The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1902-09-19

| Total .-.-....-........1s0 SCI II 6se
The heavy losses Of the Union forces
were met by heavier losses on the Cor
federste side. While the Union losses
were 6s9-l4O being killed, Price left
265 dead on the field, and l20 died of
wounds In the hospital at Iuka, and 342
/, were left in the Iuka hospital severely
wounded, making 727. The slightly
wounded. who escaped with Price,
would more than equal this, and make
his losses l,500 beside 36l prisoners
. taken In addition TO this he must
have lost more than 600 by desertion,
for his reports show loss Of 5000 dur
ing the week, and he was in no other
battle.
The 5th Iowa lost 40 per cent OF the
men 1t had In line. The severity Of
this can be seen from the fact that In
the famous charge Of the Light Brigade
at Balaklava, the British regiment lost
less than 81 per cent
Buena Vista, was the hardest fought
battle Of the Mexican war-the Ameri-
can troops lighting four times their
number of Mexicans for two days The
vslor Of the American troops upon that
field, was considered so great that it
4 gave Pap Thomas, Sherman, JEFF Da-
Wis and Bragg national reputation, and
they became leaders in the Civil war.
while Gen. Taylor, the American COM
mander, was made President of our
country. But the American loss at
Buena Vista was only Ill killed and
wounded, out Of 5000 engaged, In two
days fighting, while st Iuka, the Union
side lost 66l-only So less-out of force
engaged OF less than 5000, In q little
more than an hour.
At the battle of Franklin, one OF the
bloodiest battles of the Civil War, the
44th Missouri, that suffered the heav-
lest loss Of all the Union regiments In
that battle, lost but l63, while the 9th
= Iowa lost PIT at Iuka. And when 1t is
noted that the 26th Missouri and the
battery suffered as great q percentage
r of loss as the 9Th Iowa. it will be seer
that around that battery was done some
: of the most desperate fighting of the
I war.
II All through this battle the Union ani
: Confederate lines fought at less thai
r so yards apart and yet in the face o
q the terrific fire at such short range
a both sides held their own for over al
hour, fighting as Gen. Rosecrans sail
Il in his report "with vslor seldom
n equalled, never excelled."
= From the time of opening fire, ",
g '.ired at WILL" at times charging AM
e Injecting charge, sometimes coming u
v within q dozen PAGES of each other, an
a amid the desfening roar of battle, tn
: men won the victoy, despite the lack O
r generslship, by q splendid display @
n American valor. And as the fire an,
b smoke of battle ascended from the field
d where hundreds lay dead, it was as tn
smoke of sacrifice ascending from tn
s altar of their country, whereon wer
O lying the bodies of the patriot dead
a who had given their lives that the Ns
q tion might live.
l. or the Confederates. who have writ
d ten and spoken Of this battle, Gen. Mau
, ry said it Twas one of the fercest an
:. bloodiest conflicts of the war;" Ger
r Luke p. Blackburn, afterwards, Gov
J. ernor of Kentucky, said ''our troop
i were met by as terrific fire as Wa
Il ever encountered. 'and Gen Price spok
q of IL as "the hardest fought fight b.
v had ever Witnessed"
e. The gallantry Of the 5th Iowa calle'
3 out special commendations from Gen
a Rosecrans, Gen. Hamilton and Gen
, Sanborn, the Army, Division and Brig
p ade commanders, and complimentar,
letters from the Governor Of Iowa, ant
8 from Gen. Schuyler Hamilton, (grand
q son of the illustrious Alexander Hamil
q toni who had been its Division Com
q msnder earlier in the war.
+ The Importance Of the battle consist
= ed in the fact that Prices defeat q
o Iuka resulted In the defeat OF Price AMI
It Van Dorm At Corinth two weeks later
a and enabled Grant to hold his position
and complete the work of his Depart
J. ment at the surrender of Vicksburg,
IN year and more before the Confederate
y were defeated in the other department.
st and enabled him to reinforce the Ur
I'd ion armies in the other Departments
,y and lead those armies to final victory
le Thus great results somtimes hinge o
e, comparatively or seemingly unimpol
ir tant events or factors.
lg The Civil war was noted for its de-
ID perate lighting. There has been u
ir modern war that approached it in tn
respect. And there was an sverag
I'd during the entire war of one battle, e,
a, cry ten hours wherein the Union forcs
is engaged numbered over 500. Ther
tn were q few battles that were moi
Id deadly than the average. The battl
i'll of Iuka was one of these. There wer
be some, where the percentage Of losss
It. was heavier than at Iuka-not many
but there was none where the valG
q shown by the rank and file on both sid,
n was exceeded.