The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-12-09
portions of Vaughne byi-

simultaneously, portions Of Vaughns bri-
gade made desperate attacks upon the
right and left, and for more than an hour
Jubilee of death and fury reigned su-
preme, despite the efforts Of Coils. Myer-
ton and Miller to secure its abatement.
At this iuncture almost the entire com.
mand vas surrounded, and after series
of hand to hand encounters, the rebels
had succeeded in capturing our entire ar
tillery. Now, the excitement and disorder
was at it's ght. The Eighth Tennessee
had broken, and what, with new and un-
manageable horses, and panic-stricken
riders might not be expected2 They
dashed into the ranks of the Thirteenth
Tennessee, which up to the present
time had withstood the shock with heroic
equanimity. But now the Thirteenth gave
way, and both regiments fled in great con-
fusion, disseminating their contagious IN
fluences amongst the men OF the Ninth
Tennessee, who Joined in the carnival of
disorder. Gen. Gillem's presence was of
no avail, aud all efforts of himself and aids
to check the calamitous disorder were
fruitless. During this tragic scene the
light full moon became obscured, the
heavens were enveloped in clouds of inky
darkness, and the night became as pitchy
black as the innermost recesses of the
monster hole of Kentucky; and worse
than this, On indescribable mass of SOL
diers and teamsters were riding and driv-
ing for dear lives towards Knoxville, Wig
orously pursued and harassed by an elated
and victorious army of three times its own
number. And thus it continued until our
troops were pursued twenty-four miles,
most of whom arrived at Strawberry
Plains, sixteen miles east of Knoxville, the
next morning, in state of utter democrat
ization. The enemy kept up his chase I'M
til after he passed NEWMARKET, when the
pursuit was abandoned, no doubt from
sheer exhaustiqe, and to obtain time to
gather up the fruits of his victory.
Gen. Gillem, in his dispatch to the
Government, states that the stampede was
the most frightful exhibition of panic
stricken soldiers he had ever seen. Twen-
ty-four hundred cavalry, battery of ar
tillery, wagon trains, and a number of
hundred head of cattle and mules were
one inextricable mass, with the enemy
pouring down on all sides. The descrip-
ton of such sight cannot urge the ina
giration to the slightest conception of the
terror of such q scene.
An official dispatch from Gen. Gillem,
which I have just seen, dated to-day, sums
up the result of the disaster, of which the
following may be considered the tenor
The loss in men, thanks to the darkness
that came on, is small-two hundred and
twenty covering the total in killed, wound
ed and missing. The enemy's loss in this
particular, of course, is small. Our loss
in artillery and small arms is large; we
lost full battery of PARROTS, and half the
men threw away their arms and almost
everything else liable to discommode them
in their endeavors to escape. Our entire
trains and baggage and number of hun
dred head of cattle, and the whole par
phernalia Ct the army fell into the hands
of the enemy. In addition large amount
Of territory is lost, and again faithful
people are left to the merciless considers
tons of their implscable foe. Gillems
command is now in camp on the fair
grounds, three miles from Knoxville.