Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1883-09-14

such q heavy fire Of musketry and cam
non, and would fan back leaving their
wounded among their dead III our front,
and we could plainly hear their cries,
and there they, would lie until they
would be exposed to our cruel fire in
the next assault. After the
second repulse q Sergeant of my
regiment went into the thick underbrush
In our front, and returned bringing q
red military cap, sword and belt, and
stated that the woods was full of dead
and wounded nfederates.
At intervals between the assaults the
officers would ride along the line, cheer
ing the men to hold their ground, saying
that General Lew Wallace and his di-
vision would coon be up from their camps
at Crump's Landi ng. only six miles
| away. where he saw them as we came
up the river on the boats. This fighting
was kept up for about six hours, and we
repeated the enemy with heavy loss, I'M
! til about p, NJ, when General Prentiss
| was cut off and surrounded, and was
compelled to surrender. This position
was afterward called by the confederates
| the Hornets Nest, where they lost so
many of their brave officers and men,
including their comlnander-in- chief,
General Albert Sidney Johnston,
| in trying to take, and where also
| our gallant General w. Fl. Wallace
was killed in defending, and of this GAL
liant general and his brave command NJ.
Quad makes no mention at all in his &C
count Of the battle. Colonel Eyndall,
| of the Twenty third Missouri, was also
reported killed at this place. / received
2 small compliment in the shape of a
bullet from the Cenfederates at this
| >>1ooa l}oj tho Fjarpnt'S nact
This is the Confederate description of
the Hornets Nest, described by Col.
! Johnson: This position of the Federals
was occupied by Gen. w. II. Wallace's
division, and the remainder Of Gen.
| Prentiss' and other commands. Here
! behind g. dense thlcket, on the crest Of a
hill, was posted strong body of as har-
| dy troops as ever fought, almost perfect
! ly protected by the con ormation of the
ground, and by logs and other rude and
hastily pre- pared defenscs. To assail it
an open field had to be passed, emilia
ded by the fire Of batteries. 1t was nick
named by the Confederates the Hornets
! Nest. No figure of speech would be too
| strong to express the deadly peril of
assault upon this natural fortress,
| whose inaccessible barrier blazed
| for six hours with sheet Of flames of
I SAIoC etilu Sucil uluch6t uTC, Wil1Cu llO
living thing could quell or even with
| stand. At last Gems. Wallace and Prem
tiss were pressed on all sides by assail-
! ants. Then Prentiss formed the gallant
| resolve TO charge and drive back the at
lacking forces But just at that moment
an overwhelming rush swept Gen. Wal
lace's command away killing that brave
and devoted officer, and Prentiss, sur
rounded on all sides, was forced to Surren-
I der, with 5000 men ofhis at about 5 Q. N.
The battle may be said to have closed.
Of this division it has been said that
it had received the first blow in the morn
ing, and made the last organized resis-
lance in the evening Con that line). Gen.
Johnston fell at the very hour when loss
of command chief cannot be sup
piled. Gen. Beauregard, next in rank,
could not, in the short time allowed to
sufficiently familiarize himself with the
situation to make the necessary DISPOSE
tioD and give the proper orders. Sc
those last two hours of daylight were
left unimproyed."