Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1864-05-26
Communications.
From the 9th Iowa Infantry.
GRAN-DE-ooRE, La, April IA, 1864

Il GRAN-DE-CoRE, La, April IA, 1854.
FRIEND HILpRErH The expedition
up Red River las come to halt. The
army moved without much resistance
as far as Gran-de-core, when, on the
Sd inst, a detachment of Banks cav
airy was sent forward. They encoun
tered the enemy on the road to Pleas
ant Hill, drove them and captured
some prisoners. In the meantime the
18th and 10th Corps Zone division in
the first and two in the last) of in.
fantry, were slowly moving on by the
same route until the 9Th, when they
encountered the enemy near Pleasant
Hill. The 18th Corps were the prin.
cipal troops engaged. The enemy
being in considerable force, the loss
on our side was heavy, the enemy
capturing number of our guns and
several hundred prisoners.
Much blame is attached to General
Banks for the loss we have sustained,
as he allowed only an inferior force to
operate against the enemy.
On Saturday, the 9th, as Company
G, Of the eth Iowa, were preparing
to go on picket duty, the long roll
sounded throughout the Brigade, and
soon our forces were ordered to the
front. After marching about one and
half miles. to an open spot, Compa-
nies A and b were thrown out as
skirmishers. They found but little to
do until about o'clock P NJ, when a
general engagement took place. The
enemy having been successful the
previous day, fought with great earn
estness, evidently expecting to ami
hilate US.
The 10th Corps was partly brought
to the front. The enemy received re-
endorsements during the battle and
made several unsuccessful charges
upon our lines. At 5 o'clock it was
observed that they were making a
flank movement on our left. Accord
ingly our forces were ordered to fall
back. which they did, and soon form
ed q new line.
The enemy charged again, this time
with cavalry, and lost nearly all their
men engaged in the charge. We
emptied every saddle, and not ten
men escaped being either killed,
wounded or captured. The enemy
several times renewed the attack, but
finding that the heroes of Donaldson,
Shiloh, Corinth and Vicksburg could
not be repulsed, they retired from the
field at dark. Thus ended desperate
and bloody battle-we having recap
tured nearly all the guns lost on the
previous day by the 18th corps. But
what was most discouraging to our
men was the order from Gen. Banks
during the night to retreat-which
was done, leaving many of our dead
upon the field, and the more severely
wounded at the hospital.
There seems to have been no good
reason for so sudden q retreat. The
enemy retrea,ed under cover of the
night, but finding that our army had
retreated, they moved back upon the
field and took our wounded as prison,
ers. We learn since coming here that
these wounded prisoners are doing
we'll.
The loss in the 9th Iowa in killed,
wounded and missing, is 81. The
loss in Company G is-missing, W.
C. Decker Of Ulster wounded, Serg
Robert Beck of Riverton, in the head
will probably lose one eye j. II. No
bles of Rock Grove, in the shoulder
John Wright of Charles City, in the
leg Sylvester Bement of Bremen
county. in the knee T; March Olmstead
a recruit from Mississippi, in the arm
Stacy Purdy of Floyd. in the chest, q
flesh wound.
| The troops arrived here, from the
battle Of Pleasant Hill, on the 18th
inst, after o severe march of two
days. The transports. belonging tc
Gen. Smiths command, had moved
up the river to within fifty miles o.
Shreveport. and the enemy, knowing
of our disaster on the Sth and subse
quent retreat. thought to hem in oul
feet by placing batteries on the lant
below them. But the gunboats were
in readiness to attend to the batteries
and prevented their doing much dam
! age. The fleet. however. was not re
: leased from the gauntlet they had 4
run until Gen. Smith. with a detach
ment of men, went up on the nortl
side Of the river to protect them. Th'
enemy, hearing that land force wa
, advancing upon them, made goot
their escape, and the feet ran down I,
D Gran-dc-core on the 18th.
{ Much praise is due Gen. Smith. 70
a his good military skill in moving hi
detachment of the 18th corps. He
highly spoken of by all the troop
d here, and those of the 18th and lot
corps are equally loud in his praise.
it The prisoners we captured on tn
: 9th are estimated at 1900. They al
mostly kept at this place. Gen. Bank
building earth.works here, prob'