The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-07-27
sArTLEoF coRlNrH.

interest relating to the wounding of
State Senator Stephen Cooper at the
battle of Corinth. Captain James En-
Payne of this city was also an officer of
the Sixth Missouri, in which Senator
Cooper was captain In that bloody
engagement Cooper and Captain Payne
fell-for Cooper's assistant was shot
fifteen minutes later-the opposing
forces held their ground within fifteen
to twenty yards and simply numbered
each other. Seventy per cent of the
Missourians were either killed or
wounded. Captain Payne relates dra-
matte story of that battle and the
wounding of Representative Cooper. 1t
follows:
In Capital Notes" of last Sundays
Times / observed sketch of my old
friend and commander, Stephen Cooper,
once lieutenant colonel of the Sixth
Missouri infantry, G. S. A., now mem
Der of the Missouri state senate. re-
call quite wildly the time he was
wounded as it was who helped him off
the field.
AS the sketch stated, it was at the
battle Of Corinth. Miss, which was
fought on the Sd and 4th of October.
1862 Cooper was then captain of COM
pany c and third sergeant of COM
pany A of the same regiment.
The confederate advance was made
on Corinth from the west. Our lines
when deplayed extended from the south
side Of the memphis and Charleston
railroad to the Mobile and Ohio, to the
northward. The army was composed
of three divisions. Price was on the left
with the first and second Missouri brig
AIDES, Hebert's Louisiana and Martins
Mississippi brigades. Maurey's division
was in the center and Harrell's divi-
sion on the right.
The battle opened about a. M, near
to and south of the Memphis and
Charleston railroad, and thence extend.
ed north, until the Second Missouri
brigade came under skirmish fire, but
was not otherwise engaged. After
about an hours fighting the federals
gave way and withdrew to stronger
position nearer their Notifications.
Price then advanced his line about
mile. The second Missouri brigade,
which was on the extreme left with it's
flank in the air, was composed of Sam
uers battalion, right; the Sixth Mis-
rouri infantry, well known as Eugene
Erwin's regiment, center; the Forty
second Mississippi infantry, left, and
two batteries, only one of which Gap
tain LandisD was engaged.
Our new line was scarcely formed
when battery Of federal artillery
opened upon it at short range. This
been equipped with six new Napoleon
guns and for thirty minutes spirited
artillery duel awoke the echoes. At
the end Of that time the feredal battery
was forced to retire; and the enemy's
position having been developed. prepar-
ations were made to assault it.
Tie union line was drawn up along
the crest of wooded ridge, with an
open field about 400 yards wide in front.
1t was across this field that desperate
charge was made. At the word of COM
mand the confederate line moved for
ward at double quick, with fixed bay
onets. AS they cleared the wood from
which they advanced the federals open
ed brisk fire on them, but did little
execution.
The enemy was driven from the crest
Of the ridge, but reformed in lower
ground about fifteen or twenty yards
to the rearward. When the confeder-
ates reached the crest they were met.
by a whitening fire that almost demi-
mated their numbers.
AS we were climbing the slope Just
before attaining the high ground,
saw Richard Wilson, member Of my
company, and a Kansas City boy. throw
up his hands and fall forward on his
face. ran to him, turned him over,
saw a bullet hole in his head, and
thinking him done for, hurried on after
the company. AS reached the line
saw Captain Cooper holding his left
me, and asked me to help him OF the
field. I took him by the right arm
and led him back about thirty yards.
when, meeting one of his own men,
turned the wounded captain over to
him, instructing him to get him to
place of safety as soon as possible.
While assisting Captain Cooper, I
was hit in the right leg back Of the
knee with mimic ball, but fortunate
ly Its force was spent and was not
seriously hurt. / FASTENED back to the
firing line, where q sad sight awaited
me. There, where the right Of the
company had been checked, lay Sap
tain Mckinney, dead. with a bullet
through his brain. First lieutenant Ca
leb Parish, a Kansas Cityan, had been
shot through the heart. The two You
cum boys from High Blue and two 9TH
ers were already dead, George Irving of
Kansas City and young Waltin were
mortally wounded. AS far down the
line as could see the ground was lit
orally strewn with dead and dying
men, There was no longer any sem
blance Of q battle line. Men were
standing behind trees, shielding them
selves with stumps, or where these
weren OF available kneeling on the
ground, all loading and firing as rap
idly as they could. The federals were
so close that the smoke Of their guns
mingled with that of ours and blue
haze rendered mems forms dim and In
distinct as in twilight. The rattle of
musketry by which the battle had
opened had become a roar, and mems
voices were inaudible unless the words
were spoken in a high tone.
There was no trepidation, no confu-
sion. We could see samuels' men on
our right giving back and Captain Fur
nish trying to rally them and could see
the brave Mississippians on our left
being pushed to.a right angle to our
line, but the Sixth Just fought on. Col
onel Erwin had been wounded and car
rted OF the field. Lieutenant Colonel,
Hedspeth was lying unconscious from
loss Of blood and Major Vaughn was
dead. Only two captains remained un-
hurt and SIX had been killed outright.
CORPORAL COMMANDS. 81.
While loading and firing from
kneeling position i was shot through
the right hand and compelled to retire
to the rear. was the ranking officer
OF the company for the moment, but
had to leave it In chAren Of the Affh