The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-07

aged the men by taking down my headquartersb
out on the line of battle, just west of the rail-
road track. in the village of Bonneville. The
fighting was sharp along tho line, and the firing
strength / had the greatest anxiety to hear from
Major Alger. The hour-tha time set to hear
from im-wa up. but there was no cheering, so
l ordered the charge on the enemy, which was
my part of the arrangement, and just at that
moment a locomotive and two platform cars,
loaded with bales Of hay for the horses of my
command, came down the track from the main
army in the rear, right into Bonneville, and just
behind the line Of battle. AS the troops knew /
had sent back for endorsements to help US l
thought if the engineer were made to blow his
whistle it would give them encouragement, so /
galloped to him and ordered it to be sounded
loudly and continuously. The men heard 1t and
believed the endorsements had arrived, and l
have reason to suppose the enemy thought so
too. l never heard such wild cheering as occur
red on our part. The enemy broke and ran, not
only on the roads but all oyer the country. He
was defeated.
Now, to go back to Major Alger. He followed
the enemy with his command. armed only with
sabres and Colts six-shooting pistols. The enc
my was principally on the Blackland road, and
the first thing the Major struck was the rebel
headquarters, which were captured and taken
back to a white farmhouse in the rear by a small
escort under Lieutenant Schuyler. of the Second
Michigan. TIL charge was continued into the
rear of the enemy as far as Major Alger could
90. He was unable to come through to me, as the
enemy was too strong, nor did he get near enough
for me to hear his cheering, but, singular as it
may seem, it was at the same time that l made
the charge in front, and probably was instrument
tai in the defeat of the enemy by my nc all force.
The enemy, as / heard afterward by prisoners,
thought he was charged by a large force in front
and q large force in rear. At all events he
broke and ran.
My whole force, as I have said before, was 1927
men, Of which Major Ayers command numbered
about ninety. We followed up the enemy rapid
ly. Major Alger, finding he could not get
through, turned back, the way he had gone, but
only about ~one-half, or a little less than one-half,
returned, and many of these brave fellows came
back on the horses of their comrades. riding
double, many of them wounded. l remember
very we'll that nearly all had lost their hats.
Major Alger did not come back, and for a short
time I thought he had been killed, and his COM
mand thought 30 too. but while in pursuit of the
enemy / had the pleasure and satisfaction OF
meeting him. He was dismounted by the limbs
of q tree and run over by the enemy without be-
ing noticed in their retreat from my charge in
front.
: The officers and men of my small command
were very demonstrative after the battle was
over in their consideration and politeness TO me.
The enemy had not less than eight regiments;
l had but two. numbering 827 all told,
The general commanding the Army of the Mis-
sissippi saw fit to issue the following compli-
mentary order:
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE
MISSISSIPPI, July 2, 1852.
General Orders No. 81.
The general commanding announces to this army
that on the LIST inst. Col p. h. Sheridan, Second
Michigan Cavalry, with eleven companies of the
Second Michigan and eleven companies of the Second
Iowa, was attacked, near Bonneville, by eight regi-
ments of rebel cavalry, under Chalmers, and, after an
eight hours fight, defeated and drove them back.
leaving their dead and wounded on the field.
The GOODNESS, determination, and fearless gallantry
displayed by Col. Sheridan and the officers and men
of his command in this action deserve the thanks and
admiration of the army.
By order of Gen. Rosecrans.
W.. l.. ELLIOTT.