Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-08-16
4 wAR:RELIc.
Curious Document Prom an Arkansas nat
tie Field.
springfield Journal

tie Field.
fSpringneld Journal
The battle Of Prairie Grove,in Wash
ington county, Arkansas. was fought
on Sunday, December Z, 1862. The
forces engaged i'm the bloody conflict
were commanded on the Union side
by General Heron and General Blunt,
and on the Confederate side by Gen
eral Hindman. The numerical
strength OF the armies was about 5000
on the Union side and 1000 on the
side of the rebels. Our townsinan,
Col. ID. Wickersham, was there with
two battalions Of the 10th Illinois cav
airy regiment, and he was in command
of all the cavalry on the field that
day.
The purpose of this brief mention of
the battla Of Prairie Grove is to- intro
duce to notice relic of the dreadful
strife. This relic is associated with u
curious experience OF the chaplain
present He, sometimes afoot and
then again mounted on his horse,
passed through our lines, surveying
the carnage until finding himself on u
slight ii of ground In the rear Of the
cavalry and about half a mile Eom "a
battery OF the enemy, a discharge Of
grape shot fell within twenty feet of
him. Not being much accustomed TO
that sort Of business, he did not think
about getting out OF the way, but con-
tinued to survey the exciting struggle
of the armies. Very soon, however,
another shower of the deadly missiles
was belched from the enemy's cannon.
and this time fell impressiyely just a
little nearer the chaplain. Get out of
there? OF course he did, and not too
leisurely, either.
But far all that the man of the gos
pei had not persuaded himself that the
firing was meant for him. But late
that afternoon, when the field was
ours aud the foe had silently fallen
back into the shelter of the. ada
cent forest, the following precious
piece of military literature was picked
up in the enemy's deserted position.
And not until the chaplain read num-
Der second did he fully comprehend
the danger he had been in, and the
blunder OF the Gen. Hindman's anil
lerist in thinking that he was trying
to kill commanding officer, when he
was only aiming at chaplain.
ADDRESS TO THE TROOPS.
Headquarters First Corps Trans Mis-
sissippi Army in the Field, Decem-
Der 4, 1862.
SoLpIERs:-- From the commence
ment to the end of the battle, bear
constantly in mind what | now urge
upon you:
|. Never fight because your COM
rades do. nor because you happen to
see the enemy, nor for the sake Of fir
ing rapidly. Always wait until you
are certainly within the range of your
gun: then signal out your man, take
deliberate aim as low as the khee, and
fire.
.. When occasion offers, lie sure to
pick off the enemy's officers, especi-
ally the mounted ones, and to kill
his artillery horses.
3. Don't shout except when you
charge the enemy. AS general
thing keep silent that orders may be
heard. Obey the orders of your of
ficers, but pay no attention to idle
rumors or to words of unauthorized
persons.
4. Dor t stop with your wounded
comrade: the surgeons and intirma-
nv corps will take careof him. DO you
90 forward and avenge him.
5. Don't break ranks to plunder;
if we whip the enemy all he has
will be ours; if not, the spoils will be
of no benefit to us. Plunderers and
stragglers will be put to death on
the spot. File-closers are especially
charged with this duty, the caval-
ry in the rear will likewise attend
to it.
Remember that the enemy you en-
gage has no feeling of mercy or kind
ness toward you His ranks are made
up,of Pin Indians, free negroes, south
ern.tories, Kansas jayhawkers, and
hireN Dutch cut-lhroats. These
bloody ruifians have invaded your
country, stolen and destroyed your
property, driven your children FROM
their homes, and defiled the graves OF
your kindred.
If each man of you will do what /
have urged upon you, we will utterly
destroy them. We can do this--we
must do II; our country will be ruined
if we fail.
A lust God will strengthen our arms
and give us glorious victory.
= L. G.. HINDMAN,
Major-General Commanding.
Oilicial II. G. NEWTON,
A. A. General.
The chaplain referred to above is the
well-known Francis Springer, of this
county. He has an original copy OF
Gen. Hindman's address in his posses
sion, possibly the only copy now in
existence. 1t is printed on l0x4l
inch slip of tlimsy paper, in coarse
brewer type. and constitutes in its
tone and spirit one of the most remark
able proofs of the desperate character
OF the enemy which the Union forces
bad to contend against on the battle
field.
------------~91pr--------------
A LUCKY WAGER.