The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-08-14
SMITHS GUERRILLAS.
A 9th Iowa Mans Account of Pleasant Hill


9th Iowa Mans Account OF Pleasant Hill.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRfBUNE: The following
appeared in the columns of your valuable pa
per of May %:
II. NJ Mead Co. Il, I1lth N, Y, Miller, 8. D.,
strongly suspects that Conirade A. Vosburg, of
SMITH Gucrriiihs, WAS not at the front mt Pleas
ant Hill, he would not make the charge TINT the
Nineteenth Corps turned tail ut that place. When
tho lines were first formed the First Brigade, First
Division, Nineteenth Cq~ps, the extreme
right OF tho second line pattle. brigade of the
Sixteenth Corps in front, and soon after the
fight opened that brigade broke and camo rushing
back. Though the officers of the writer's brigade
tred To rally them 1t was impossible, and SO this
movement left the writer's brigade on the front
line, which position IL hold during the rest of tho
battle. The comrade recollects reading an account
In the Now York Herald, which stated that the reb
els made seven distinct charges on Gen. Dwighps
command. but that the llith, 10th and l53d N. Y.
composing IL rcpuscd them every time. The wri-
ter thinks this does not look like tho Nineteenth
Corps turned at Pleasant Hill.
Whoa, stop heri Grab a rootl The brigade
Comrade Mead refers TO was Shaws Brigade,
OF the Sixteenth Corps, composed of the l4th
9th and 32d Iowa, and Gath Mo. We were, as
Comrado Mead states, on the advance line of
battle; on tho right the oath Mo. and seven
companies of tho 14th Iowa were on the right
of the Pleasant Hill and Mansfield road tho
rest of tho 14th and oil Cf the 32d and 9th
Iowa on the left of the road. The Nineteenth
Corps was about threo-quarters of a mile in
tho rear, and were commanded by Gen.
Dwight. On the morning of the 9th Shaw's
Brigade went up and relieved McMillen's Bril-
gade, of tho Nineteenth Corps; my regiment,
the 9th Iowa, relieving the Goth Me. This
should say, occurred about o'clock in tho
morning. We had marched all day tho 9Th,
and we could hear the cannon all day, while
you boys were fighting tho battle of Sabine
Crossroads. Now, to go back to Pleasant Hill,
we lay in line of battle all day, with our Skin
mishers out, and the rebels in the meantime
had sent their Arkansas and Missouri divis-
ions, under the rebel Generals Churchill
and Parsons with Etter's and Daniels batter
les, to our left, TO Outlank us and troops were
moving all day of the 9th. They had orders
To strike our left flank and charge us. At
about 4:3Op m. Con. Bee lrebel) hearing tho fir
ing on our left (his right ordered Debray's aud
BuchePs (rebol) cavalry regiments into line of
battle at tho edge of a field. We were lying
in the edge of tho timber on the opposite side,
and he ut once gave the order to charge across
the field, which was about three eighths of a
mile across. They came up in gallant style,
butte their death. About the time they got
within hundred yards of us we opened fire,
and, ye gods! il literally annihilatcd those two
gallant regiments. AS soon as tho smoke
cleared away almost the entire command lay
thore on tho greensward writhing in the
agonies Of death
hN iSbSA lltlAHbIJ WAS luiUlcuihtsly
ana charged us Six lines of battle deep. We
fixed bayonets and so did they, and tho result
after tho fight showed they were used.
he sd Iowa never moved from the position
they had taken in the morning until after the
fighting had ceased, and about one half of that
noble regiment are there yet. Atabout shutdown
the l4th and 9th Iowa aud oath Mo fell back
to bridicpath about a quarter of q mile to
tho rear and formed line between the rebel
line and tho Wutrb I ba
Nineteenth Corps. | remember one of the
regiments of this reserve was tho Goth Me-. for
1t was tho same regiment VIC had relieved in
the morning. Shaw's Brigade. of Smiths
Gucrrillas, took the brunt OF that battle, and If
the Nineteenth Corps did do any fighting they
must have fought rebels that had got through
Shaw's line. Col. Shaw several times sent to
Gen. Dwight for reinforcemonts, but he never
sent any to us. and there we were fighting for
two hours, the rebels Numbering about six to
our one. / believe tho Nineteenth Corpa were
fighters aud would have come up to our relief
II Gen. Dwight had ordered them / don't
believe tho Nineteenth Csrps ran, and also
don't believe they fought ths Johunies in front
OF Shaw's Brigade.
Now, as to tho article Ia the New York Herald,
] have no doubt but what Comrade Mead saw
the article ho says he did. for saw in the New
Orleans Hcaun'e detailed statement Of the
battle, which reached us at Alexandria, and
that gave the New York and Eastern troops
the credit of the battle Ii even went so far as
TO say Lieut. Col Mix was killed, and stated no
was Colonel of New York regiment. The
Iowa troops wero left entirely out Of the re-
port, and believe that Gen. Banks dictated
those reports, and probably the New York
Herald report came from tho same quarter
IL any man that was there will take Gen
Dwight's plat of the battle that was made on
the 18th of April, he will see at a glance that
Dwight did not know much about the posi-
tons Of the Union or Confederate troops. He
has at least five divisions Of the Confederate
troops at least Il mile aud q half in our rear
(Shaws BFigade).
have been at work getting information to
set that battle right before tho world, and will,
II you will print IT, draw q map of the battle
and the positions Of the troops; and especially
do want TO put Col. Shaw right before the
world know Col. Shaw was with his men all
the time. / saw him several times during the
engagement, and he sent orders To Col. Scott,
OF the sd Iowa, 10 fall back, but the Aid was
killed before he delivered his order, and Col
Scott was left with his gallant regiment to be
butchered, and SEQ 6s per cent. Of his men
Killed aud wounded in two hours And then
for Comrade Mead To say they ran Is too bad
have no doubt but what Comrade Mead will
regret no wrote as no did, for the whole guer-
rilla band will be after him. But, boys let us
discuss this matter good. naturally, and let us
correct this history for the sake of the brave
boys who were killed about sundown in the
front line OF Shaw'a Brigade, and who sleep
at Pleasant Hill to-day. For their memory let
us get history righted, and let IL speak the
truth, for ii has not done so yet.-D. ID. Mccall
LUM, Co. /, 9th Iowa Smiths Guerrillas), Sib-
ley, Iowa.