Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-08-17
A WAR RELIC.
Curious Document from an ArkaE
Battlefield.

LlIC pGtlOIC VI IdiIlC SIoNU, III
Washington county, Arkansas, was
fought on Sunday, Dec, Z, 1862. The
forces engaged III the bloody conflict
We're commanded on the union side by
Gen. Heron and Gen. Blunt, and on
the confederate side by Gen Hindman
The numerical strength of the armies
was about S, 600 on the union side and
u, 600 on the side of the rebels. Our
townsman, Col. ID. Wickersham, was
there with two batallions of the 10th
Illinois cavalry regiment, and he was
in command of all the cavalry on the
field that day.
The purpose of this brief mention of
the battle of Prairie Grove is to intro
duce TO notice a relic of the dreadful
strife This relic is associated with a
curious experience of the chaplain
present. lie, sometimes afoOt, and
then again mounted on his horse,
passed through our lines, surveying
the carnage until finding himself ON
slight rise of ground in the rear of
the cavalry and about half mile
from a battery of the enemy, dis
charge of grape shot fell within twenty
feet of hun. Not being much accus-
toned to that sort of business, he did
not think about getting out of the way,
but continued to survey the exciting
struggle of the armies. Very soon,
however, another shower of the dead
ly missiles was belched from the
enemy's cannon, and this time fell i'm
pressively Just a little nearer the
chaplain. Get out Of there? OF course
he did, and not too leisurcly either.
But for all that the man of the Cos
pei had not persuaded himself that the
firing was meant for him. But late
that afternoon, when the field was
ours, and the foe had silently fallen
back into the shelter of the adjacent
forest, the following precious piece of
military literature was picked up in
tn" enemy's deserted position. And
not until the chaplain read number
second" did he fully comprehend the
danger he had been ~, and the blum
in thinking that he was trying to kill
a commanding officer, when he was
only aiming at chaplain.
ADDRESS TO THE TROOPS.
HEADQUARTERS FIRST CORPS TRANS
MISSISSIPPI ARMY IN THE FIELD, Dec
4, 1862 SOLDIERS: From the com
mencement to the end of the battle
bear constantly in mind what | now
urge upon YOU
|. Never fire because your comrades
do, nor because you happen to see the
enemy, nor for the sake of firing rapid
ly Always wait till you are certainly
within the range of your gun; then
single out your man, take deliberate
aim as low as the knee, and fire.
/. When occasion orders be sure to
pick off the enemy officers, especially
the mounted ones, and 20 kill his ar
tillery horses.
g. Don't shout except when you
charge the enemy AS a general thing
keep silent, that orders may be heard.
Obey the orders of your officers, but
pay no attention to idle rumors or to
words of unauthorized persons.
4. Don't stop with your wounded
comrade; the surgeons and intirmary
corps will take care of him. Do you
go forward and avenge him.
5. Don't break ranks to plunder; il
we whip the enemy all he has will be
ours; if not, the spoils will be of nc
/ benefit to us. PlundererS and strag
glers will be put to death on the spot
4 File-closers are especially charged with
this duty. The cavalry in 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 jawhawkers, and
hired Dutch cut t-throatS. These bloody
ruthanS have invaded your country
stolen and destroyed your property
driven your children from their
homes, and defiled the graves of youl
kindred.
If each man of you will do what
have here urged upon you, we will
utterly destroy them. We can do this
we must do it; our country will be
ruined if we fail.
A Just God will strengthen oul
arms and give us a glorious victory
T. c. HINDMAN,
Major General Commanding
Official: Il. c. NEWTON. 4. A. Gen
eral
The chaplain referred to above i,
the well-known Francis Springer, Of
this county. He has an original cop.
of Gen. Hindman's address in his pos
session, possibly the only copy now IL
existence. 1t is printeq on Il 10x4t
inch slip of tiimsy paper, in coars,
BREWER type. and constitutes in it:
tone and spirit one of the most remark
able proofs of the desperate charactel
of the enemy. which the union force:
had to contend against on the battle
tield.-Springfeld Journal.