The National tribune., 1894-01-18
ON THE HATCHIE.
a Comrade Declares 1t a Small Affair

a Comrade Declares 1t a Small Affair.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Conrad
J. T. T., sod H., gives tremendous accom-
of the battle of the Hatchie in your Issue o
Nov. %, and wonders why SO little has beef
said OF il.
My answer would be that it was a small
engagement, of short duration, and it wOulC
be folly, if not worse, TO magnify such small
affairs into CORY encounters.
RI j. writes as though he were veteran
but if he will call on Col. ID. c. Smith, of hi
own town, who was then Captain of Co.
14Ih Ill, and show him his article without
heading the Colonel could not name th'
battle.
] admit the Importance and necessity o
heading off Van Dorm, and that Gen. Hurl
but sa d in his order that his division was sem
out on iOrlOrD hope"
That we marched 40 miles in Is hours, oil
that it was excessively hot, 1 doubt with 6
big ID; and that the command rested during
the night not more than 100 yards from the
rebels is certainly 10 or Is miles from the
facts. That we met the enemy about four
miles from the Hatche River about sun
down, then followed a five hours BATTLE will
not bear The light at all.
II this wonderful fight of FIVE hours oc-
cured after sunset, how could the comrade
see the canister and gIapeshot rolling
along the road with stream OF dust follow
ing;" and at the bridge how could Gen.
LaDman, whom he quotes, see the men
knocked off into the water, and blood and
braius scattered all around US y? etc.
Again, how could we capture IL pieces of
artillery, when but four pieces crossed the
bridge, and after the charge were not seen
again?
The whole engagement was in plain sight
until the rebel battery began to Timber up
and Col. Hall ordered The charge, which re-
suited in the capture at the river bank of
200 or 800 prisoners and two pieces of artil-
lery.
As to three lines of battle in this affair
sound more like the report of a sham battle
at a County fair than real battle of one
division and two batteries
would tell it this way:
On the morning of the day of the battle,
0ci. 6, 1862 about o'clock, the column was
halted, and at least the advance regiments
were frOnted and ordered to load. Co.'S A
and 3 of The 18th H., which was in adj
vance, were thrown forward as skirmishers
on the left of the road, which was thickly
wooded. The right of the road may have
been protected in the same way.
Sometime during the afternoon our Skin
mish-line reached the edge of the woods,
behind a fence, with an open field in front
down to the river, 400 or 500 yards distant,
when, as we were mounting The fence, right
before our eyes was a rebel regiment i'll
column marching toward u.s. right shoulder
shift, cOl0rs flying at its head, and two
pieces of artillery already over the bridge.
Without firing. report was sent commander
m ha he t.alS aicanvarad
after, and / heard the rebel commander give
the commands: Ialti About facet File
right" By this time the battery of four
pieces were across the bridge, were gall
looping into line and Numbering, and the
second regiment were crossing and filing
right. This made them a font of two regi-
ments and one battery between.
Before this formation was complete our
two batteries had reached the front aud I'M
hmbered in a field Oh the right of the road,
and had opened with shot and shell.
The first part of the hattie was this duel
between the batteries, aud was exceed ngly
interesting 10 me, as l could plainly.se the
cannoD-halls from our guns, and by the line
tell where they were about to strike. IL
seemed but short time before many horses
were killed and two guns disabled. Col.
Hall saw the time was come, and ordered
the charge, which resulted in the capture of
several bundled prisoners before they could
crowd across the bridge, and the two dis
abled guns.
1t was now our turn TO cross the bridge.
The other side was covered with timber and
dense underghOwih. i think the 18th H.
led, fling left, with the 18th Ill. following,
making front Of two regiments on left of
road. Ny recollection is that the sd Md.
was 10 follow the 18th III. and file right.
As the river and road ian together for some
distance on the other side, it could not exc
cute the order speedily, and, while masSed
IN column On the read, the rebel battery
had made a stand, and had commenced 10
shell the road and bridge with terrible
effect. Nearly our whole loss occurred here
in what seemed but few minutes. Skin
mishers were deployed. but when they
reached the cleared field, several hundred
yards from the river, the enemy had dis
appeared. 1t was now about or after sun
down.
The battle Of the Hatcbie was brilliant
little engagement, measured by results; but,
barring the unfortunate occurrence on the
bridge, there would hardly have been dead
patriot or rebel 10 marx the spot.
hope some comrade who reads this will
confirm my version or TIL wherein / have
been mistaken.-C. ". KEIFER, Sergeant,
Go. Il, l4th Ill, LO5 GatOs, Cal.