The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1902-09-05


desperate men from across the Missis
sippi, from Missouri, Texas and Ar,
kansas. Reforming their shattered
ranks, they dashed in again with Wig
orous yells. A dense thicket screened
them from the fire on the start; then
they dropped below the bank of ra-
vine, finally bursting into view 10O
yards from the muzzles of the Ohio
guns. The cannoneers let go their dou-
BILE charges of canister, the infantry
at the same time plying the charging
ranks with well aimed bullets.
But while the cannon were good for
all the enemy could bring against them
their infantry supports only counted
as man against man, and the enemy in
front outnumbered them. Some In the
rear and some on the left of the guns
gave way. The Confederates followed
up the success and passed the flank of
the battery. Fresh companies of in
fantry were brought to the danger
point hurriedly, and once more the as
sailants were hurled back, with cheers
of victory on their lips. In rallying the
fresh companies in the crisis three
Federal colonies, Eddy of the Forty
eighth Indiana, Chambers of the Six
teenth Iowa and Boomer of the Twen-
ty-sixth Missouri, were wounded.
New troops called in to save the
threatened battery had their hands
full at holding their own, and 1t
dawned upon General Sanborn that
the Ohioans, with the scattered com
panies of infantry close to it, must
fight the battle of the guns alone In
case the enemy came on again. They
did come in the most desperate rush OF
the day. The battery was no longer in
an ideal situation. The guns were still
there, the enemy good distance away,
and there were sound men to load and
fire. But the rapid double loads had
used up nearly all the ammunition,
and the infantry was busy defending
its own lines.
Already the battery had taken some
hard blows. Gunners had been shot
down, horses had been hit and in their
agony went plunging about dragging
limbers and caissons this way and
that, rearing and kicking as a mob of
terrified animals will. Yet there were
cool heads on some of these gunners,
and when the third charging column
showed its tanks in the clearing on
each side of the pass a shower of can
lister tore through its ranks and the
line halted and wayered.
Colonel Whitfield's Confederate regi-
ment, the First Texas legion, advanced
across the cleared ground, and the
leader saw that the battery had the
best of the situation SO long as its shot
held out. His men had already tasted
the canister, but he ordered them to
charge the guns at all hazards. They
moved onward in an oblique course,
Joined by parts of two regiments that
were directly in front. Using cold
steel, the Texans found little to oppose
them except fitful doses Of canister.
They pressed up to the muzzles of the
guns and past them, the Ohioans beat
ing them off with revolvers and saber
bayonets.
At last the enemy was In the bat
terry. Some of the Federal infantry
captains close at hand wanted to go to
the rescue, but excited artillery teams
dashed into their ranks, striking down
men and breaking up the formation.
Nearly all of the battery horses were
disabled, and the guns couldn't be re-
moved. Bravely the handful of can
noneers stood by to defend their guns
with the last drop of blood.
When the canister gave out and the
had overrun the battery,
every man who refused to
few of the more desperate
who were the least hurt dragged them
selves to the trail of three of the can
non and spiked them. Some were
killed in the attempt to spoil the re-
manning guns the same way.
The enemy didn't enjoy his triumph
long, for the fresh Federal brigade of
General Mower, with some of San
born's men, drove the Texans away.
Around the guns lay eighteen dead
Ohioans, killed with bayonets as they
defended the pieces hand to hand. Out
Of fifty-four cannoneers who handled
the guns forty-six had been killed or
disabled. In the teams sixty horses
out of seventy-twO had been killed or
disabled and six drivers wounded. 1t
would be hard to find equal fighting in
any battery during the whole war. 1t
took dozen average artillery fights for
a crack battery to score list Of victims
matching that of the Eleventh Ohio
battery in the action fought while the
sun was going down at Iuka forty
years ago.
The battery fired away 100 rounds Of
canister, and the Confederates who
made the first two charges had been
punished. With few more
rounds perhaps the brave cannoneers
would have come out victors all
through. The Confederates recaptured
the guns in fourth charge, but did not
take them from the battlefield.
The last charge of the Confederates
ended the battle of Iuka. They were
driven back. The storm of battle lulled.
and the Federals went into bivouac in
sight of the Confederates burying their
dead. The Federals prepared to take
up the fight on the Goth, but during the
night Prices army retreated, leaving
the Ohio guns, like grim sentinels, on
the first line of battle.
GEORGE L. KILMER-