The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1864-05-05
Red River Battle.
The Desperate Battle Of the oth Of April,
on Red Rivsr-the Rebel Columns Ad-
vance Boldly.

vance Boldly.
The weather on Saturday was most
unpropitious for a fair fight. The morn
ing air was intensely cold, and more
oheerless, dishenrtening sea Of bronzed
countenances I never beheld. Each
private seemed to comprehend the vast
magnitude of our needless DISASTER
There was gloomy silence apparently
pervading every camp, aud we could
hear no gladsome shouts Of victory ring
Throughout the decimated ranks. II is
useless to deny the universal opinion Of
the rank and file was that our repulsc
was on ignominous defeat, which ordina-
ry gcneralship might have foreseen aud
prevented.
The wind howlcd piteously thr ugh
the trees, tanning the long pendants of
gruy, funercal like muss which dccked
the tops Of the tall, waving cypress aud
pircs. The sky was shruuded with por-
trntous clouds, while dense volumes Of
dust partially concealed the long pom.
toOn trains as they iumblcd hoSyily to
the rtUr. At half after four O'clock pre-.
ciscly, the rebel cavalry udyurccd to.
war, the right and center, the exutant
foe yelling in the most iiondisb manner,
at the same time branisbing their sabcrs
in the air.
| On they came at a slow trut in good
order, us they ncnrcd our liucs gradually
quickening their prcc, while close IN
their rear came in three solid battle
line OF the enemy, shouting an ipdcscri.
bablc bn I c cry, which wou.d cuuse the
nerves u the timid TO vibratc, remind.
ing one OF all the fcrosity of sayngos.-
From uut Of the woods belchcd the enc
my's artillery; when there arose from
the crouching forms Of several thousand
loyal men fearful roll of musketry. /.
opening wide CUPS in the rebel lines !;
but they were as speedily closed, and
the enraged foe with sudden dash
threw his gigantic force against our front,
and for a moment our whole line seemed
to wayer, giving way few yards.
The suspense of this fearful moment
was terrible 10 bear, for il did seem Ia
purtcnd defeat. In anoiher mDment
our artillery scattered grape and cannis.
ter in appalling quantities upon the ex.
asperated enemy, literally moving them
down as with an enormous scylhe. With
dcn cning cheers, AID waving of starry
banners, our lines pressed on the rrur
lines, going into the latter conflict on
the double quick" 1t was now .
o'clock, aud the battle was at lis high-
est, raging with undated fury, the long
and deadly roll Of muskctry continuing
until night, spreading her sable manllc
Uv,r the bloody picture, screened the
cumbatants from each others view, and
put an end to that days hlstiitics.
f There was something more than sol.
cmn grand ar in the scene at Pleasant
llill at SUMS ON Saturday, April o.
Stlnding on n slight cminence which
overlooked the lclt aud center of cur
lines, could see the terrific stru ,glc be.
, tween out well disciplined troops aud
the enemy. The sun shonc directly in
the inces of our men, while the wild
blew back tho smoke of both the enc
, my's fire aud that of our own gallant
men into our ranks, rendering it almost
impossible ut times to distinguish the en-
cmy in h dense cloud Of I'm kc. A of
a sudden our whole front seemed 10 gath.
rr renewed strength, aud they swept the
bels before them like chalf, following
them up clcs ly.
Tue enemy made another stand, when
Col. Shaw, jmmanding the 81 Brigade,
lst Division l6th Corps, gavc th, ord r
To charge bayonets, and the crisis was
sUoh uver, the rebels being unable to
! stand the pressure of Yankee" stc,d.
In the very thick st Of tic fight on our
lclt aud ccptcr, rode the patriarch H..
lvukng warrior, Col. Andrew Jackson
Smith, whose troops rccc,v,d an in.
, creas I'd inspiration OF hcrOism by his
presence. VIII, rcvcr he rode cheer ut-
ter cheer greeted hini, Tor there is an ir.
resistiblc attraction arJu ID the officer,
who has exhibited tho real Jacksonlan
energy. Not less conspicuous was MI
jor General Banks aud staff, General
Joseph A Mower of the lst Division,
10th Army Corps, General Franklin aud
staff aud Genera, Emory and staff.
As the dusk of evening became more
aud more intense, and the last glimm, r.
ing sire ks of day were rapidly iad NJ
away, the enemy struggled iierccly tor
the possession OF the battle field, and u
tremendous roar OF muskctry burst forth
: lrum their staggering lincs, which was
responded to by two or three terrific vol
leys from our side, and then came that
, dead, quiet c,lm, broken only by the
moaning OF our mems voices aud the
groans of the dying. The enemy re.
treated rapidly that night. General A.
J. Mower, of the 18th Army Corps, hav-
ing pushed out some iodr m lies from
Pleasant llill, without being able To
overtakc the euemy.
In fact, alh ugh the results are very
untavorablc 10 our cause, yet in the bat.
tie OF Pleasant Hill, we can rest assured
the stain of cowardicc can not blot th Q
record of that bloudy battle.
: All of the troOps seemed inspired with
degree of courage which nothing but
total aunihilatiun OF our men could sub.
due or cxtinguish. Ii is impossible to
state who was in chief command on
/ Saturday, Gems. Banks aud Franklin
being both upon the iald but had il
!, nut been for the mastery manner il
which General A. ]. Smith deployCt
and personally led his troops, aided BY
: the gallant NJ Iwer, who has rtapcd
many substantial victories, W. sh iuld
have TO record the extinction OF the l9tt
: Army Corps and the Department of the
Q Gull.
THIS battle Of Pleasant Till is proba
bly, the first time ON record whers ihl
rebels have manifested any desire tC
c meet our soldiers in an open field fight
a aud particularly where they have beei
. the attacking party. This rebel pho
nomenon is easily explained. Alter tn
g easy victory OF Friday, Kirby Smith sup
Il posed il would not be very diicuI
A, matter to completely exterminate th
), balance Of tho little army, agHins
~ ,.tna, rs.,nt Ia h,,.ln.t liz ,,,an,,.h H.,