The National tribune., 1882-12-07
THE RAIDERS DEFEATED,

The headquarters of the raiders was at the
centre of the southern slope, and there they
awaited the attack. When the order to move
was given by Sergeant Key, he, with Timber
JIM led the advance of the regulators. A 81
Ience like that of death seemed to have fallen
upon the stockade. 1t was as though every
body was holding his breath. At least fifteen
or twenty thousand prisoners were unwilling
spectators of the scene.
As the regulators advanced, the raiders
massed themselves in strong line with the
most desperate of their leaders at the front
1t was impossible to compute their number, for
the reason that it could not be told where their
line ended and the mass of spectators began.
Not blow was exchanged until the men came
to close quarters, and then desperate haud-tO-
hand struggle enSued. The men clinched with
each other, and fought tooth and nail for the
mastery. Blows from fist and club fell like
hail, and for several minutes the struggling
lines swayed backward and forward without
either side apparently having gained any de-
cded advantage. At last, however, the regu-
lators made final charge and drove back the
line of the raiders broken and shattered. Their
victory was complete The raiders took to their
heels and sought safety in fight. As they did
SO, great yell of delight went up from the
stOCkade, and was answered by the regulators.
The feeling of relief on all sides was intense,
and for the first time in the history of the
prison there was something like jubilee As
soon as the raiders withdrew from the field,
Key ordered his men not to attempt a pursuit:
he knew perfectly well that the raiders could
q i i.
arrested in detail at his leisure. A few pris-
oners, however, were picked up on the field and
carefully guarded.
During the progress of the battle the time
for rations had arrived, and, as usual, the
wagon containing the bread and mush had
been driven up to the gates. Wirz, however,
was SO badly scared that he would not permit
them to enter, although Sergeant Key did his
best to reassure him and convince him that
there was no danger that the men would try to
force the gates. The result was that the
wagons stood in the hot sun until the mush
with which they were loaded, fermented and
had to be thrown away and the prisoners
were compelled to go supperless to bed
Some of my readers may wonder how it come
about that the regulators did not have the
actlVe assistance and support OF the whole prison
IN their brief struggle to put down the raiders.
There were several reasons why they stood
alOOf In the first place a great majority of the
new corners did not understand the situation;
they had only been confined for some three or
four weeks, and were not aware that the out
RACES which had been committed upon them
were solely the work of the raiders and, in
deed, the latters activity and audacity were such
as to create the impression that fully one-half
of the able bodied men of the stockade were
engaged in these depredatiOns, whereas as a
matter of fact do not think they ever num-
bered, including all their spies and accomplices
more than five hundred men. Besides. these
new arrivals outside of their own little circle |
scarcely knew who was friend or foe. They |
were organized into little squads from every |
regiment at the front, from along the whole |
line from the Mississippi to the Atlantic, and |
they were not in position to discriminate in |