The National tribune., 1900-10-18
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Ten Thousand Miles with the 6Stll Ohio.
by Nj. B. LOOP.


| had advanced about one mile in the d.
| Tection of luka, expecting every momen
! to be fired upon by concealed foe, when
we met colored man, who informed Il.
dat de rebils was dun gone; dar was Il
| battle an de rebis got dun whipped.
| This was the first information we received
of the battle of Iulia, fought by Gen Rose
cranS's forces the previous afternoon. The
heavy wind blowing from the west car
ricd the roar of battle away from our po
sition. Nevertheless, we thought it quite
| singular, considering our close proximity
! to the field. The colured man WAS taken
| to Gen. Grant, to whom he told his story.
| The sllirmiShers were called IN, the reSu-
| lar order of the march was again taken
up. and about noon we stacked our arms
in the streets of the struggling village of
| Iuka, and ate our dinner. That same af-
! ternOOn we marched back to Burnsvlllc.
and as night came on made our camp near
large field of green corn.
RETURN TO BOLIVAR.
Our supplies having run low, we made
| our SupperS of green corn and beans,
which we converted into an old-fashioned
| succotash, with pumpkin sauce for dessert
There were great yellow pumpkins IN
/ abundance.
The early morning of Sept 81 found us
| headed for Corinth, which place we
reached late in the afternoon. The follow
| ing afternoon We boarded n train, and
started on our return TO Bolivar. All
went well until, while rounding curve
! at Jackson, Tenn, three cars near the
rear of the train left the track, causing
wreck and the fatal injury of five men.
/ two Of the 61st H., two of the 18th Mich,
/ and one of our regiment, \. Lyman, Go.
/ B.; besides number of others were more
| or less injured.
Upon our return to Bolivar we again
| took up the daily routine of the camp,
I =.
! of Oct. 3. The uneventful days and
weeks in camp at Bolivar were by no
means Improbable to U.S. 1t was while
here, by the vigorous and skillfui efforts
of Col. Scott, Lieut.-Col. Shook and Maj.
Welles, with the enthusiastic support of
the company officers, that the men de-
voted large part of each day TO perfect
ing themselves in military drill Compa-
MES WED with each other in the manual
| of arms, and in skirmish and battalion
drill, which soon placed the 6Sth Ohio
among the crack regiments of the army
| in points of evolution and discipline,
reputation we ever after maintained.
MARCHING TO CoRINTH.
| Friday, Oct. 3, Gen. Hurlbut, having
| been ordered to the relief of COrinth.
| called upon Gen. Ross, then in command
at Bolivar, for two regiments to supple
ment his command, and the 6Sth Ohio
J l. L
/ lowing morning we moved out of our
| camp. About s O'Clock in the evening,
after Il march of about q miles, we
reached the vicinity of POc0hontas. where,
after a sharp skirnlsh with the enemy,
we went into bivouac.
/ Oct. ) the 6Sth Ohio and 10Th Mich,
| commanded by Col. X. t.. Scott, moved
cautiously forward toward the Hatchie,
and for a time held position near what
was known as Davis Bridge. To the 4eft
front of our position, about 800 yards dis
| tant, was a large building occupied by
the eneny's sbarpshOOtcrs. The whiZ Of
| rebel balls made unpleasant music. Our
artillery planted few shells in the build
ing, causing the enemy to fee to the wood
| beyond.
Our brigade was ordered to make a
flank movement. The meantime the en-
emy's shot and shell flew thick and fast
around us, but on we went, and soon
gained a coveted position on Mattamora
Hill.
Our artillery now came up and engaged
| the enemy at close range. The enemy
! broke and fed in confusion, leaving four
pieces of artillery in our hands.
| About this time q heavy roar of battle
reached our ears, which told us of the
presence of a force of the enemy else
where. a general advance was ordered,
| when the fighting became furious on all
parts of the field, the enemy fighting from
behind fences and buildings we moved
upon them. Here we fought the enemy
under zouave tactics-lying down TO load
then springing to our feet and making a
| rapid move upon the enemy, when, after
| delivering our fire. we would again hug
/ mother earth. While executing one of
| these manuvers we ran over one of our
companion regiments, lying down, who,
| not to be OutdOne, few moments later
| served us the same way.
!
| dropped into slight depression, and max
I ing a rapid move to the right, gained pos
session OF the Hatchie Bridge. The en-
| emy's line of retreat, being cut off there
was nothing less than death or surrender
| from which to choose, so they chose the
latter, and that ended the fight on our
side of the Hatchie.
| Meantime the enemy was engaged in
massing his broken columns on the opDo-
site side Of the river. Before crossing the
| bridge our position was close to the river
| bank 10 the right of the bridge We then
moved to the left until we came to a road
| leading to the bridge, when we filed to the
right and with left of regiment in front,
| led by Maj. Welles, dashed across the
bridge amidst perfect s.arm of shot and
shell from the rebel batteries on the high
1 ground on the south side. Immediately
upon crossing the bridge we filed to the
left and took distance enough for other
| regiments to form on our right.
| Soon the whole line moved forward rap
| idly firing on the enemy, and we had the
satisfaction of learning that the enemy
was in full retreat, leaving several heavy
guns and several hundred men in our
hands.
Thus, on Sunday. Oct 3. our regiment
assisted TO finish the battle. which was
| commenced on the previnus Friday, at
Corinth, in very satisfactory manner to
ourselves.
The loss our regiment sustained in the
hattle-which the enemy STYLED "H-ll on
the Hatchie"-was very light, considering
the exposed positions we occupied from
early morning till O'Clock in the after
noon. Gen. Hurlbut's report Of the bat
tie. in which he highly complimented our
regiment, gave our loss Eight wounded"
AN EXCITING INCIDENT.
During the engagement on the north
side Of the river the opposing lines were
on opposite sides of an open field, and
were occupying relatively the same posi-
tions along the line of fences bordering
the woods on either side. The firing had
become fast and furious, when a large,
beautiful, dun-cOlored, riderless horse
broke from the edge of the timber occu-
pied by the enemy, and with head and tail
up came dashing across the field in front
Of our regiment. On he canFt. at full speed
, straight into our lines, when he was sur
rounded by hundred sturdy men and
| c1 Dturpl He was n pniticpDf animal