The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1864-05-21

Among the prisoners were two Lieuten-
| ants, enc Of them . member of Marina.
dukes staff
% the 9th the entire command crossed
the river, by fording, and proceeded to
sxpel the enemy from the Notifications On
the nigh lands just out Of tho bottom
; about mile Of breastworks for infantry,
and sarthworks for artillery, 80 disposed
| as TO command the road The enemy
made very slight resistance. Gen. Thsy
er had been heard from. and here the com
nand waited to afford him an opportunity
! Of s<fely eff-cting a junction With it
For this purpose it became necessary to
bridge tho river-there having been
heavy rain on the 7th, raising the river
three fest-and corduroy the road
| through the bottom, aLou, FIVE miles in
| extent. The next day, the S,h, Gen Thay.
| Or Joined the main eody. .-.--------
On the 10th the combined forces-about
1900 nen-took up the march towards
Prairie D'Au!. where Gen. Price awaited
them with all hi. available forces At thi.
point is the confluence Of three roads
that leading directly to Camden. General
Steele 3 objective point. the road 10 Spring
I'M, on the direct road 20 Shreveport, and
the direc. road to Washington
Ns"'cu was slTOHsiF lt'rt uet, hnu WIN
ten thousand men could be held agai,.,
any force that could be brought again. il.
Its rsiuc ion would be necessary anyhow
now that it wa. probable that Banks had
heen rspulsed (information ia this effect
having been received from prisoners. AMI
reliable scouts. its capture was regarded
as ~ still greater imro, lance
Price, however. seems TO have supposed
taat Steele would push on toward Wash
iagton and Steele to h,vr determined to
thrash Price and drive him. if possible,
from Camden toward Washington
Tho fight commenced at point near
the junction OF the roads, and was SHARPLY
msiatained on both side. until Price was
driven from his position. Thst nigh. az
ter dark, 4 desperate attempt was II ads
20 capture ono OF our batteries, but war
handsomely repuis-d The mex. day Gen.
Steele. n1o.ing forward, found the enemy
occupying rife pits and br-astwork. over
= mile and p half in extent
The position had been rendered formii
able. but preparations, ws-s Immediately
mads for carrying il. Night, however.
overlook our forces, and they lay On their
arms in line Of Battle
A, daylight the nsxs morning the move
nen;s were resumed A skIlifuiiy de-
on the lsf, flank. turned Their position,
when the works wore captured with litils
resistance. Price fled towarC: Washington.
as il seems 10 have been Gssixn-d he
should Gen Steele pursued with cavalry
for several miles, while the main army and
train pushed on toward Camden.
Price. h-wever pursued his way toward
Washington, no; doUaiing apparently,
that this was steeles objective pc;nt.
On the 9th, P.ice seems 10 have dis
covered his error Docaery ca.no up with
the rear of our army, in charge 81 Gen.
1haysr, attacked x and was sgnai,y re-
pnlssd, while She!b. and Cabell were dis
patched by forced marches, with cavalry
and artillery % head off Steele, ard beat
him into Camden
General Steele meantime push od o.. de
layed by the difficulty OF passing Terre
Rouge creek and Cypress Bayou. repairing
bridges and corduroyins roads, until on
the 18th, almost within sight of Camden,
he came in collision with the enemr drove
him out Of his way. aud marched tri-
umohan.ly into that stronghold.
Captured dispatches on the 18th, con-
firn,ed the informalio received from scouts
end prisoners IN respect to the repulse OF
Banks.
On tho 18th, forage train sent out BY
the Quartermaster, ard Guarded by the
18th Iowa infsntry, and First Kansas In
faa,ry, colored. was captured Tho total
force was / ,2O0-5OO negroes The guard
Was surrounded by the enemy in over
whelming numbers The negroes received
ne quarter. ard gave none They cut
Of rebels, leaving POO Of thei. numaer
dead. All unite in declaring that they
fought with the utnsst desperation and
fearlessness
The oaly supply train that reached Gen
Steeles army wns one which, reached Cam,
den from Pine Bluff on the 20;h.
On the 22nd the supply train was sent
hack guarded by all the force Gen Steele
could prudentlv spare-a battery Of four
pieces, brigade of infantry, aud q proper
amount of cavalry.
On the 25th news reached Camden that
the train had been captured On the
same dav reliable information WAS received
that Kirby Smith hsd reach ed Gen. Price 8
headquarters, At Woedawn, with eight
thousand infantry. and that large bodies
cf tho enemy. flushed with their supposed
victory over Banks. were hur:ving on to
assist in crushing Steele. They knew
that there was 40 forage or supplies in
Camden ami their plans had SO far been
discovered AS 20 render it ce, ia in that they
propassd. in overw whelming numbers, to
surround Camden. cut off our supplies and
reduce the command by starvation before
assistance could reach it. Taking all these
facts into consideration, Gen. Steele
promptly determined to evacuAte Camds n.
! and resume his old position on the Ar
/ kansas river All mis- Generals were con-
suited and unanimously agreed that this
was the proper course TO pursue
| As soon as night set IN, the evacuation
Of the town commenced BY daylight the
army and all its trains had crossed the
river the pontoon bridge taken up. and
the army moving for Little Rock, via
! Princeton and Jenkins Ferry across the
Saline.
On the Goth the army reached Jenkins
Ferry The ponroen bridge was promptly
| thrown across
Seon after reaching this point information
was received that Genera! Fagin, with four
teen pieces Of artillery and about four thou
sand men, had left nis camp the day be-
| fore in search Of ford, with a view OF
crossineand marching on Little Rock -
Four thousand cavalry under the gallant
General Carr, were Immediately thrown
forward to head off Pagan. Between ten
A. NJ Saturday and three A. NJ. Sunday.
they marched forty miles, reaching Little
! Rock at the last namad hour. Maay wag>
ons were also crossed that afternoon.
Just AS night came on the enemy made
. demonstrations against the rear Of our
army.
| About l2 NJ it commenced raining, and
ra;ped almost ,nce sanity through the
night. Water fell in torrents. Ofcers
tell nae it exceeded anything Of the kind
| they ever before oeheld.
The roads we're already IN bad csndi>
ton. This tremendous fall of water rea.
| dered them almost impossible The Sa>
line bottom, over which our army would
be compelled to past three miles IN ex-