The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, December 19, 1888, Page 6

30 SHELBY AND HIS MEN. AUhapier of Good Reading Ke- claimed trom the Conteder- ate Archives. The Vivid and Picturesque “Official Re- port” of the Battle of Prairie Grove. Bat Was it Victory er Defeet ?—Heroie Deeds of Missourians—Tactics and Poetry—The Roll of Honor. Washington, D. C, Dec. 13.— _ The next volume of Rebellion Rec- * ords will contain Gen. Jo Shelby's official report of the battle of Prai- rie Grove. The manuscript was found in the confederate archives af- ter the fall of Richmond. Nobody | who will take the time to read the 3 report, which is given herewith, will deny that it is mighty interesting. But the battle of Praire Grove, it _ should be said by way of explana- _ tion, has always been considered a victory for the Union forces. At - the conelusion of it Gen. Blunt, the Union commander, issued a congrat- » ulatory address, and was highly ~ complimented on his success by his a superiors. Senator Piumb, of Kan- | gas, and Gov. Thomas Moonlight, of | Wyoming, an appointee of this ad- ministration, were among those who | distinguished themselves on the ~ Union side. No one will enjoy the | vivid, not to say, lurid, version of ) the affair more than Gen. Shelby, | who isnow a peaceable farmer in western Missouri. The total loss on the Union side was 175 killed ~ Oamp Below Van Buren, Ark., ‘December 11, 1862—Gexerat: I the honor to report the follow- tas the part taken by my brigade the ‘battle of Prairie Grove, and also the skirmishes preceding it, as Fequired by you in a previous order. - On the morning of December 5 | My advance, consisting of Company FP. commanded by Capt. Rathbun, | Ast regiment, met a largely superior force of the enemy, and, after a ‘sharp little fight, drove him back in ‘great confusion. I then strength- “ged my advance, took other precau- Aions againat the increasing danger (for we were nearing the enemy's ), and moved northward again ly but surely. When your orders were received 0 cut off, if possible, the enemy's kets, I immediately ordered Maj. Blliott’s battalion of scouts te make }forced march across the mountains that purpose, but owing to the mess of the night, the rugged almost impassable roads, and the ignorance of the guide the expi- n failed in its essential points. During the day of the 5th u large at, well acquainted with both try and roads, made a close Dop almost to our camp, but, im- ly sending forward Col. in command of the 2nd regi- they took the road ata gallap, P ceased pursuit until the enemy @driven some ten miles ina run- fight. gring this engagement I had ‘at regiment, Lieut. Col. Gordon the 8rd Col. Thompson dis. ited and formed as support to oe’s Battery, now in position, h lighted port-fires and eager ers keen for a fray that grew wand fainter as Col. Jeans é d them hard and heavily, until @ grand old mountains gave no brmur baek, and all was silent, bid and still. 'y, very early, on the morning 6th Thad my brigade under end sending forward three jes as my advance, with the three regiments dismounted close up, I drove in the enemy's with great rapidity and exe- although he made three dif- it stands and fought me three es. This advance of three com- was under the charge of Maj. W. Smith, who, by his prompt loying of skirmishers, his quiet ion and his determined evinced much bravery and The men were this morning a for a fight, and went furiously steep and rugged mountain buble-quick for miles. After ‘Felieved by a regiment of in- ty, I returned with my brigade to camp, where three ! were cooked, some little sleep ob- | tained by the men, and again we | were marching northward. After encamping, and upon learn ing the near proximity of the enemy I doubled my guards, threw our in- fantry skirmishers in every direction, under the charge of trusty officers, and lay down with the conscious sat isfaction that neither Federal. Kan sas jayhawker nor Pin Indian could surprise us, and if they came they would meet with a bloody and hos- pitable welcome, for I had ordered my entire brigade, under the slight est alarm, to form rapidly as infant- ry and to sleep upon loaded arms. Upon the eventful morning of the 7th, long before the full round moon had died in the lap of the dawn, long before the watching stars had grown dim with age, wy brigade was sad dled, formed, and their steeds champing frosted bits in the coid, keen air of a December morning, ready and eager for the march. Af- ter advancing rapidly and without intermission for several hours, I struck their trail, hot with the pas sage of many feet, reeking with the footprints of the invader. It need- ed no command now to close up. There was no lagging, no break in serried ranks, no straggling from the line, but each man grasped his gun with the strong, firm grasp, and the stange wild looks of heroes and born invincibles. After riding hard for about an hour, my advance came full upon the foe, and with the mad, fierce whoop of men who have wrongs to right and blood to avenge they dashed on and away at the pas de charge. Rapidly and in splendid style Col. Jeans, by