The National tribune., 1895-12-12
A SURPRISED LOT.
Lieut.. Blodgett's Daring Act i'm Capturing
Eight Rebels.


the many incidents of our late war that,
without reference 10 the final result, estab-
lished beyond doubt the high reputation OF
Americans. North South, for endurance
and courage equal 10 any and al occasions,
/ recall one that occurred in the Fall of 1S62.
IL is a TACT that many of the real beroc acts
of the war were unattended by killing or
even bloodshed. The one shall relate was
of that class, but for cool, manly, determined
courage is eminently worthy of the place 1t
now occupies in the records of the war.
The Confederate Gen. I. c. Hindman, with
an army estimated at between 10000 and
10000 of all arms, in September, 1862, occu-
pied northwestern Arkansas whence occas-
ional raids were made by detachments into
south central and southwest Missouri, the
last of which, in considerable force having
penetrated as far north as Newionia, No.,
met and defeated the Union troops under
command of Gen. Solomon. This occurred
in the lattt part of September
Mai.-Gen. John M. Schofield, then COM
handing the Department of the Missouri,
with Headquarters at St. Louis concentrated
his troops in the vicinity OF Springfield and
Sarcoxie Mo-, taking the field In person, as-
sumed command of what was known as the
Army of the Frontier Moving south on
several parallel lines on the morning of Oct.
| 9, the army, more than 10000 strong, de-
bouched upon the bread level prairie In the
| center of which is located the town of New
tonia, then held by the enemy.
The Third Brigade, First Division, con-
ed of four regiments of cavalry and one
| light battery of six guns, and was COM
manded by Brig.-Gen. E. B. Brown, who
was afterward severely wounded in the de-
Tense of Springfield, Mo-, Jan. g. 1863, where
he was in command when attacked by the
Confederate Gen. John NJ Marmaduke, with
greatly superior force. The Generals staff
was composed of two Lieuienants, Aids-de-
Camp, and myself as A. A. G.
The march that mad brought US to New
toDia had begun at p. M. of the 9Th, and
just before dawn of the 9th, as our advance
guard was approaching the prairie, they
were fred upon by the enemvs picket. At
the sound Of the firing the General ordered
Trot," and moved rapidly forward. On
reaching the prairie, which we approached
from the east, there could he seen in the
gray, hazy dawn large bodies of troops 10
our front and right. Forming the command
III column OF regiments, we moved forward
until daylight enabled us TO discover that
the troops in our immediate front and right
were Union troops, and that on our left and
still further to the front the enemy were
rapidly retreating in a sonthwesterly diIec-
ton tow AID a body of timber.
In the meantime Col. George W. Halls
regiment, of our brigade, had dIified to the
let nearly quarter of a mile, and south
OF the north line of belt of timber our
left front, but was farther in advance and
consequently nearer the retreating rebs than
the remainder of the command.
The General directed one of his Aids to
convey his compliments to Col. Hall, inform
HIM of the situation and direct him to rush
his command forward, attack, and, If posi-
bic, hold the enemy, and bring on a fight;
the remainder OF the brigade would close in
and form on his right.
The Lieutenant, accompanied by an Order |
ly, dashed away in the direction of Halls |
command, now obscured by the timber to |
our left. Just before reaching the timber
line there was brush fence, or stake-and-
rider fence covered with brush, which the
Lieutenant was compelled to pass. He had
just passed this fence and struck a road
running almost at right angles with the
same, when, in the timber, to his right, and
not more than 40 yards distant, he discov-
cred "A squad of the enemy-hOw many he
could not tell-standing around a fire, their
guns in their hands, and their horses stand
near by. st,o,I
To hesitate was death or capture. Toll
return was to fail to carry out his orders.
Drawing his revolver and levelIng upon
them, he dashed forward, followed by the
Orderly, and commanded them to throw
down their arms and surrender
The command was instantly obeyed.
Bringing them to an about-face," he march
ed them out on to the prairie. still in the
direction of Halls command and by waving
10 hon ii L Of 1
A detachment wss sent TO his relief aud
received the prisoners-eight in number.
The Lieutenant then rode 10 Halls command
and delivered his orders.
talked with the prisoners that same
evening, and they said that the way he
came at us we thought that he was followed
by large force, and that's why we surren-
dered," TO discover afterwards that eight of
them had been captured, arms in hand, by
two men.
The incident was the talk of the Army
OF the Frontier for several days afterwards,
and the Lieutenant was unanimously voted
" a good an"
Gen. Brown, in making special report of
the affair, says:
:" do not know which to admire most, the
courage Of this officer in attacking single
handed an unknown number of the enemy,
or his humanity IN sparing their lives after
they were disarmed and in his power"
That You may understand this last ex- |
preston and the occasion for it, will state
that, but few days before, when Salomon's
troops were routed on the same prairie, 30 of
our men, after being captured, were butchered,
their bodies horribly mutIlated, stripped 4
piled one on another, and FIRE built around
and over them TO consume what was left of :
them. This inhuman act was said land no
doubt, truthfully,) to have been committed I
by the Choctaws and other Indians who
formed part of the rebel command /
The Aid-de-Camp was Lieut.. Wells II. I
Blodgett, 9th ILL.,, afterward Colonel of the ]
ilat Mo-, now a comrade of Ransom Post, [
III, Department of Missouri. The Orderly
was Peter Basnett, Co. A, I'd Wis. Cav, who, G
am informed, is still living in Iowa, though [
otally blind, the result of exposure and q
hardship incident to the seryice.-J. Ii. Q
,TEGER, Captain and A. A. G.
ROANOKE ISLAND. : :
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