The National tribune., 1910-06-16
The Fight at Tupelo.

Editor National Tribune: After the
Guntown affair and A. J. Smiths Red
River Expedition the army was consol-
idated and sent again into Mississippi.
where we found Forrest at Pontotoc.
After a short skirmish we drove him
out, and camped for two nights and
one day on the Okolona road. We start
ed before daylight on the second day
for THpelo, Miss, the First Brigade
(McMillen'S) in advance, with the 72d
Ohio in the lead. We soon heard firing
in the rear, as Forrest saw we were
Stealing a march on him and had en-
gagged our rear guard.
We marched fast until 2 p. M, when
we were ordered to halt. We pulled
out to one side of the road stacked arms
the rear to relieve the troops that had
been fighting nearly all day. In less
than Is minutes they attacked us on
the flank, wounding one of our men
and killing one Of the battery horses.
We charged them with the .1bayonet.
and they let us alone for the balance
of the day. % -
About 10 o'clock that night we ar
rived on the field, and the boys had
thrown up breastworks.: We of the
First Brigade marched in the center as
supports. Next morning about 8 o'clock
the ball was opened. They threw shells
among us, and one OF the shells ex-
ploded about 10 feet from our left and
near the right of the Hath H., killing
three men of the 114th.y 1t gave me a
good scare. as I was, only a few. feet
from the 114th. The 9Th Ind Battery
opened up, and soon put the rebel guns
out of commission. The rebels made a
charge and were repulsed with heavy
loss. About 2 p. m. they made another
uv,d pt wit
like results During the night they
made a third attack on our left, and
were repulsed for the third time. On
the morning of the second day they
tried it again, but could make no i'm
preston on our line, and were again
driven back. About>11 o'clock the First
Brigade was ordered to the front to
front, expecting they would make an
other charge. but they failed to come.
About / o'clock the General ordered
our Colonel to send a few men to a
cotton gin that stood midway between
the two lines to see what the rebels
were doing. and boy of our COM
pany, named Fred Visher, undertook
the job. They opened on us two boys
with their artillery. when they saw us
coming, but we got to the gin all right,
and took shelter behind the large beam
that every cotton gin has, and from
there could see the whole rebel army
formed in line, expecting that our army
would make a charge. They trained
their artillery on the gin. and knocked
roof and rafters down upon US. but
luckily the upright post stood, and it
afforded us protection.
After the smoke had cleared away
we peeped out. and saw the rebels. with
two officers, riding up and down their
lines, /excitedly giving orders. They
would stop occasionally and take their
field glasses. and look US over as if we
were whole army. / told my partner
that the man on the white horse was
Forrest, and that when they made the
charge / would attend to him. He was
to take the officer on the black horse
We were waiting and watching for them
to come, and if they had I don't believe
that Forrest would have lived to bother
anyone after that. We were in that
gin about two and half hours before
we could venture out. We were repri-
manded for not reporting sooner, but
il simply meant death to try to get
back to our lines before.
The next day our army fell back. and
the 72d Ohio brought up the rear. The
march was pretty hot one for us, but
we took care of Forrest all right after
that.-Michael Beckley, Tiffin, o.