, amounting to -four
hundred men,. The men now went into the
old camp to bury and care for the dead and
wounded.
The enemy were five to one: they were
! 5000 strong-3, 900 infantry dismounted and