Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-12-21

did not charge the fort. 1t is a
well known fact that Marmaduke's
right, which kept in touch with
Fagan's left, suffered much more
severely than the left wing did,
where Burbridge and Jeffers con-
cealed their regiments in the dry
bed of the creek.
After the Confederates had gath
cred and buried their dead land
Mr.. Polk claims to have been one
of those left behind to see that it
was we'll and properly done) at
least IS dead were found aban-
doned to the prey of hogs and dogs
roaming over the battlefield. Most
of these were along Stout's Creek
and up the slope of Shepherd
Mountain to its very top, 1900
yards distant from the fort. At
one spot, in the ravine on the
northeast slope of the mountain,
16 bodies were found two weeks
later within a few feet of each
other, and buried by the Union
burial detail.
There were four Confederate
batteries in the engagement and
their losses have not been con-
sidered in the foregoing, but each
battery certainly lost some men.
AS late as October II, 1864, there
were representatives of all four
batteries still in the hospital at
Ironton among the mortally or
seriously wounded. Mr.. Thomas
Newman, now, as then, resident
of Ironton, has related how he and
his brother were held prisoners
during the battle on top of Shep-
herd Mountain, and they saw a
shell from the fort strike and ex-
plode Immediately at Confeder-
ate gun, disabling the piece and
killing or seriously wounding
about dozen men. And this was
1900 yards from the fort and the
most remote point at which any of
Prices guns were placed.
Mr.. Polk seems to be inclined to
quibble with my figures when |
used the expression "40O killed
and a corresponding number
wounded" in my previous letter.
The number of wounded CORE
spending to the killed in the var
ious battles of the Civil War, ran
from three wounded to one killed
in short range engagements, up to
six wounded to one killed in long
range engagements. The average
for the whole war was 400 wound
ed to each 100 killed. At Gettys-
burg the fighting was at all ranges
and the ratio was 47O wounded to
100 killed. The battle of Pilot
Knob was much like Gettysburg
in it's characteristics, being fought
at all ranges of fire arms and ter
minating in a disastrous repulsed
assault, and if we apply this aver
age to Gen. Prices losses we will
have 400 killed minimum esti-
mate) and 1880 wounded. Apply
ing the law of averages as estab-
lished by Civil War mortuary sta
tistics, /. e., 81 mortally wounded
to each 100 killed, we would have
265 mortally wounded to add to
the 400 killed in Prices army on
September 26 and 27, 1864. On
this point Gen. Thos. Ewing may
be quoted. He visited the Con-
federate hospital at lronton on
October 70, 1864, and reported that
he found there: "One colonel
three majors, seven captains
twelve lieutenants and 204 enlisted
men, representing seventeen regi-
ments and four batteries, all
dangerously and nearly all NOR
tally wounded" A total of 22T
men in this condition more thar
two weeks after the battle. Al
that time an open burying trench
was kept by the hospital, and the
wounded were dying at the rate ot
five to eight per day. Let us ap.
ply the law of averages once more
Where careful statistics were kept
following great battles during the
Civil War, it was found that three.
fourths of the mortally wounded
died inside of a week, and yet this
condition and these numbers were
found at Ironton at the end of two
weeks or more. Gen. Price, before
leaving Pilot Knob, had ordered
all the wounded who could prob
ably stand transportation to be
moved south, and this was done
by an improvised ambulance trair
under escort of Col. Rains regi.
ment.
Now a few words about The
Union losses at Pilot Knob, which
Mr.. Polk asks for. The name O
every man who perished in tina
battle under the Stars and Stripes
has been sacredly preserved, ant
shall some day appear in imper.
ishable bronze on the battlefield
We have nothing to conceal ane
have always courted the fulles
publicity. There were ID killed
13 mortally wounded and 46 sur.
viving wounded as total casualty
list in Gen. Ewing's little band
Of the mortally wounded, sever
died inside of three days after tht
battle. Mr.. Polk is entitled tt
record his count, but it will neve;
change the facts and figures which
have gone into history. Whethe.
he arrived on the ground after al
the collected dead were buried ex.
dept Az, or whether his count wa.
only as accurate as his observance
of orders to see all the dead col.
lected, shall not attempt to de-
eide.
In conclusion it is desired to re.
mind Mr.. Polk that he has placed
| a lower estimate on the va1or anf