my command, rushed on to follow up the attack, while Cols. Thompson's and Gor- don's regiments were dismounted and formed in the dry bed of a creek and so stationed that they could re sist an attack eitheir from the east or west. With these two regiments was one piece of Bledsoe’s two-gun battery; the other I had sent thun- dering down the road to support Col. Jeans. With the 2nd regiment of my brigade I also threw forward Capt. Quantrill’s company under 1st lieutenant Gregg, and Maj. (B.) Elliott's battalion of scouts, who joining in the wild halloa, pressed forward eagerly and fiercely, driving the frightened Federals before them like chatt before the winds of heaven. Still the route continues. Tramp, tramp, along the lana they ride, Splash, splash, along the lea; The scourge is red, the spar dreps blood, The flashing pebbles flee! The fight grows intensely inter- esting, and my men, feeling the in- spiration of the scene, dash on, tak- ing prisoners, capturing guns, colors, horses, mules and every form and variety of clothing, left in the des- perate flight of the terror (stricken) enemy. It was only when I deemed further pursuit not only im- prudent but highly dangerous, that I called off my troops and pro- ceeded to avail myself or the now substantial fruits of the victory, bought with but scarcely any effu- sion of blood. At this time Lieut. (J. E.) Corder, with twenty men, whom I had left on picket, when I turned from the main Fayetteville road, came up for orders, he having been driven from his position there by a largely supe- rior force. I ordered him to impro- vise his men as teamsters and drive the captured train rapidly to the rear, which they did, and did safely. In this brilliant and dashing charge Lieut. Gregg and company sustain- ed their high renown for chivalric courage and daring, capturing, amcng many other articles, three standards, one of them regimental. Maj. Elliott, with his bold scouts, did good work, and it was while leading a headlong charge, five lengths ahead of his best and brav- est, that his horse fell with his gal- lant rider, injuring him quite severe- ly, though not fatally. The three companies of my ad- vance in this fight were commanded by Maj. (David) Shanks, which were followed by three more. command- ed by Lieut. Col. (Charles A.) Gilkey within easy supporting distance. When the enemy were first found he was inline. The charge was order- ed. and Col. Jeans. Maj. Elliott and days’ rations | Lieut. Gregg rushed their commands | straight at the foe. They broke and | fled precipitately, followed by the | three commands furiously to one | mile and a half beyond Illinois Creek | where, drawn up in line to dispute further progress, was a regiment of Federal cavalry. This was hotly charged, broken, routed, and Maj. (J. M.) Hubbard, the archfiend of many a midnight foray and murder, was taken prisoner. When I found that large masses of Federal infant- ry were marching up to support their cavalry, I fell back with this command to the first position occu- jpied by me. Again advanced to within sight, formed and sent out skirmishers all along my front and flanks, holding this position until ordered by you to fall back, which I In the final I formed the | extreni did, retiring under fire. dispositions of the da Ist Regiment on the and the 2 both covering batteries, and both within supporting distance of each other, the 3rd Regiment having previously been sent to ascertain the position of the enemy in the di- rection of Cane Hill, which they did meeting their pickets, engaging them, and after asharp little fight, driving them back. They held their position thus gained until ordered to return and cover the rear of Gen, Parsons. Capt. Quantrill’s compa- ny, commanded by First Lieut. Gregg, was assigned to Col. Gordon, who had divided his regiment, leav- iug four on the right under Maj. Kirtley, leading the other four on the left in person, in conjunction with Col. Jeans of the 2nd Regiment and Maj. Elliott. The 3rd Regiment Col. Thompson, after returning from its successful reconnoisance, was or- dered to the front, on the left of Bledsoe’s battery, dismounted. The battle now began with terrific fury. All along the lines the near fire of the infantry rose, crash upon crash, the dense smoke filling the air and the wild powder gloom getting darker and darker. ‘This terrible fire rippled out in one vast, mighty wave ef bullets, that circled and roared like 1 storm at sea, varied incessantly by the thunder of impa- tient cannon and the yell of exultant and furious combatants. On the right, four regiments of Federal in- fantry formed in the open field and came up in splendid order, with flaunting banners and waving pen- nants, the light of battle on their faces and their steps proud with the thoughts of an easy victory. My skirmishers were steadily driven in, and down to meet them like an ava- lanche our infantry swept. They met; the shock was terrible, but, broken and rent, our boys drove them back and followed up the the charge. Again and again they returned to the fight, aud again and again were they repulsed with great