The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-08-04

, the train. / saw dead men within 20 pa
ces of the road One fellow felt sorry for
| could not helpit he was boy not more
than 16 or II years old real foe cooking
delicate little fellow his hauds were slim
and soft as womaus. He looked as if he
never knew an evil thought Or ever saw a
days hardship. He was shot dead sup
pose he was a conscript aud had only just
come into the army. After the fight we
picked up our dead and wounded, put them
in the wagons and, started on. About nine
at night the whole army were in camp at
Tupelo.
The next morning July 14th,we were
under arms at o'c lock, and preparing fol-
the battle. AS soon as daylight our Skin
mishers advanced to find the enemy and
watch their motions. Soon after the army
was marched out and formed in line of battle
ready for the contest Pretty heavy Skin
mishing was kept up uutil about six o'clock,
when the rebels advanced in force, appar,
emily confident of an easy victory. T hey
had been victorious in almost every figbt
for the year They had conquered at Ft Pill
low; and had driven back Genls Smith and
Grierson's splendid army. when they attelnp-
ted to jotn Sherman last spring; defeated
and completely routed them i'll every battle:
and then only short time before they had
defeated Sturges, and his veteran soldiers at
Guntown, and pursued his broken columns,
almost into the city of Memphis. These
victories gave them confidence and then
their officers told them that they had moth
ing but 100 day men and niggers to fight
and that they could conquer aud capture
them all before breakfast The rebels told
US that themselves.
The enemy advanced in splendid style,
yelling like demons as though they
thought they were going to whip US off the
face OF the EARTH For Il few minutes there
was lull i'll the battle both sides seemed
as II they wanted to get good look at each
:. other, be-ore the bloody work began in ear
neSt. Then the batteries opened and fairly
made the ground tremble, gun followed gun
Ill such quick succession, that the reports
were all blended III one. There was Just
one steady deafeniug roar. The rebel shot
and shell burst around us faster than one
could count Our regt. was stationed right
between two batteries that made it ten
times hotter for us, but not man hinched.
They stood as if they were fastened to the
ground, aud We're eager for the fight. This
is the trying time Just before the battle.
| always dread it. On the rebels came as if
they would sweep everything before them.
In few minutes they came within musket
gled with the roar of cannon, The balls
flew around us like hail stones. 1t seemed
as if there was not room enough some times
for another ball to come without hitting a
man. We poured volley after volley into
their ranks and at last they broke and run
in confusion, out Of the range of our guns.
Again they formed and advanced to the
charge ; this time more cautious, but firmer
than before. They began to think they had
something to deal with besides 100 day men.
We poured terrible fire into their ranks, but
on they came. Our whole line was Just one
sheet OF flame and smoke, but still they came
on nearer and nearer | thought surely we
should have a hand to hand fight, we fixed
bayonets and got ready to receive them, then
commenced firing again. After few more
voIleys, they broke and fell back under COW
} or of hill. Once more they rallied, and
again tried to carry our position, but they
might as well have tried to move noun
tain, as to move our line. We received them
with more deadly fire than before. This
time they broke and run in wild confusion
Gen. Mower ordered charge, but they could
out-run us we could not get chance to
help them along with our bayonets They
run as if the devil was after them. If he
was not there was something about IS bad
at least in their estimation (Yankees)
You ought to have heard us shout when
the battle was over and the victory ours
All of their wounded that were unable to get
off the field, fell into our hands. They were
taken off and cared for the same as our own
men, They were highly pleased with their
good treatment We fought the same regi-
ment there that we fought at Coldwater
One Of them said the 33d had whipped them
now, but it was the only regt that ever
whipped them. One wounded reb asked one
of our regt. if he could not find some one to
pray for him. He told him that he had got
into poor crowd if he wanted any praying
done. We asked lots of them if they were
at TT. Pillow but they all said No, No.
Their loss in officers was heavy, they had
five Colonels killed, among them were Col.
Faulkner and Col. Forrest the Generals
brother Faulkner had Brigadiers Commits
sion in his pocket. Their loss in men was
fearful. Capt. Smith told me that he heard
Col Ward say that 963 dead were counted on
the field. They admit loss of of 2400 kill
ed and wounded, in the fight on the 14th,
and say that our loss was 5000; but our
entire loss do not think will exceed 80
1t is remarkable that we did not lose more
How such storm of balls went through
our ranks and did not kill more men, is
more than | can tell. | do not think we
had over 10000 fighting men and only
} about half of them were actually engaged
at any one time. Some of the rebels said
they had ZOO and | think they did. /
think their force was larger than ours.
In our Co. we had % men engaged, lost
two killed and five wounded. Charles Nc
| Coy and Stephen ColIett killed. The wound
ed were all slght they are all with US
now. The loss i'll the regt. is about forty,
eight killed. have not inquired the extact
number since the reports have been made
, out. | asked the Adjt. the evening after the
fight and he said as above. Collett was a
; recruit-one of the men Fox enlisted
J Out of four that he enlisted there is only one
left. Tinkham and Collett are killed, Ba-
ker crippled and Smith, the last we heard
from him, was very sick. He never has been
with the regt. He went with detachment
5 from the regt. to Huntsville, Ala. while we
were up Red River, and they have not got
back yet. Melancthon Bohanon is one Of the
best soldiers we have in the Co. He is brave
as lion. The fight on the 18th was the
first he ever saw The bullets whized pref
ty lively and he asked one of the boys what
kind of bugs them were, that buzzed so. |
have good laugh every time think of it.
He soon learned what they were, but he
l don't mind any more about them than he
/ would about zeal bugs flying around
That night the rebels made another attack
upon the left of our line (the Sd division