The National tribune., 1905-11-16
1NGToN D. c., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1e, 1906

the brigades had captured the points
they were directed agaiflst they were
to march up and down the river, cap
ture all the ordnance stores. arms,
medicine, wagons. mules, etc., that they
could, and destroy what they could not
carry off.
Maj.-Gen. Walker and his brigade
commanders seemed to enter heartily
into the plan, and were enthusiastic as
to the prospects of success. Beside the
prospect of military success they were
inflamed with bitter rage against the
enlistment of negro troops and anxious
to break it up by such q display of
ferOcity as would effectuaIly discour-
age negroes from enlisting and white
men from accepting commissions in
such regiments.
Gen. Walker designated Brig.-Gen.
Henry e. McCulloch, a brother of the
noted Ben McCulloch, who was killed
at Pea Ridge, to attack Milliken's Bend
with his brigade Of Texans. Brig.-Gen.
j. M. Hawes, who also commanded a
brigade-of Texans. was to attack
Young's Point.
Col. Lieb, who seems to have been
the most watchful of those at Milli-
ken's Bend, had become suspicious of
something unusual in his front and on
the morning of June had started out
on reconnaissance toward Richmond
with two companies OF the 10th Ill.
Cav. in advance and following this up
with his own regiment, the 9th La.
About three miles from Richmond he
encountered Walkers pickets, which he
drove in and sent the cavalry after
them. They ran up against a strong
force of infantry and turned back, hot
ly pursued by the ienemy's cavalry.
Col. Lieb formed fis regiment across
the road and drove the pursuers back
with single volley, whereupon he re-
turned to Milliken's Bend and reported
to Gen. Dennis that the enemy were in
strong force and advancing. Dennis
notified Commodore Porter, who or
dered up the little gunboat Choctaw,
which tied up under the levee and let
her fires go down.
Walkers Advance.
Gen. McCulloch had in his brigade the
18th, 18th and 10Th Tex. and 18th Tex.
Cav. numbering probably 1000 effec-
tives. Gen. Hawes had in his brigade
the sth, 22d and 18th Tex, with some
cavalry, making altogether about 1,400
electives. They started about Z o'clock
en- the evening OF June 6, and by 2:30
on the morning of June McCulloch
struck the Union pickets about one and
half mile from Milliken's Bend. Nc
Culloch pressed forward, and a quar-
ter Of a mile farther came upon our
thick hedge Of Usage orange. forming
the fence Of a plantation. McCulloch
threw his command into line. and after
some fighting drove the. Union troops
from this cover to that Of another hedge
some 500 yards back.
This manner of advance was con-
tlnued until the Union troops were
forced back to a hedge within Is PAGES
OF the main levee. There the enemy
encountered thick hedge which could
not be passed except through few
gaps which had been made for gates.
This was also at last overcome, and the
main fevee reached, where a combat Of
No more desperate lighting occurred at
any time or place during the war. The
rebels raised the cry OF mo quarter to
the -- niggers and their white ofl-
GERS. and rushed n for a hand-to-1
nns hand e, eIconnter 9nn SINGING cut the off,
these officers We're mainly Sergeants
who had won their stripes by good SOL
dfership, the Confederates encountered
men OF courage, equal to their bravest,
and encouraged by their leaders the
black men stood firmly up to the dread
nets were the weapons, and not infre-s
quently two combatants would fall
transfxed simultaneously by one an
others bayonets. Many of the white
officers were speedily killed, but with
them fell an equal number Of Confeder-
The young freedmen, when their off,
GERS stayed by and fought with them,
which they did in all but one or two
Instances. fought like demons, meeting
the fiendish rush OF the Texan bayonets
with the savage ferocity OF wild animals
at bay, and master and enfranchised
slave fell together across the levee un-
der mutual death-dealing thrusts. BY
sheer weight Of overpowering numbers
the Union soldiers were forced back
from the first levee to the second, and
then the little gunboat Choctaw walked
up and began to take hand. She had
been lying under the near bank, with
fires let run down in the early morning
and no steam up. Fat pork. lard. oil
and turpentine were flung under her
boilers. She soon had steam enough to
move out from the cover Of the bank
to where she could rake the front OF
the levee with canister from her 32-
FOUNDER. Enfilading canister from a 32-