The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-11-12
FIVE TO ONE.
So the Confederate. outnumbered Their
Adversafies at Helena.

So tho Confederales outnumbered Their
Adversafies at Helena.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: One of the
most remarkable 'Aattles Of the war was
fought at the City q Helena Ark July T.
A reference t6e&he detailed accounts
already published win disclose the fact that
the brunt of the Attack fell upon the two
low er batteries, G Ind d, and was made by
an entire division. That the attack upon
Battery D was twice repulsed, though MADE
by overwhelming numbers.
Battery d was defended by eight COM
panies-four of the SD Mo. and four OF the
43d Ind.-averaging 60 men each, or 4oo
men.
Battery c was less fortunate, and sue
cumbed to the firstIattack. 1t was defendeo
by but four companies-twO OF the 33d MO.
| and two of the 33d Iowa-60 men each, or
240 men.
These men when driven from their battery
retired, minus their dead and missing, into
Fort Curtis. The fort was defended by two
companies of 60 men each, say 100 men. re-
| iniorced by the stragglers, say, 200 more, or
800 men all told.
The force of Confederates that captured
| Battery G. pressed on to attack Fort Curtis,
|
loss.
Thus it will be seen that the entire force
charged with the defense of these important
points (which may be designated as the
Federal center in the fight consisted OF but
IA companies of infantry, in all $40 men, IN
| GLIDING the men who served the artillery.
| The commander of these IA companies, and
| the center of the line, was man but ~
| years old, commanding an independent col
umn for the first time in his military ex-
perience.
The attacking force consisted of veteran
division, led by men ripe in the experience
! of many well-contested fields; such men az
Price, Parsons, Pagan, McRae, Bell and Haw-
| thorne; 100 companies, which, at the low
| average of 40 men each, would give 6,4OO
men, attacking $40.
am aware that this does not agree with
| Col Thos NJ Sneed's estimates, but it seems
| to even casual student of war that 4O men
to company is a low average at that stage
and Prices official report of losses at Helena
published in a Camden (Ark.) paper soon
| after the battle, places his losses at over
| LOO; a very unusual percentage, even, OF
6,4OO.
But put the number in the division at the
least possible estimate, and the fact still re-
mains that the besieging force Outnumbered
the defenders more than five to one, and had
all the advantage of veterans over raw troops
making their first fight. And yet the great
division was driven from the field, leaving
behind it in prisoners more men than the
entire force opposed to it.
| The Union Merchants Exchange and the
Union Methodist Church at ST. Louis builded
wiser than they knew when, in September,
1862, they put into the field the 33d Mo-,
known as the Merchants Regiment" the
Sunday school Regiment" and sometimes
sneeringly alluded to as them fghtln
Methodists."
They did not expect then that it was in
the future for their pet regiment to SO sue
cessfully " hold the fort" against the horde
/, of veterans furnished from Missouri to the
Confederacy by Claib Jackson and Price.
They should evsr hold in grateful remem-
brance the brave Boys of the 33d Iowa and
Add Ind, who stood shoulder to shoulder in
the breach with their boys in one of the
best fights made during the war.-EDMUND
MARSH, st. Louis.