The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-02-04
ON THE HELENA FIELD.
Member OF the SD Iowa Tells What He
Knows Of That Fourth Of July Affair.

Knows Of That Fourth OF July Affair.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Having
read the accounts of the battle of Helena,
Ark, in the issues of Nov - and 26, 1896,
l am reminded that I, too, was in that
memorable Fourth of July celebration. 1t
seems to me Comrade Dep. is terribly at
fault when he claims the 28th Wis. and LIST
Ind. saved the day, and drove the rebels
hack with such terrible slaughter, when he
says himself their loss was two killed and
four wounded.
To begin with, Gen. Prentiss was in COM
mand of the Union forces, not Gen. Solomon;
Gen. Holmes commanded the rebel forces,
with Gems. Price, Pagan, Parsons, Marina
duke, Shelby and Williams rs subordinates.
The Federal line was in the form of a half
circle, with our extreme right and left rest
ing on the Mississippi River; the 33d Mo-,
Add Ind. and 33d Iowa occupied intrenched
positions between and about Batteries and
ID, in our immediate front, and half mile to
our rear stood Fort Curtis
The battle commenced at daylight, but
owing to dense fog that hid the combatants
from each other the firing was mainly at
random until about or O'Clock, when the
fog lifted. 1t was then discovered that the
two armies were in close proximity, the
rebels having advanced under cover of the
fog
The fighting began in earnest at close
range In our immediate front. Our troops
were protected by earthworks, and the rebels
by fallen trees, stumps and the unevenness of
the land. About 8 o'clock brigade OF
Missouri rebels, under Gen. Parsons, made a
charge on Battery c, to the right of the line
occupied by the writer, and carried the
battery, with terrible loss of life.
Our troops retired under the guns of Fort
Curtis and the gunbOat Tyler, which did
efficient service on that occasion. Most OF
Parsons's troops remained in the works, in
and around the battery. A few of them,
however, ran down the hill and took shelter
at large frame church. They were nearly
all killed or captured, for the church was
riddled with grapeshot and canister at short
range from Fort Curtis.
concentrated fire from the fort, gum
boat and such batteries as could bring their
guns to bear drove the rebels off, and our
troops again took possession of the battery.
About this time Gen. Pagan was making a
charge on Battery d, on our left, and two
companies of the 33d Iowa were ordered to
support it. There we became mixed up with
the 33d Mo-, as brave and valiant a lot of
rebel sharpshooters had crept up SO close
under cover of fog as to completely silence
this battery by picking off the gunners.
A little incident occurred here. We were
firing rapidly, and a 33d Mo. man was on my
left. He was apparently about 40 years old.
Just as he laid his gun up to shoot a mimic
ball from the enemy struck the rim of his
new regulation hat, nearly severing it. He
took his gun down, drew off his hat, thrust
ing it in my face, and in the most forcible
language l ever heard, said: Look, -
them, they have just ruined my hat.
Here Col. Bells regiment of Fagan's Bri-
gade became isolated from the rest and were
made prisoners, $50 officers and men. The
remainder Of the brigade were driven back.
In the meantime Gen. Parsons's troops had
fallen back under cover of hill, rested half
an hour, made another charge over the same
ground and taken Battery C the second
time. They held it until the end of the en-
gagement they being the last troops to leave
the field
The writer has been regular subscriber to
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE since way back
when it was published monthly. l read all
the letters from comrades with great deal
Of interest. Comrades, let us be charitable
with one another; there is honor enough for
all. For my part am proud to have borne
even some humble part in crushing ont the
most wicked rebellion the world ever saw
THos. B. MYERS, Sergeant, Co. B, 33d Iowa,
Agency, Mo.