Hide Article Text (OCR)
BATTLE OF PRAIRIEA ♦ * ■4DecemberGROVE, ARKANSAS7tk, 1862By J, E/HO.UGHIvAND,' ’Corporal - Co. E., Nineteenth Iowa Infantry.Gen. F. J. Herron’s division of the army of'the frontier lay at the battle ground .of Wilson Creek, Mo, on the 3d day: of December, 11862, when orders came to prepare for forced march to. rein force Gen. James' Blunt, who was at Cane Hill, Ark., and threatened .by Confederate General Hindman with ail army of. over 30,000 men; At once-we commenced packing and preparing for the march. Only what‘could be easily .carried vas taken: and the start was made. 'Hie first division consisted-, of the Twentieth Wisconsin, Ninety -fourth Illinois ano the Nineteenth Iowa ..Infantries, and First Iowa Cavalry and Fouts' batteries, first‘brigade; The march was made to Kayettville.'Ark., by the night of the 6th, a distance of no. miles and lay until the morning of the /’th. Here Colonel McFarland of the Nineteenth Iowa made an impressive speech, saying, Men, prepare-for battled” ‘ ••. A S o’clock next morning the 7th .of 'Decemoer; we started on the march southward, and in .about six miles we met-some cavalrymen who said the Rebs were pqsted in a splendid, place-and .that we were soon to.be engaged in a b'attle. Our .brigade was at once formed in, line and fighting- trim, throwing away knapsacks, blankets and all other things.that would impede progress. Soon we were in sight of the enemy, posted on a hill back of'an orchard and across Illinois creek. -;We were marched under the .banks of the -creek, while our batteries were being- posted ready for the battle. A short distance from where the road crossed-the creek was an old. field sloping back from’ the creek' to the hill oh which the rebels were posted at least 30,000Strong. In the old field to the right of the road-the-Second brigade was formed with Murphy’s battery. Company F, First .......Missouri Light Artillery,was* moved across the-creek to .the high grounds-to the right of the Second brigade.^ The rebel batteries having; the pick were posted oh the. locations over which our army .were now being placed, which gave them the advantage, and they were pouring the shot and shell fast and doing great damage, but our batteries soon commenced their work ah'd were, so'deadly .that in two hours the rebel batteries were-silenced. ..Then the .First-brigade moved acros3 the open field to .'the enemy under .the fire of. the batteries,again in action and the musketry shots which were like hail among us, killing many; before we .had'advanced within one hundred-yards of the batteries. Here the order was, ‘'Fix bayonets 1 Charge!” And up the hill into the face of the batteries and four lines of rebels went the Twentieth Wisconsin and the Nineteenth Iowa infantry, regiments. . Soon one of the batteries was captured, but the resistance.was more than.could be withstood and they retreated down the hill about , one .hundred yards where they halted and fought fiercely intil about 4 -ro’cloclt p. m., when shots 'were heard on our right and soon Blunt’s army of. about,5,000%appeared arid at once corhmenced firing. The battle raged dritill darkness1 closed, the battle scenes and the duty of : the hospital corps was at'mice increased in carrying the %vounded -to the rear, preparing for the early’morning when the battle would be renewed. It was.a fearful sight on this battle field. Colonel McFarland, one of the bravest men who ever led a regiment, was killed and hundreds of-infantry lay in the arms of death, while httmlreds'of wounded cried for help. Oh; God. thaCnever again such cries be heardl The Twentieth Wisconsin lost 200 killed and 300 wounded-while the Nineteenth. Iowa lost'about the same. ...The rebel dead was over 500 and their wounded never could be counted as in the darkness they muffled their wheels and when the morning light came on 'they were gone, and the dreaded battle of the morning would, not be. The burying of the dead and care of the wounded‘was alldhat was to be done and God knows it was enough. Five hundred rebels were buried in one trench and such wounded as they left were taken care of the same as our own men. This march and battle, in which J20 miles were marched and battle fought in only two days,and only 5,000 men against 30,000, and a victory gained, caused the Count- of Paris to say in his history: “This was the most aggressive army of the war,” .December 7th at Washington,; Tbwa, some of the remnants of the Ninteenth Iowa will assemble and celebrate the forty-fifth anniversary of the battle of .Prairie Grove, Ark.t
Newspaper Details
Des Moines Capital
Des Moines, Iowa, US
Sat, Dec 05, 1908
Page 21
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 29 Oct 2019
Other Publications Near Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines Daily Leader
Des Moines Register and Leader
Des Moines Iowa State Register
Iowa Industrial Progress
Des Moines Daily News
