The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-08-02
ARKANSAS POST.
Another Account Of the Capture OF that Rebel
Stronghold.
To he Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:

Another Account Of the Capture OF that Rebel
Stronghold.
To he Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
In your issue of July u, B. F. Stephenson,
surgeon of the Twenty regiment, gives
description of the fall Of the Arkansas post,
which took place January II, 1868, but does
not go into details IF it would not be asking
too much of you, would like to give the
readers of THE TRIBUNE my version of that
affair as was engaged in it from first to last.
/ belonged to the First brigade, Second divs-
ion, Fifteenth Army Corps. We landed about
p. m, Saturday, June 10, 1863 and about
dark we marched forward about mile, cross
ing on our way marsh. After we had gotten
into position the rebels commenced to shell the
woods where we lay, and several of their shells
burst close to us. They kept up the fire till
after midnight, and all this time we lay on the
cold damp ground till our wet clothes were
frozen stiff. When the sun arose next morning
it ushered in bright and beautiful Sabbath,
but it turned out to be a day of carnage.
OPENING FIRE.
About a. M Porter moved his gunboats
within range and opened fire on the rebel
fort, which was casemated and mounted one
nineinch gun and several smaller ones About
IL a. m. we closed up in line and double
quicked to within about quarter of a mile of
the rebel works. There we formed our lines and
opened the battle-the Eighty-third Indiana
to our left and the Fifty-tiith Illinois, | think,
to our right with batteries A and B, First
Illinois light artillery, about half mile to
our rear slight eminence. By 1880 the
ball had opened all along the line, and con-
tinued till about g. 50, when the rebels ran up
the white flags all along their works. The left
flank of my regiment ran along the graveyard,
and l lay during the battle within ten feet of a
grave. Directly in front the rebels had field
battery with six white horses to one gun, and
during the engagement one of our shells set
fire to caisson of this gun and blew it up
killing all the horses and killing and wounding
several men We entered the rebel works close
to where this gun was, and the first sight that
met my eyes was poor fellow, with both legs
cut of just above the knees, sticking in the
mud BE was still living, and could talk. L
did not see live horse or mule inside their
lines, and presume they killed all that were left
before they surrendered. Soon after the sur
render regiment Of Texas cavalry, coming to
re-enlorce the garrison, was drawn into trap
and captured. When they rode inside the
works they presented a queer spectacle,
mounted on all kinds of horses and mules and
armed with all kinds of weapons from saber
down to a cheese-knife. But they were tough
looking customers and had plenty of fight in
them, and seemed mad that they had not had a
chance to show semeof it. My regiment was
put on duty guarding rebel stores. sIany of
the citizens had left their homes on hearing of
our coming and fled TO the post for protection.
The prisoners were corralled close to the main
fort, and about twenty rods west of them was a
pond of water and mud about 100 feet across.
Into this pond the rebels had thown many of
their arms, such as PISTOLS revolyers cheese
knives, swords shot.guns, &c. thinking, no
doubt, that the Yanks would notfind them, BUTT
was of no use, for in a few minutes You could
see the pond full of Yanks wading in the mud
to get them out. My company guarded the
wagons the first night the writer being put
| in charge of headquarters wagon of q Texas
regiment. Shortly after sunrise the next
morning a squad of officers, with an escort,
came to the wagons to get their personal prop
| erty, Sc. One of them jumped into the wagon
| where was sitting glanced at it, and. turning
around to the rest of them said Here, colo
mel, is one of our wagons that haint been dis
turbed" No, sir" / said, everything is all
| right here" They seemed much pleased, and,
after getting what they wanted, started to
| leave, when an officer II think eolonel said
| to The rest of them: Hold on a minute. /
want to reward that guard for doing his duty"
AN HONEST SOLDIER
| Coming up to me- he said: {" My friend you
| are the first honest soldier | have yet found.
/ In the trunks III this wagon are articles of
much value to me, and you have guarded them
for me instead of stealing them. want TO
thank you for it; yes, and here, take this, too,
| as Il token Oh my gfaultuue, anu, putting MS
| hand into his pocket, he drew out handful OF
| silver, saying: This is all have of the kind.
| l will divide it with you. Take this, and may
you always be found faithful TO the last Be
honest, and may your life be spared. Good
| by" After being relieved from duty, spent
| the greater part of the day looking over the
| battlefield, and saw the dead buried. The
rebels were laid in their rifle pits and covered
up. Our loss IN killed was light compared with
| theirs. This was the second battle we had
| fought, Chickasaw Bluffs being the first The
| first man killed OF my regiment was member
of company A. who had his head shot off by
| cannon-ball as we were advancing into position
| just before the battle commenced. During the
| engagement our color-bearer was badly
| wounded. The first man of my company shot
| was Ezra A. Hurick. He laid close by my
side. The ball, coming between our heads,
struck him in the right shoulder. There is
another incident wish TO mention. During
| the greater part of this engagement of over
three hours, every soldier in the line lay flat
on the ground, us We had no breast-works or
protection of any kind. The colonel of the
| Eighty-third Indiana walked back and forth
along the line of his regiment with revolver
In each hand telling the men TO shoot low,
| take good ainl and not waste their bullets.
| This regiment was trlned with Austrian rifles,
| which shot q two-ounee ball. and they kicked
| so that every man of them was bruised about
| the shoulders and face until he looked worse
whipped than the Johnnies did. / heard some
| of the prisoners ask our men what regiment
it was that had shot young cannon.balls" at
them. w. A. SIMMONS,
NEIGH, NEB. Co. b, 127th I. Y. I.
Unwilling the Memorial Cannon Mt Chambersburg.
unwilling OF the four cannon at Chambers
| burg, Pa, on the 9th ulG brought together a