Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1864-05-06

INCIDENTS OF THE LATE BATTLES IN Lou
IsIANA.-We take the following paragraphs
from the letter Of the correspondent Of the
New York Tribune, dated Pleasant Hill, La,
April 9:
This battle of Pleasant Hill is probably the FRS,
time record where the rebels have manifested any de-
sire % meet soldiers in open field hght and par
toulsry where they have been the attacking party This
rebel phenomenon Is easily explained Alter the easy
victory Of Friday Kirby Smith supposed Il would be
very difficult matter to completely eEteminae the bal
OF the little against whose front he hurled his
Overwhelmingly superior numbers Deuded with this
belief he Shreveport for the balance oil
forces principally Missouri and Arkansas troops. fresh
from their camps
Upon their arrival at front, Kirby Smith and Dick
Taylor both hsf ngued the levies, eIhorng them
10 stnke together steady blow, and the Yankee
would surely be driven from the soil ofLouisiana They
boosted with great bombAst upon the capture OF eighteen
pieces Of artillery from and nearly hundred army
wagons ied with Government stores including consd-
cradle whisky which also fell into their hands Point
ing with eXultaon to the spos and trophies whchh is
men had secured he allied the fresh troops with degree
OF hopeful buoyancy, which aerwAfd proved fatal for
while hlshed with they entirely ignorant Of
the arrival Of Gen. A. Smiths fresh troops and this
explains the eckeasness and apparent indifference with
which they assailed u.s. filing their to the very
jaws Of death.
Gen Banks while aging his troops in the midst
Of CALLING fire, had his pierced with bullet Gen.
Franklin euyered his troops with great skill and
while leading his Friday he had two fine horses
shot from under him, while minnie ball grazed his
boot.
The lat Division Of the 10Th Army Corps did nobly on
Friday coming up the Of the remnant Of the
shattered 18th Army Corps with deafening cheers An
officer Gen Ransom's staff was riding rapidly in front
Of our lines with an important order when a solid shot
struck his horses head severng il from his body
much less time than il takes to tell it, Battery L. 9th
Regulars. captured by the rebels and retaken few
minutes after by our men.
Cot. sweitzeT. Of the TEXAS cavalry. undertook to
break Cox shaw's line by charge. Orders given
to reserve your fire, boys until he gets within thirty
yards, and then give il TO him. AS the cavalry dashed
on at galop each nfAnFyman had selected his victim
and waiting I'LL the three four hundred were within
bout forty yards the 18th Iowa reg emptied nearly every
saddle quickly though the order mad been given 10
dsmount Out Of this rebel cavalry regiment not more
than ten men escaped, and the whole movement was
done with that terrible death Aaery which the science
Of war teaches aud the awful reality OF which the eye
alone can describe 10 the soul
On Sunday morning At daybreak took occasion to
visit the scene o. saturdays bloody conflict, aud
ghasty spectacle have not witnessed Over the field
and upon the Shreveport road were scattered dead horses
broken muskets and cartridge boVes stained with blood
while all around far he eye could reach, were
mingled the nanimate forms Of patriot and traitor side
by side Here were great many rebels badly wounded
unable to move. dying for want OF water and drop
within two miles, and get il for them. Their
groans and peous appeals hr water, water, water
we're heartrending and sent shuddeT the most stony
heart Such horred expressions as dwelt upon ca h
dea,hke eountenanoo can neither be described mag
med.
In front OF the long belt of woods which sk ted IN.
open field and from which the rebels emerged so boldly
deep ditch, and this point the slaughter arnong
he feoes was Nfrhc In many places the enemys dead
were piled up in groups, inteTmiXed with our dead
saw two or three OF our whose bodies had been
efutsy violated by the exaggerated foe, horrible for
mention.
IL IL universally supposed, and am not prepared TO
deny its correctness that inflicted heavier loss Of
LIE npon The enemy IN Saturday Admitting that the
undmlnshed vaor q troops forced the enemy TO re-
ueat leaving u. in full possession Of the battle field
did we carefully bury dead and gather up the thou.
SANDS OF rhes that thrown upon the field No.
we stole on sleallhy before daylight Sunday morning
ven a j Smiths forces covering rel Nffh
900 cavalry a rear guud under the command Of Col
Lucas
Our loss will probably not exceed hiry-hve hdndrod
In killed wounded and missing, although some officers
assert it will reach four thousand. Quite number OF
our wounded were left in houses at Pleasant Him. in
charge Of two Of our surgeons"