The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-12-21
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
CONTINUED from page ID

upper end with "a strong, vigorous and
sudden" attack, as from the information
Than ,Hlmes had our people were not
expecting the weight of the blow to fall
there They encoaut1s>SSS the plckets
Of the 2stn Iowa, which made a sru1-
born resistance before falling back and
were presently reinforced by two COM
panies and lastly the whole of the 18th
Iowa with two guns Of the Sd Iowa
Battery, and were held in check during
the entire day with the 36th Iowa In
reserve. This led to an acrimonious dis
pute between Gems. Marmaduke and
Walker and a duel, in which the latter
was killed.
Gen. Pagan at the head Of the Arkan-
sas Brigade carried out his part of the
program by attacking Battery d (call-
ed Fort Hindman by the Confederates)
on the lower end Of the line at daylight.
Gen. Fagans report is an interesting bit
of battle description, and shows that ne
mo- the fine imagination and commSn no
o1 ...ards r rsst his Irish name would
Indicate. He saysf
1.-THE assault upon the rI..s-oIts was
made from both the right and left OF liI~
road Never did men behave with great
er steadiness and gallantry than did the
troops Of those three regiments Over
the heavy timber the deep gorges, and
the precipitous banks they moved.
Over opposite to them ran the long ltne
of fortifcatfons, toward which they
moved with eager, anxious steps. Cow
ering behind their strong works, the en-
envy beheld their advance with conster-
nation. Still on they moved, unhesitat-
ingly, amid the leaden rain and iron hail.
The gorge is passed, the ascent Of the
steep activity is nearly gained, and the
red line Of rifle-pits looms up clearly
amid the uncertain light and haze of
dawn. With a shout of triumph they
rushed toward 1t, and the enemy was
driven pell-mell from one row of rifle
pits to another.
up to this time there had been no
attack at any other point. Daybreak
had come and gone, and still the guns OF
my brigade and those of the enemy were
the only ones that interrupted the still
ness of the morning. Owing to this, my
brigade was exposed to a constant and
CALLING enfilading fire from the works
on Graveyard Hill. This exposure, COM
bined with the close and constant fire
In our front, was most trying to the
men. Their numbers were being rap
idly decimated, not only by the fire of
the enemy, but by extreme exhaustion.
occasioned by their scaling the steepest
of hills, made almost impossible by
quantities of timber cut down, which
was of itself an almost insurmountable
barrier to our advance.
1--WE reached and took possession OF
their fourth tier of rif1e-pits. Now it
was that the column commanded by
Maj.-Gen. Price (Parsons's and Necklaces
Brigades) charged the works on Grave
yard Hill, calamity driving the enemy
before them, and taking possession of
their Notifications and artillery. There
remained yet one row of intrenchments
between my brigade and the fort on
Hindman's Hill. / ordered a charge.
My men, though thoroughly exhausted
and worn, answered with a shout and
sprang forward most CALAMITY. This
being the inner and last line OF works
between us and the enemy, Of course
was defended with great stubbornness.
1t was of no avail. My men sprang for
ward bravely and defiantly, and after a
severe contest succeeded in driving out
the enemy, who fed, crOwding back into
the frOwning fort and under cover Of
its heavy guns"
This was entirely too picturesque to
be truthful. AS matter of fact, these
formidable breaStworks and forts over
which Pagan had been sweeping so
fmpetuously were but light rifie-pits
held only by skirmishers, who had in
fficted considerable loss upon his men
and then fallen back to Battery D.,
which was not only obstinately held by
it's garrison against all that Fagan's
men could do, but the defenders sailed
back to the first line Of rifle-pits which
he had taken, and Battery D was at no
time in danger OF being captured by
him. One Of the most creditable things
about the Union troops was that they
utterly refused to be Stampeded at any
time or point on the line, and the most
furious attacks to which the rebel off,
GERS could lead their men were met all
the time by steady countenances and
firm nerves. This portion of the line
was held by the First Brigade, COM
manded by Col. VIM. E. Mclean, after
wards member Of the Indiana Legis-
lature and Deputy Commissioner Of
Pensions The brigade consisted OF the
43d Ind, 35th Mo. and 28th Wis. At
the first onset Fagan's Brigade had only
under Lieut.. Turner, which was out on
picket, and slowly retired before the
weight of the attack Of the brigade.
The Attack I'm the Center.
Gen. Holmes had planned for the
weight Of his main attack to fall on
Battery c, in the center, and which
commanded the Graveyard or Claren-
don Road. Upon this road Gen. Price
had moved with his Missouri and Ar
kansas troops, which were the best dis
ciplined and organized in the army, and
with them went Holmes, himself, and
the Governor and Adjutant-General OF
Arkansas.
This part Of the line was held by the
Second Brigade, commanded by Col
Samuel A. Rice, brilliant officer, who
had gone out in command of the 33d
Iowa. Beside this regiment the brigade
was composed of the 29th and 36th
Iowa and 33d Mo. Rice was a gallant
and able man, whose promising career
was cut short the following year by
mortal wounds received at Jenkins's
Ferry. He was ably seconded by hi.
Chief Of Staff, Capt. John F. Lacey, who
had entered the SD Iowa as a private
become Sergeant-Major and then Lieu
tenant. For the past Is years he has
well represented Iowa I'm Congress.
Owing to the difficulties Of the road
of which Gen. Price makes much in his
report, he was not ready to make his
attack simultaneous with that of Pagan
After reaching the immediate vicinity
Of the works. he had to halt his men and
allow them to rest from the terrible
exhaustion of their night march lover
q succession OF almost precipitous an6
heavily-wooded hills" At last he wa.
ready and he says:
Both brigades moved forward on the
instant, rapidly. steadily, unf1inchingly
and I'm perfect order, under storm OF
mimic balls, grape and canister, which
were poured upon them not only from
the Graveyard Hill in their front bu
from the fortified hills upon the righ
and left, both of which were in easy
range. The enemy gave way before the
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