The National tribune., 1886-10-21

when, in the midst of terrific thunder Storm
our rear-guard was opened on by the enemy's
artillery. Price and Kirby Smith had come up
by forced marches, having crossed the Washita
some distance below Camden. From this time
on till we reached Jenkins's Ferry the rebels
harassed our rear. A pontoon bridge had to be
constructed, which. with the swollen waters Of
the river and the inky darkness of the night
was well nigh impossible.
Carr's Division of cavalry and all the artil-
lery and one brigade of infantry of Thayer's
Division crossed the river, the latter to guard
the artillery. 1t was found impossible to cross
the trains. and they were burned. The whole
river bottom was one vast bed of mud, in which
the artillery and wagons sank to their axes.
The First Brigade of Solomon Division on the
night of the 29th was in the rear, and when the
halt was sounded We faced about and filed
right and left on each side of the road. Details
were made for pickets, and with orders to
BUILD NO FIRES
we broke ranks and sought the trees TO shelter
US from the rain. We munched our bareback,
what little we had left, and meditated upon
what the morrow might bring forth.
Morning dawned at last, after one Of the most
dismal nights that / ever passed, the boys
standing in groups under the trees or lying
down on piles of brush; light feed for supper
and still less for breakfast. heavy fog hung
over the low, swampy lands along the Saline
River that in a measure concealed the enemy
as they advanced to the attack. In order to
surprise us they had squad of cavalry with
blue coats OH in front of their skirmishers, and
they were driving some cattle and sheep ahead
of them to make believe that they were Fed
eral foragers. But the trick was too thin. We
knew that we had no cavalry on the south side
of the river.
The battle opened with Rice's Brigade ready
for the fray; the 29th Iowa on the right SD
Iowa on the left. 50th Ind. in the center, with
the remaining regiments of the brigade sup
porting. In front of the Doth Iowa was a small
eottOnfeld, which was the only open ground.
We were in the edge Of the timber, behind
trees and old logs and stumps. The enemy
opened on us with section Of artillery. firing
two rounds over our heads wildly, when the
reeOil of the pieces imbedded them so in the
mud that
THEY COULD NOT HANDLE THEM.
The horses were all shot down in a shortC T
time than it takes to write it, and the enemy
being in clear, open ground and not over $50
PAGES from our line they melted away fast
At this time some of Thayer's boys came upon
this part of the field, the I'd Kan. forming on
our right and somewhat 10 the rear of the line
of battle. They (the I'd Kan.) were ordered to
charge the rebel battery, which they did in
fine style, until out in open ground and under
the fire of the rebel infantry supporting the
battery, when they faltered. The right wing
of the 29th Iowa. seeing the hesitation, rose
with n cheer and without orders charged up 10
and through the line of the I'd Kan, who, thus
reinforced, charged with the Goth, but the 18th
were the first at the guns and the ones to cap
ture the Lieutenant and six men left alive.
The prolongs were attached to the guns and
white and black together hauled them of the
field in triumph.
From this time on the battle was fought with
small-arms alone Charge after charge was
made upon our lines and repulsed with heavy
loss to the enemy rs we'll as TO ourselves. The
Confederates would mass their forces and come
like an avalanche down upon US on one part of
the line. be repulsed, reform, mass again and
try another point with no better success. We
MORE THAN HELD OUR GROUND,
and by countercharging the dead and wounded
of both armies were intermingled. In the last
charge of the enemy Gen. Rice received the
wound which resulted in his DEATH He was
riding down his left wing and was shot by a
musket-ball through the right foot, the ball
passing under the instep Just in front of the
ankle and driving the buckle of the spur be-
fore it. He died ON the 9th day of July at his
home in Iowa.
After the last charge of the enemy was re-
pulsed orders came from Gen. Steele for the
forces to fall back and cross the river immedi-
the stream was rising rapidly and the bridge
was liable to break ut any moment. It was
two miles from the battlefield to the river
The mud was frightful through which we plod-
ded to the bridge We found water nearly
knee-deep on the south end of the bridge, but
crossed in safety, the last of our forces landing
on the north side about 2 o'clock p. m. Our
dead and wounded fell into the hands of the
enemy, who came upon the battlefield with a
flag of truce after we had left il, asking per,
mission to bury their dead. When they found
us gone they claimed victory and took the
Surgeons and others with them prisoners.
Our march to Little Rock was resumed un.
molested. and we reached that place on the Sd
of May. ragged, dirty. hungry and disheartened
Our loss in the battle of Jenkins's Ferry was
over 500 killed, wounded and prisoners, anG
the total loss during the campaign about 2,5O(
men, 400 wagons and q large amount of ord
nance and other stores. We punished the
enemy severely in every encounter during the
campaign, but the expedition
WAS FAILURE,
and altogether owing to Banks's failure on Rec
River. There was no regiment or organization
in the army of Gen. Steele that need be ashamed
of its record in the Camden trip. Circumstance:
| over which Gen. Steele had no control occurred
that caused the failure, and no lack of valor OF
the part Of his army.
The SD Iowa and the Goth lost the creates
number of men of any regiments in the battle
of Jenkins's Ferry. The former lost 1913 and
the latter H. Salomon's Division sustained
four-fifths and the First Brigade more than
half OF the total loss at the battle of Jenkinst
Ferry.-CHARLEs o. MUssER, Sergeant Co. A
Goth Iowa, Armada, Neb.
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