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m-is-IIRhi9IIlt;1TtlbwLwTrer JJome, Cuv Co., Lvd.,is* Feb. '11., 1862lly I Eixtok 1)emocb*t—Dear Sir: I thought you might bo somewhat pleased to hear Irom the gailant 31st, especially since tty! WC w«ro in the fight at Fort Donelson, tu( j Tennessee. I will not give any details , of our journey tlveio, as I am very feeble tYoni the hiss of blood by having my left j iii in shot off by a cannon ball, j, The light took place on Thursday, the :i*' day before wo got there. On Friday, atfC* sun up, our escort of 160U was lauded 5 in 1j mile* below the Fort, a ad after detailing Vy \ men to .stay and set up our wagons ready ; for to follow up whenever they might iiit' be ordered, we wore soon in motion, and ‘c- j directed to the battlefield. Aa oar line |iy1 was about 7 miles, iu a circle, and our Division was ordered to take a position.LIS I ^ . . Iw:a! on the enemies left and our right. While \ ^ or wc weie marching, nur gun-boats were'er ^ j firing into the fortifications of the ene-' W• my on the other side, their attention bo-1*• • . ; i? 1iJig taken by several batteries, and onrhe infantry, while the thunder tone of our‘■T~i gan-bonts put new energy and zeal in the1 bcurti ot all of the boys, Wu reached^ our destination just at dusk* ,Iiy thifr jlu timo the fighting ceased and nil retiredce1 for the night. After we arrived at the *)}1Ko- point that we occupied duriug the flight, | the officers detailed 5 men from each 1 [\{iS*_ company *-o stand picket guard* Then j si;to the order was to stack arms, and not [ bety leave our guns over fifteen paces, as the I ^i weather was very cold, the snow falling 'all night. Having nothing to cut wood jmnor to make coffee with, some broke‘to *r . , r .\ down sticks and built small fires. \W1Kin Fiidit the nJtrht m standing and stain :• 1«cIII iiij around: in the morning the ball open~^ ed hv several cannon on each side, Onr; in-¥ ■! attention was soon attracted by the en* 11C '•( |,, £agement of a few regiments on each ' lc , . i a iside. Co), Crufi, Lieut. Col, Osbornit and all the officers APonr Jvcgimentstucd . poal firm, waiting for orders, though *oon a-sub dispatch come for us to go to lho relief nn5‘ of the 8th Illinois, They had been iu 1 taiu tlie tight until almost cut to pieces.— Jei W e left our knapsacks and went double laiquick to the place; and after taking our *ri^ position to receive the enemy, after be* **IC. : ing there some five minutes wo received ** id! * . i eo• a cross fire from them, supposing them •jLi! to be 14,0U0 strong. The officers or*'belt;r deryd a flank movement to our right.— IAs wc came to our feet to perform tho-ani i , (1 , a»movement, there was a Kentucky Hogi- st|j ment got up and retired, and came in our j,pI miiUL This catssed some confusion, and vi?| we all retired so me twenty st^ps in this ba, • confusion and destructive fire. C nr t^ul- u\r. ° st)hint Kieut, ( ol. Osborn was dismounted : eo _ by the death of his horse, as he u'as puoii .*10 t • tousid rallying men of dillerent lleyi-titenia, anlt;i soon ueirt to snpp^rt one oi u;our battery^, and did tt uiih energy and ‘.. zeal: and was iniahh1 t') make his way toIV * •^ ■ i.»u;* Jiegiiuetst during ihe lt;lay, but per-■ • formed the duties of his cilice gallantlyJl ; n J jfn,n tlial day. Col. t.’nilt, Maj. Aion, and 1 \n,\ j Ag’t, liohs, rallied the 31*1 in a few min- lai „ utes, and nobiv did they do their dtitv.1■T v • »s jSome three K-g!incurs engage 1 tlie ene- *Ult. my for over one hour, with conidoralde • ThlB| 1^^-s. Alter taking a position on a hill, *^ | the enemy was coming on us; the brush! j ,being thick, they enrue up in spewing Y0‘. distance, when onr oRicors would ask;do 1 ij them to show their colors, Thev would1’ IVWoreply that they was all right: they calledt for to sec our colors, whieh was soon'responded to by them being fiuated in-► i I the breeze. Then ourlt; -olonel, (1rnft, or-1' i j.daed Lo iix bnvonet.v, then om Co., •vl | * naji C, was ordered to ailvance Uveniy p.iee^, o-#(, when we did uni I jjred Jjitu their Miibs jjc ‘ , • i i Iking in forty stcj s of each other, a lul ha1'■L I 1 ti'1 onuKU'emcnt etisucd, when we was order-; * ' mi , . . t mIiii, ed to retire to a better place iur action, tjj0cJ when we moved to another place close' {^hto one of our hospital*; the enemy did^lliiC * ,J1 not follow us. In a few hourb Genera! 'j Wallace with tl^e 11th Ind., and 8th1 ?l° I ,,1iucj Mo., came to our support, when wo all j j^ w^nt back together and met the enemy.. doij When there. General Wallace ordered a'*difci 102i Au Shili/n 0l\ TJarccharge bayonet a. It was done with loud cheers; the enemy was soon routed, and j us ihey went to their breastworks, they *' then opened np their butteries upon us. ; fatl and shell came heavy and thick enough lo destroy all the umber, as well j as a lew of us. Aa hec oi the enemy | was in the act of taking oil’ one of their 1 wonndod, I leU my Co. and advanced to them and look them prisoners, and had gone ome three hundred yards back,’ 11hey begged to lay down their load and• ieat. 1 permitted them to do so; we had ^ I stopped dose to ihe 17th Ky. troops.— At this moment a ball destroyed my arm. It being jeidt night, the then fight soon ceaned, theu by some of Col, McHenry's Itegiment, Kentucky troops, 1 was taken to the hospital where my arm was amputated, just at the elbow. Then I was visited by diflercut officers of my tiegimeatduring the night. Col. Cruft was slightly hit by three balls that was Rpent. itaj. Aron was not hurt; Ag't. j Rubs was not hurt, 1 am not able to j givo you a correct list of the killed and ; wounded in our Regiment, hut in nil there wao litt killed arid wotmderi, only 14 fell dead on the field; one was John Jenks of Co. C, ami -McMahan of Co. D. Sozne 11 oftieers was wonndcd in our Itegiment. CaprL. Wain of Co. D, shotin the arm; CapT. Smith of Co. 11/ not being well posted, 1 will wait for the report from the Colonel. An it is with the greatest difficulty for me lo net up, I mnet quit writing, though all the officers and men deservo the praise of all people of tbitf State for their bravery displayed that day, for it was the causa of our success in gaining the noblest victory God's sun over thono on.You in, with rosppct,J-;. L FEUOUSOX.Ne1Imui of i f erctllOJJtiengivlt;theA \ toeof CtheTheII he tv ally Pru; mor man rcclt;; ilueiTheefiPiPothea vAimtipaistinItNapwinperoT.now iTl»ili
Newspaper Details
Bowling Green Clay County Democrat
Bowling Green, Indiana, US
Fri, Mar 07, 1862
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Barbara M.
16 Nov 2019
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