slaughter. The four companies were now ordered to dismount and join the mad melee. It was done and they stood shoulder to shoulder and eyes to the front. Now the en- emy, gathering all his remaining strength, came back again with un- broken front and steady step. This conflict was intensely hot. Our men drove them from the weods, drove them across the opening directly in our front, and even drove them be- yond their batteries, causing them to limber up and change position. In this charge Maj. Kirtley led the foureompanies detached from the Ist Regiment with much skill and coolness. On the left the remainder of my brigade was attacked by a largely superior force of cavalry and artillery with much vigor and deter- mination. They fought them as cavalry and drove them back with heavy loss, althcugh I had not a single piece of artillery to cover my attack or meet the batteries of the enemy. During all the day I had noticed the terrible efficiency of the enemy's | batteries, and saw that they | handled with remarkable skill and effeet, and thinking it prudent—uay | absolutely necessary—to change the Position of some of our guns, I or- | } dered Capt. Bledsoe to bring his | right | d Regiment on the left, rT battery to the brow of the hill in the | center and draw their fire. while the | other guns could be removed with \ movement was executed by Bledsoe } in keeping with his hitherto high reputation, and once more, with | gathered strength. our batteries opened on the foe. Now, on the left of Capt. Bledsoe’s battery the 3d Regiment was formed dismount- ed, and never did men stand a more ! terrible and well directed fire, and that, too, without flinching or giv- ing back an inch. When the final | struggle came, when Gen. Parsous met the shock of Blunt's entire com mand, this regiment formed with him and fought with great effect and intrepidity, for the dead and wounded Federals lying stretched out in their gory beds, “thick as autumnal leaves in Vailambrosa,” can well attest the fury and courage with which the Missourians fought, shoulder to shoulder and side by side. Col. Thompson, Lieut. Col. Hooper, Maj. Smith, the Captain of each respective company, were amid their men and did great good by their true and heroic bearing. Now the combat thickens all along the line, and death with its black banner on the breeze nerves each heart and cheers them onto the rough, red fray. Bledsoe was there amid his guns, all dirt-begrimed and powder blackened, plying his lurid torch where balls would search, and never once during that long, hot day were they silent, except when going nearer and nearer to the foe. Col. Jeans, Lieut. Col. Gordon and Lieut. Gregg were also on the left, where the fire was getting hot- ter and hotter, and with the pilot's wary eyes steered their commands safely through the breakers. white with the fire of deadly cannon, and painted with all the dread and gloom of ghastly war. On the right, that part of my command under Maj. Kirtley had returned from a success- ful charge, under your immediate eye, and when the dark and weird shadows of night had closed over earth and sky and the dead and wounded, reports of a well won and well fought battle canie cheerily up from parts of the field, and I drew my command together calmly and cautiously, knowing that the day and all its bearings were ours. Night had closed the march of death, and the idle breeze now gaye no mur- mur back to tell of what had been passing but a few brief moments be- fore, when— send or powder Our bugles sang truce and the cloud had low- ered, And the sentinel stars kept their watch in the sky; When thousands had sunk to the earth ever- powered, The weary to sleep and the wounded to die. I dismounted my entire command, moved them as infantry to the road leading directly to the house at the foot of the hill and behind the bat- teries there stationed, and ordered them to bivouac without fires, with guns in their hands, and determin- ation in their hearts, Downon the hard, cold earth, without a murmur, without a word spoken above a whis per, they lay, with longing eyes stretched far away northward, think- ing of home and the morrow, and another glorious day. When my com_ mand was thus formed I covered my entire front with picked and vigi- lant scouts and keen and daring skirmishers, cautioning them to move lightly tostep noiselessly. look well and truely about them, and re- port constantly and frequently. This done and well done, and no enemy however insidious or in what guise presented, could have approached to within 300 yards at the nearest to ny lines. When your order came to with- draw wy forces aud light fires all along my front, I communicated it to the commanders of each command, and not until the fires were lighted, the command withdrawn, and three companies sent back as skirmishers, drew in my well-tried and trusty _ scouts. | My command now, with bridle in hand. in line of battle. awaiting any words. who was actively engaged | alert, and ready at the slightest call. | Tcan close this report without | them on to victory or death. Also | TO THE FARMERS Farmers I wish to inform you that I have moved into my new quarters two doors south of my former place of business, and I wish to imform you that I am now prepared to take at the very highest market prices. inform you that I have most complete line of aies Goods Of any house in the city. your CHICKENS Talso wish to the Finest, Largest and and Notions, I also wish to inform you that I will not be UNDERSOLD in anything in my line. Farmers if you will give me acall when in town I will convince you of the following Startling Facts That you can buy more Goods here for the the very highest market sive the best of Goods at ble prices. That my goods are just what I represent Ist. money than elsewhere. s2d. That you can get price for your Eggs and Poultry. 