Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-27

his fingers A whispered consultation was
| held between the officers as soon as the new
danger was discovered, and they determined
| to drop into the water and to try and pass
under the shelter OF the bank, here perpen-
| dicular and about three feet high. The ma
/ newer was executed successfully in water
| again about breast high, and where every step
| seemed TO make the noise of a cataract But
they passed. undiscovered, and as soon as
they thought themselves beyond the danger
they scrambled up the bank again and pro-
| ceeded. But they were obliged 10 repeat
the maneuver again and again, the bank
| having been picketed for distance Of more
| than half mile At last, however, they sue
ceeded in extricating themselves from their
tangle, and passing down the stream they
managed TO pass between the right flank OF
Hoods army and the Cumberland river 70
Nashville
At the headquarters of Gen Thomas the
entire sextet found themselves again united
about o'clock in the morning, But the chief
OF staff would not even consent to call the
general from his sleep. Relief was impossi-
BILE he said; TO attempt it would entail con
sequences not to be considered. The train
should have passed the block houses a day
sooner and the block houses should have been
abandoned in time. There was no help for it
then, and the officers, having found com
Portable hotel and provided for their guides,
sent their clothing to the kitchen to be thawed
and tumbled into bed
But in the meantime the beleaguered forces
had not been idle Having learned that com
munication between the two block houses
was still possible and that the party sent TO
Nashville had probably found an opening
through the besieging lines, general consul
tation of all the officers was held, and it was
determined TO evacuate both posts and make
break for liberty. Silently, then, about 2
o'clock in the morning, leaving a surgeon and
chaplain to surrender the post and look after
the wounded, all the forces within and around
the first block house marched out, and, NOV
ing across the cornfeld, came to the other
post. Here they were Joined by the remain
ing garrison, and together the force filed
down the right bank of the stream in search
of the lower ford. They were not much
molested Night battles are not worth fight
ing, and though there was little skirmish
ing, and few were probably drowned in at
tempting to cross the stream at unfordable
places, the losses of the retreat were not
heavy. All that remained of the various
commands reached Nashville about day
break, feeling as soldiers usually feel after
similar experiences
Faulkner's brigade of Buford's division,
roIesI > ctNuhy, Mclc VIC otuaChihS ioice III
this memorable fight, and had it not been for
the little wooden salamander on the hill it
would have been very short fight, As it
was, 325 shots were thrown from the battery
during the day, and the precision of the tar
get practice was certainly very Creditable,
as the markers lying in the ravine could tes-
tify. Yet only one shot, striking loophole,
penetrated the block house, and this shot, by
a strange fotality, killed the conductor of
the train, who had been permitted to seek
shelter within the Enclosure. Twenty-Five
soldiers, but no officers, were killed in the
ravine or on the skirmish line and the total
loss in killed, wounded and missing footed
up about 100.
The losses were nearly all among the col
ored troops, and it must be said that they
fought nobly But then they could not help
it.-New York Sun.