Nebraska advertiser., 1863-05-14
ARMY CORRESPONDENCE.
From the Nebraska First.
CAPE GIRAnDrAy Nay 4ih, Is


in a fight, and has come out as usual,
remarkably clear of losses and with
additional honors. You haeenhdoubt-
edly published the general account of
the fight, as telegraphed all over the
country; and it only remains for me
to speak of our own Regiment. The
part all others took in the transaction
was satisfactory to officers, and fat.
tering to friends.
Col. Livingston having been called
to duty at Saint Louis, the command
of this post devolved on Lieut.. Col.
Banner; and when the news came
here that Gen. Mcneil would have to
fall back on this place from Bloomfield,
forty>fye miles west, the Col. called
out the Missouri State Malta, had
the guns put in readiness on the forts,
and prepared for an attack at any
time. Thursday, April 23d, General
Mcneil reached here, and his troops
on Friday. Saturday noon, Colonel
Banner lead out the First Nebraska
and Whelfhy's Battery, and placed
them in line Of battle. Indeed the
Colonel's good military skill told so
clearly where, and how, an attack
would likely be made, that he had
skirmished with his Regiment over the
very ground he then occupied, in
order to give them a knowledge of
"the ground where they should shortly
lie." And there they reposed TIL the
opening of the ball. All demands for
a surrender by Marmaduke and his
10000 rebels, reported by him as
10000, were spurned by Gen. Mcneil.
You know the General is the same for
whose delivery to the rebels Jeff.
Davis very modestly demanded of
President Lincoln and of whose
mode of disposing of bushwhackers,
the English rebel press has spoken
p~rotestingly. He is a live American,
a bold, true General, and much of an
honorable gentleman. At midnight on
Saturday, the Chaplain was requested
to get the ambulances, and emave the
ten wives of Nebraska officers, with
the greater part of the officers chn-
dren, to some Place of safety. And
the general order being given for the
women and children ofthe town to 60
on board boats, all were removed at
daylight to the Illinois shore, FIVE
miles north. The town is surrounded
on the line of a semi-circle, with four
forts, defended by seige guns, except
ing 3D." down the river. Fort "a"
is in the upper part oftown command
ing the river ; "B" commands the
Jackson road, coming in at the north
west, and "C' the Bloomfield road
from the southwest. If Brownville
were fortified as this is, Fort ga"
would be on the bluffs north of Nc
Pherson's old store room on the wharf.
Fort "B" would be where the grave
yard is, and would command the Peru
road "C' would be out on the hill
east Of Kelly's, and would command
that road, and 3D." without guns,
would be south on the bluffs where
DR.. Gwin built his brick houses
When the fight came on, on Sunday,
a gunboat lay off in the river opposite
fort Cd" so that supplied the absence
of guns at that point. Mcneil had, in
all, only 2,400 men.
The attack was made on the line
fronting fort 3D." our Regiment
having been posted, with the Battery,
out in advance of the forts, so as to
fight them first, hand to hand, if nec~
essary, in the open field, Go. F and
6 were posted with two guns, off to
the northwest to guard against a flank
movement from that point. Company
H vas on duty at st. Louis. B and
u were next III position, to support
two guns. The other FIVE companies
were to sustain four guns, in line
between forts "B" and &C" First,
companies c and l advanced as Skin
mishers to the edge of the woods,
where the rebels were posted, The
Cavalry we're posted as reserves, and
the balance of Infantry. The infan-
try fighting was done by the First
Nebraska. Col. Banner had a Gen
erals command on the field, and
Can Majors was acting Major. on