Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-09-12

ways looked upon it as our battery
We called it our eleventh company"
The regiment was, uutil the siege Of
Vicksburg. so little identified with the
balance Of the army that to some COM
mands it was almost unknown. 1t
went into Corinth, October 5th, with
800 mcn-commandcd by a full rcgl-
mental staff, 1t came out under the
command of the Captain OF the Color,
or 18th company. Its Col, Lieu tool,
were wounded. Its major, LIST, I'd and
| 3rd captains killed. Duncan, who led
it out of the battle only had three COM
missioned and six non-commissloned
officers and thirty men. No other reg
iment during the war suffered so terri
| BILE a loss as this in a single battle.
After Corinth followed the battle at
| Hatchie Bridge, and then the retreat to
Grenada. AT TullahOma, near Grena-
ia, the regiment again took outpost
| duty, and was soon recruited by the
return of many who had recovered
| from their wounds received at COrlnth.
| At jackson it was again isolated, doing
garrison duty. Thence it was trans
ported to Edwards station, and from
that point it was marched to Grand
Gulf. The morning the battle of Port
Gibson was begun it was still at Grand
Gulf. About nine O'Clock it was order
ed INTO action, 1t had a march of eight
miles to make. 1t was a warm May
morning but the march was made, and
in less than two hours the regiment
was deploying in front of the union
army. Bowen's left wing was about TO
give way and he determined upon a
strategic move to ave it. Erwin was
ordered to march by flank to the left, i'll
full view of Grants army, as if moving
to reinforce Bowen's left, and, then as
O as @concealment could be effected,
to march rapidly to the right, attack,
and if possible, turn Grants left wing:
The maneuver was accomplished, and
Grants left attacked with such spirit
that it gave way. 1t the meantime,
Bowen found his left wing repulsed
and was compelled tofretirc. LA 1t
not been for the trouble Erwin
was giving Grant on the confederate
right, Bowen's lett would have been
overwhelmed and the most of his men
captured, This disaster Erwin prevent
ed by his spirited attack, and then
when he found himself ~Outtlanked,
unanswered so well that he reached
the main body OF the now retreating
army with a very slight loss.
Jefferson Davis gives the credit to
Gen. Cockrell OF having led this attack
upon Grants left wing, but Cockreli
was two miles away, striving to
save the right and center from destruc-
ton. The salvation of BOwen's army
at Port Gibson was due more to Erwin
than any man, IA V Bowen himself.
But Bowen and Erwin were two OF the
men Davis never would do justice to
when living; we cannot expect 1t now
that thew are both dead. From the
BAYOU Pierre the army marched to Ed
wards Station neal where the Missis-
sjppi Southern railroad crosses the
BIG Black. On the 10th it was holly
engaged at Champion Hill, where it
suffered considerable loss. Col. Erwin
was sick at this time, but followed the
regiment into Vicksburg, a few hOnrs
afterward disguised as an army sur
yeon. During the siege of Vlcksburg
The regiment was held in reserve, and
was continually exposed. Loss after
loss was suffered until it was diminish
ed down to the size of a company.
When the explosion of the mine ccurr
ed on the 25th Of June the regiment
was Immediately ordered into the
breach to repel the desperate assault
which followed Small as it was it was
equal to the emergency, and night lell
with the little band still ''holding the
fort" On the following morning the
regiment sustained irreparabie loss III
the death of its beloved colonel. Err
| win ever Oh the alert, ever w%atchful,
and ready for battle, had gone to the
crest of the Out-wOrks to take an OBJ
| servation. To real ones head above
| the works at any point was to invite
the fire of a score or more OF sharp
shooters, but at this particular point il
was madness and death. Erwin's form
had hardly been raised erect before a
bullet pierced his heart and he fell back
in the arms of one of his men a corpse.
1t was Il terrible shock to the men.
They fairly worshipped their colonel,
who up to this time had seemed to bear
a charmed life. lie was borne away
and buried in the city. Erwin was t;
man of extraordinary parts. Gifted far
beyond the average army officer, he
was all a patriot soldier should be. lle
developed rare military genius, and
like Napoleon seemed never at a loss as
'
to what to do next. Had true merit:
had its reward instead of red tape, thai
dread murderer of genius, the army al
Vicksburg would have been differently
commanded. John 5. Bowen would
have worn PembertOn's star and Eu.
gene Erwin would have been the sec
ond in command.
AT Corinth the regiment left 21O o
its 800 men on the field, killed o.
wounded. AT the surrender OF Vlcks'
burg, only about twenty-five of its 27'
odd men who marched in were able t(
march out again. Next to the 3r'
Louisiana, it suffered the heaviest los
of any regiment there.
After Vicksblrg, so terribly had thu
Missouri troops suffered that a re-or
%ganizatiOn became necessary. COmpa
MES, regiments and brigades were con
) solidated, and then there were s~carcel.
enough mel lett to organize a brigade
The 9th Infantry was consolidate
with the End and this new cOmman'
went through many Il desperate battle
but while the old regiment admire
their new companies, they never for
got the glory of their first organization
nor the noble, and generous Erwin.