The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-06-26
STURGIS'S DEFEAT.
Further Details OF the March and
Battle.
IneOmpeteneJ OF the Commanding
Odicer.

N--'S "a ti-N Ns-Ai'aii''' -A"1
Oaieer.
We make the following extract from
a letter written by one of the men Of
the 44th Iowa infantry. In view Of the
statement made no one viii be grieved
over the removal of SrURGs. Thus far
not circumstance appears to palliate
his disastrous defeat, while there are
many developments which tend to
make him responsible for something
more serious by far than simple mill
tary blunder and incompetency The
soldier writes
MESRHIs, June l5
General Sturgis has incurred much
Odium By his bad management in the
late engagement with Forrest The
soldiers even accuse him Of premedi-
tated treaehery, that his plan to sur
render them TO the mercy % Of For
. rest was only defeated by the vigilance
Of Colonel Winslow and Gen C4rierson.
They say that Sturgis placed his train
IN advance; got II into a swamp and al
lowed the enemy to help himself; that
the General had plenty Of ardent along,
and was drunk during the entire ac-
ton. The negroes fought splendidly
say all officers and men. The negroes
fought desperately to the last, expect
ing no quarter If captured, and when
the ammunition gave out they were
seen going round the field bitterly cry
ing for more cartridges.
From the Chicago Tribune.l
CAMPING IL 4 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. IL
NUD--FIGHuxC AFArSsr FATE
The following extracts from a private
letter received IN this city give the
most detailed account Of the disaster
to our forces under Sturgis that we have
yet received
memphis, TENv, June ID
have been away
on march. in another battle, and in
one Of the hardest retreats that our
army has ever had have come out
safe and sound, although one half Of
our regiment was captured
On the morning Of the firss Of june I
our regiment left camp, proceeded % I
the depot and took the cars and went (
to Colliersyille, or a few miles beyond, [
and camped for the night in q grave
yard IT rained all night, and in fact
during the twelve days I was out, not /
a day OF night passed over our heads !
but that it rsined We kept on by way
Of Lamar Salem, and other places too !
small to mention, all the time in the
rain At one time 10 was two days be- !
fore / had a dry stitch Of clothing on I
me; mud up to our ankles, and some /
Shines knee deep When night came /
on we would throw down a rubber /
blanket in the mud and another over /
us and lie there in the rain until morn
ing in the morning make a strong cup (
Of coffee, eat a. hard cracker and piece 4
Of raw, salty bacon, try 10 dry our clo- +
thing, and get ready for the days /
march. SomS nights it would only rain 4
for an hour, and some days only 1T I
tie, and st sometimes Il was like pour 4
ing river Of water on us
The day before the f light We sent back
a train of forty wagons with our sick, I
and marched that day about fifteen /
miles, and next day resumed our march I
for Guntown When the infantry were \
about six miles from that place tho
cavalry, which were in the advance, I
we're attacked and driven in WeWere
ordered forward az the double.quick I
for FIVE mics in the hot sun. Many
dropped out along the roadside, sun
struck; but on we went, until We were
within mile Of the battlefield, when
they found they had 70 stop the men OF
xiii them al before we got into the
fghE wet my head with water, put
leaves into my hat and felt better, and
as my canteen was filed with strong
coffee, ] got along very well, because I
did not drink any water
After resting about five minutes, We
were ordered forward again, and our
being I'm advance, we were
the FIRST IN the fight Wewere perfect i
y exhausted when we got there, while
the rebels had picked position be-
sides being fresh and knowing the
country better than we But in wa
vent with cheer drove the rebels a
piece, and we're engaged twenty min
utes before any other regiment came I
In The rebels bad us just where they /
wanted US We were surrounded on (
three sides They were III the form Of
& horse shoe, and All they had % do
sas to close up the space Whers we came 1
IN. and they would have had us all
prisoners They were four % one Of
ls. bat we held our position until We
got them in front Of Us, when We re-
treated
It was worse than a retreat IL was
, regular Ball Run-the men destroy
d IS our General A body could have
managed better than he did, RE haA
blocked up the road with the wagons,
nd We had been on half FatiOns for
.hFse days when We had train Of a
lundrsd wagons, half Of which we're .
lied with provisions We lost every
hing ana lels all cur wounded .on the .
ieid