Litchfield enquirer., 1864-04-28
THE RED RIVER BATTLEs.-The New Or leans Era has graphic account of the great battle and victory of the 9th:

THE RED RIVER BATTLEs.-The New Or leans Era has graphic account of the great battle and victory of the 9th:
 At seven o'clock on Saturday morning our forces were at Pleasant Hill. and the rebels were advancing cavalry in front, endeavoring to discover our position. Colonel 0. F. Good ing, with hs brigade of Lees, cavalry corps, was sent out on the Shreveport road to meet 'na enemy and draw him on. He had gone aoout mlle, when he came upon the rebel aavahce. Sklrmishng immediately ensued, ana an according to the plan he slowly fell back. The light was very sharp between these cayal. ry oodies' and Colonel Gooding lost nearly forty men killed and wounded, infiictinp how. ever' as much damage as he received"
 After describing the position of the armie. and the forces engaged on our side, for which we have no room this morning, the Era says ::
 "The skirmishing was kept up with consi- derable vigor until about five o'clock in the af- ternoon, when the rebels had completed their arrangements for the attack. About this hour General Emory's skirmish line was driven in on the right by the rebels, who appeared in large force. coming through the timber above mentioned. They soon reached the open ground and moved on to the attack in three lines of battle. Our batteries and infantry opened with terrific effect, doing great slaugh ter with grape and canister, while the enemy's artillery, being in the woods and in bad posi- | tion, did scarcely any damage.
 | "Colonel Benedict's brigade on the loft was first engaged, soon followed by Dwight's and McMillan's. The fighting was terrific. Old soldiers say it never was surpassed for despera- nf fhokon Aho s- their ranks, the enemy pressed fercely on, slowly pushing the men of the 18th corps back up the hill, but not breaking their line of bat tie. A sudden and bold dash of the rebels on the right gave them possession of Taylo bat tery, and forced our line still further back. THE FINAL CHARGE.
 Now came the grand coup de main. The 18th on arriving at the top of the hill, sudden. | ly filed over the hill and passed through the lines of General Smith. We must here men. ton that the rebels were now in but two lines of battle, the first having been almost annihi- lated by General Emory; what remained hay ing been forced back into the second lne But these two lines came on exultant and sure o victory.
 "The first passed over the knoll and al needless of the long line of cannons and crush ing forms of as brave men as ever trod mothe, earth, pressed on. The second line appeared on the crest, and the death signal was sounded Words cannot describe the awful effects of this discharge. Seven thousand rifles, and severa batteries of artillery, loaded to the muzzle witl grape and canister, were fired simultaneously and the whole center of the rebel line was crushed down as field of ripe wheat throuol which a tornado has passed. It is estimated that one thousand men were hurled into eter nifty, or frightfully manged by this one dis charge.
 No time was given them to recover their good order, but General Smith ordered a charge, and his men dashed rapidly forward the boys of the 18th joining in The rebels fought boldly and desperately back to the tim Der, on reaching which a large portion broke and fled, fully two thousand throwing aside their arms. In this charge 1'aylor's battery was retaken, as were two of the guns of Nim < battery, the Parro. gun taken from us at Car rion Crow last fall. and one or two others be- longing to the rebels, one of which was consi- derabty shattered. besides seven hundred prisoners A pursuit and desultory fight wa; !ept up for three miles, when our men returned 10 the field of battle.
 And thus ended this fearful and bloody struggle for the control of Western Louisiana ]