3d. That you will rece the most reasonal -&th. them to be. th. And last, that we are always ready and will- ing to wait on any and all customers. Thanking you for your past patronage and asking a continuance of your favors, I Remain, PETER LANE. bore that storm of shot and shell without a murmur, and it was (only) when further delay were suicide did he move to a less exposed position. Capt. Bledsoe, with his two iron guns, the hero of many a well- fought field, stood and fought, and fought and stood, towering above the press, his clarion voice ringing ever proudly, defiantly, and his smoking guns thundering the mad requiem and belching the wild lulla- by of the hated invaders. I would also call your jspecial attention to the knightly bearing of David Shanks, Major of the 2nd Regiment. Whether amid the crash and clatter of the headlong charge, whether leading the cold and cautious ad vance, or cheering on his regiment where blue coats and saber-crossed hats went down like apple-blossoms in a sweet May, wind, he was ever the same—brave, kind, humane, chivalric, devoted, daring; now three lengths ahead of his best and bravest, and now speaking the quick, keen words of hope and courage. . Lieut. Col. (B) Frank Gordon, of the gal- lant Ist, was there among his men, ever where the fire was heaviest and hottest, leading on to glory, and showing by his actions that Mis- sourians know their rights, and, knowing, dare maintain them. Lieut Col. Gilkey, Lieut. Col. Hooper, and all my officers behaved in a most gallant and praiseworthy manner, never seeming to mind the tempest of shot and shell bursting allaround them. My Adjutant (Capt. Brew- ster) was ever with me, brave and daring, carrying orders and forming regiments as if on dress parade. I will here also state that I noticed with much pleasure the Adjutant of the Ist Regiment, John N. Ed- were | orders you might communicate | in watching the movements of the | through me to them, ever on the | enemy upon every corner, aud with his regiment aiding and cheering serve special mention for their good behavior. Capt. [John] Jarrett, of the 2nd Regiment bore himself on this eventful day with marked brav- ery, capturing with his own hand Major Hubbard of the old 1st Mis- souri (Federal) Cavalry, a man well known in that state asa daring and dashing officer. I would also speak in the most favorable terms of Maj. George R. Kirtley, of the Ist Regi- ment and Lieut. Gregg, Maj. Elliott of the scouts, and, indeed, of every officer of my command. When your final orders came to retire from the field, the theater of high and knightly deeds, I detailed Capt. [J. M.] Garrett, commanding Company E. of the Ist Regiment, to remain with his company to bury our dead, and then marched my en- tire brigade southward. The substantail fruits of the vieto- ry are 12 standards, 32 wagons, some 400 or 500 stand of arms, about 300 prisoners, besides quantities of cloth- ing, commissary stores, quartermas- | ter’s supplies, negroes, horses, mules and every variety and description of articles a corrupt government can furnish to hired freebooters and thieves. Ineed not, General, speak further of my command. You were ever on the field, ever under fire, and saw for yourself the actions and behavior of my men, and whether you lead them in Arkansas, Missouri or Mississppi, you will con- stantly find them worthy of your ut- most confidence and respect. I have | General, the honor to be, your obe- dient servant, Jo. O. Surry, Colonel. Commanding 4th Missouri | Cavalry Brigade. | Brig. Gen. J. 8. Marmaduke, Com- | manding Cavalry Division. | Some few men can’t stand pros- | perity and many men never have a | chance to stand it. No wonder New York city is a wick- speaking in the highest terms of j my young orderly, Jimmy Clark be-} ed place. It has over 10,000 saloons the brow of the hill just above the | and roar of the cannon. My aids out any unnecessary exposure. This { heuse, and for two iortal hours! (alsoCorder and [L] Shindler) de- manded. i | Capt. Westley Roberts, command-| haved admirably; his fair, boyish , and only 350 churches. | ing the only rifled battery we had. | face lit up with the halo of battle, | The high school president in ile took position about 3 o'clock on | and his voice mingling with the rage | Philadelphia has been charged with i plagiarism. His resignation is de- —™"~Rngacon & meeeseegsg eames | Saat