The Van Buren press., 1873-09-23
77777777777-7777777777777 - :
WILSON CREEK.
An Account of the Battle by Confed
crate Survivor.
lcorrospondence Of the St. Loai. Timo,.l

Sunday morning.
The meeting OF the survivors on the
Federal side, at the late anniversary, and
the proceedings have evidenced n good
and charitable feeling towards the sol
diers Of the Confederacy and the State
Guard, who on that day mel them ia NOR
tai combat The bulk of the eontending
armies were Misseurians, and the Gght
was OF itself the most bloody and obsti-
nate of the war, the number and the time
being taken into consideration. There
is no merit in dspreeiating the valor Of o
foe. Both armies were Of the same blood,
and the both made their valor illustrious
on that day.
| propose, as one Of the Confederate
survivors, to make on behalf of my CO.
Confederates, a statement OF the facts of
that battle. which We esteemed glorious
victory for us but by no means an nglo
rious defeat for the Federals,
( On the evening of the 9th Of August,
General Price magnanim sly yielded the
command OF the combined troops cou-
ssting of the State Guard men Of Mis-
souri, and the Conlederates from Arkan-
sas, Louisiana and Texas, under Gene
rails Pierce and Greer aud Col. lIobert,
to General Mccullough, in order to in
duce Mccullough to consent to give Lyon
battle. Everything was put in rcadiaess
for night attack on Gen. Lyon at
Springfield. The pickcts were withdrawn,
the tents struck and every arrangement
made Springfield was ten miles from
cur camp at Wilson Creek The troops
were to march by different roads, so as
to make our attack at dayhreak, and, il
was hoped surprise General Lyon, with
a depleted army for our information
was that his militia or State forces had
enlisted for three months and that their
term he'd expired,
The march was ordered f)r % clock,
but there came a gentle rain which in.
duced General Mccullough to counter.
mand the order to march, and give or
GERS for the soldiers to sleep on their
arms, General Lyon had in the mean
time determined to strike MS a blow on
the same night, and moved by dctach-
ments on the same roads He had been
deferred by the threatened rains, but
came up, not to our pickeis, bat to the
scntinels Of Gen Rains, on our extreme
left. Sigel, who had made a 4 az so
as to occupy the height beyond Wilson
creek which commanded our extreme
right and cavalry camp, had no; then got
TN into position. Lyons hesitation un-
til Sigel got into position saved us from
complete surprise; for Rains. finding
the eneBy in force in front of him and
having defensible position, deIloyed
the regiments of Colonies Walker and
Hunter and held Lyons advance at bay,
while be dispatched an aid de camp TO
wake up General Mccullough to inform
him the enemy was in force in his front.
Mccullough refused to believe tho cour
ier, but second aide.de camp induced
him 10 send for General Price who upon
the appearance Of Colonel Mclean, chief
Of staff for General Rains, with the in
formation that w alkcr and Hunter com
mand were holding the enemy till the ar
my could form. told Mccullough he
would order the Missourians to support
Gen. Rains lie at once ordered the Mis-
sourians under arms and they had barely
time to be aroused before salvo OF al :
tillery and heavy roll OF muskctry an.
nounccd Sigel IN position on the oxr,n c
ii .ht.
Wilson's creek made curve. almost
right angle, and our forces were en-
camped along the creek, so that our cx-
trcme right was almost at right angle
from the main color line, giving us the
short lines to move on, and the enemy
oh opportunity by hanking US, gettinS <
possession Of Crane Creek road and
sand.wiehing US, and cutting us in two.
The battle then began in earnest The
sun was not yet up Colonel Hebert,
Colonel Churchill Of Arkansas, and Gen
eral Greer, OF Texas, came from the
chivalrous instinct Of soldiers. rather
than from any order or plan Of defense
preccncerted, and took position in the
center of the line Colonel Churchill S
men dismounting fighting as infantry,
Parsons whose battery covered the left
flank, and General JehS b. Clark's di
visions held the summit Of the hill, since
known as Bloody Hill. They got
into line in time to support Con, Rains,
who. with General MoBrides division,
md Slack's. now just come up formed q
lind Of battle The conflict was the crest
of the bill, which made our short range
gum effective Tho battle beginning
with the dawn was finished by the defeat
and fight of the Federals at halfpas one,
leaving their commander dead on the
field and General Sigel at the time prs.
oncr. lie was rescued about half an hour
rfterward by struggling squadron Of
his own troops, having lost his colors
and his artillery.
The third Louisiana infantry ha :, with
the aii Of Churchill and Greer ealiautly
sustained the center and rcpulsed the
enemy in time to give their attention to
General Sigel, whose troops had pillaged
and burnt our burnt camp on the extreme
right, waiting ths time that was aysilablc,
after surprising the right ms2k, fer strik
ing us in the rear They charged ) gels
battery and captured Ave glns, after A.il
ing all his horses, and drove h IN Off the
field by the Cassville road.
There were engaged in this battle on
our side, about two thousand Confeder.
ate troops, well equipped and organized
We had besides, about four thousand eff
feetive State troops, commanded by
Parsons, Clark, Mcbride, Slack and
Rains. About five thousand unarmed.
with baggage, were sent to the rear, and
Mt the beginning were q source of serious