The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1907-05-15
MODEST Old HERO
ORION frst page

IN rear OF the right OF Stanley'S dl-
vision, which brought it nearly in
rear of the center of the occupied
| line Of the army; here it was held
in reserve until called into action.
About 9 a. m. the stentorian yell
of the rebel infantry caused us to
take notice of probable approach
ing crisis. With Prices force in the
advance the enemy made a deter
mined assault upon the Union posi-
ton. 1t was firmly withstood at all
points except at the right center of
1.-THE Union lines occupied by the left
of Davies division. Opposite this
point this enemy had formed a
strong column in mass. which by the
sheer force of the momentum it
acquired as it charged, crushed and
overwhelmed the troops in their
front, capturing the defensive works
they occupied, with the artillery in
position, and passing onward were
making alarming progress towards
the rear of Rosecrans' defenses that
were yet intact. In a confused mass
the eager Confederates were already
entering the streets of Corinth, driv-
ing themselves like a human wedge
thru the opening they had made. If
this force was not checked and that
gap closed, the mass of VanDorn's
army would pour into Corinth, and
the advantage of its strong defen-
sive works would be practically null
lifted by a flank and rear attack.
The 9Th Minnesota, which had now
changed front from west to north,
and advanced its line about 200
yards, was in a position to act in
stantly and decisively at the point
of greatest danger. Just as the
enemy broke thru the Union line an
aide of Gen. Stanley's delivered an
order to the regiment to support
battery located at a point to the
front and right. The order was
hardly delivered before the battery
was IN the hands of the enemy, and
its captors rushing onward towards
tho to,x,n E,,rtbor o,dona c.. AZ
regiment were not required, how
ever, as every man in its ranks could
see clearly what it ought to do.
From the position it occupied the
right flank of the penetrating force
of the enemy was presented in easy
and obstructed range of our guns,
and as it passed across the front of
the regiment it was given volley
under deadly aim. that seemed to
cut a swath thru the Confederate
mass. As rapidly as the guns could
be released this was repeated with
like destructive effect, nothwith-
standing the efforts of the enemy to
form line and return our fire. This
condition could not long prevail. and
the check in the progress of the
enemy caused by the fire of the
regiment, to which was now added
an attack upon his opposite flank by
the troops that had been dispersed
in the assault, now rallied and NOV
ing against him, caused marked
reflex movement of the disordered
and bewildered mass. AS the Con-
federates fell back, their progress
to the rear was considerably acceler-
ated by vigorous charge by the
9th Minnesota, which pursued the
now flying enemy, hating only when
we had reached the line of our
works where the break occurred,
and where we regained the battery,
almost intact, that Gen. Stanley had
ordered us to support. The gap was
soon closed and our lines re-estab-
lished, the enemy disappearing in
the thick timber from whence the
assault had come"
The late Gen. Mark D. Flower,
who was postmaster at st. Paul at
the time of his death, and who was
the personal orderly of Gen. Rose
Grams for many months during the
war, and was at Corinth, and this
retiring little man. occupying the
proud position of saving the day for
the Union cause, stated to the MEM
bers of the Minnesota Historical So
ciety, just after Gen. Hubbard fin
ished reading his paper on the
Battle of Corinth," that it was
Gen. Hubbard, who. seeing the
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