The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1911-10-03
THE SIEGE LEXINGTON, SHOWING FEDERAL FORCES
COLONEL COL



ieeas for drinking purposes. Cur sur
geon was held by the enemy against
all the usages of war. Captain Mort
arty went to the hospital and. with
nothing but razor. acted as surgeon.
The Famous 'Mulligan Charge"
ION the morning of the 10Th the fir
ing was resumed and continued al
day. The day was signalized by a
fierce bayonet charge upon regiment
Of the enemy which showed them that
our men were not completely worried
out. The officers had told them to hold
out until the 10Th. when they would
certainly be REINFORCED. Through that
day our little garrison stood with
straining eyes. watching to see If some
friendly flag was bearing aid to them.
with straining ear awaiting the sound
of friendly cannonade. But no re-
endorsements appeared. and with the
energy of despair they determined to
do their duty at all hazards. The 10Th
was horrid day. Our water cisterns
had been drained. and we dare not
leave the crown of the hill and make
our intrenchments on the bank of the
river. for the enemy could plant his
cannon on the hill and bury US. The
day was burning hot. and as the men
bit their cartridges their lips were
parched and blistered. But not word
of murmuring. That night two wells
were ordered dug. We took two ra
vines and expected to reach water in
about thirty hours. During the night
passed around the field. smoothed back
the clotted hair and by the light Of the
moon shining through the trees recog-
niZed here and there the countenances
of my brave men who had fallen. Some
were my favorites in the days gone
past who had stood by me in those
hours of terror and had fallen on the
field. Sadly we buried them in the
trenches.
.'The morning Of the Goth broke, but
no re-enforcements appeared. Still the
men fought on. The enemy had con-
structed movable breastworks of hemp
bales, rolled them up the hill and adj
vanced their batteries in q manner to
command our Notifications. Heated
shots were fred at them, but they had
taken the precaution to soak the bales
in the Missouri. The attack was urged
with new vigor, and during the fore
noon the outer breastworks were taken
by charge The whole line was bro
ken. and the enemy rushed in. At
first the bales were dipped in the river
to wet them. but the water so increas-
ed their weight that the men could
scarcely roll them to the crest of the
hill where they were most needed
After time they were rolled into po-
sition and then saturated. The Fed
erals having second time been dis
lodged from the hospital height. the
Confederates threw out from that po-
sition wings on the right and the left.
covered with the wet hemp bales.
These furnished protection for several
hundred men. The commander of the
assailants at that point says that on
the morning of the surrender he adj
vanced his defense of hemp bales very
near to the Federal intrenchments and
opened fire with fatal effect.
Captain Fitzgerald, whom l had
known in my younger days and whom
we called by the familiar name of
'Saxy,' was then ordered to oppose his
company to the assailants. AS l gave
the order, 'Saxy. go in,' the gallant fel-
low, at the head of Company l, with
a wild yell rushed upon the enemy
The firing suddenly ceased. and when
the smoke arose from the field / saw
the Michigan company. under its gal
liant commander. Captain McDermott
also charging the enemy and driving
them back.
MANY Of our good fellows were ~
ing dead. our cartridges had failed
and it was evident the fight would
soon cease. 1t was now 8 o'clock, ant
all on a sudden an orderly came. say
ing that the enemy had sent in a flae
of truce. With the flag came the fol
lowing note from General Price
Colonel, what has caused the cessa
ton of the fightY
Surrender Stops Butchery.
81 returned it with the followin,
message written on the back: