had a leg amputated, and he is not expected to |
recover. Major McClurken is shot through the
skull, and is not expected to recover. They ac-
knowledge to near four hundred men killed.
They were lying very thick on the banks. They
have been all day bringing in their dead. Cap-
tain Challenor and Capt. Abbott, of the Twen-
ty-second, are wounded and are prisoners. Col.
Fouke was asked by a Lieutenant at Columbus
if he was not the Colonel who drove Col.
Wright and his command. He told him he was.
The Lieutenant then told Colonel F. that twenty
guns were aimed to pick him off, when Col.
Wright saw him and ordered his men not to
shoot him as he was his friend. Had it not been
for that we should have been another colonel
short. About seventy of our men were buried,
they refusing to allow but one of ours to be
brought home-that of Captain Markle of the
Thirtieth. Gen. Pillow was not wounded; it
was his son. All of the missing but two of Col.
Fouke's regiment are killed. Our loss is about
one hundred killed and one hundred and twenty-
five or fifty wounded. It is a glorious victory.
They have about one hundred and eighty of our
men prisoners.
B. R. K.

Postscript.-The Memphis returned at mid-
night. The expedition that went down upon
her with flags of truce, report the whole num-
ber of our dead found and buried by them upon
the battle-field at eighty-five-this includes all.
The rebels acknowledge their loss to be three
hundred and fifty killed. The body of Lieut.-
Colonel
of the Seventh Iowa, was found
dead upon the field by his wife, who went down
on the Memphis. His body was divested of all
his clothing except shirt and drawers, as was
the case with many others of our dead; buttons
were found wrenched off, and pockets turned
inside out. Col. Dougherty, of the Twenty-se-
cond, is a prisoner with the loss of a leg, which
has been amputated below the knee. Captain
Pillow, a son of Gen. Pillow, fell from his horse
fatally wounded, which gave rise to the report
that Pillow, senior, was killed.

The Memphis brought thirteen of our wounded-three of them will probably die during the night. All that were left on the field the night of the battle were well cared for, and experienced the kindest treatment from the rebel surgeons. All the troops have been withdrawn to Columbus. Nothing was to be seen on the Belmont side yesterday, but the party burying the dead and a company of cavalry, searching the woods for the dead and wounded.

artillery. We started down the river at half-
past ten o'clock Wednesday night, with parts of
five regiments on five boats, and the two gun-
boats. We dropped down to within six miles
of Columbus, and lay to till morning, when we
moved down to within two miles of the same
place, and landed on the Missouri shore. At
nine o'clock the gunboats went around the point
and opened on the enemy's batteries on the
Chalk Bluffs. The Kentucky shore rises in
high bluffs, while the Missouri side is low, cov-
ered with woods, with a clearing here and there.
We had to drag our guns up the bank (thirty
feet high) by hand, which we did with a lively
"Hi, hi, hi," the shot and shell dropping around;
and an order to hurry up the battery urged us
to the utmost. Some of their shots went half
a mile over us, but they did no damage. We
then made a circuit and came on the rear of
their camp at Belmont, where there were about
three thousand. They did not expect us, but
thought the gunboats had just come down to
shell the camp. We stopped in a cornfield, and
the infantry went forward, having divested
themselves of their knapsacks, blankets, coats,
&c., which were stacked up all around. We
soon heard the shots of the pickets, and at
eleven o'clock the fight commenced in earnest.
(Two of our guns went forward before the firing
commenced.) In a few minutes we were or-
dered to advance, and we dashed through the
woods, the balls whistling through the tree-tops,
and shells dropping and bursting around. When
we got half-way, they halted one section and
ordered ours forward; but just then my gun
ran against a tree and broke the pole, and we
were detained until we could change limbers
with the caisson, number six going forward in
our place. We soon got fixed and were ordered
on, and took the extreme left all alone. During
this time the battle had progressed gallantly,
and the rebels were driven back from their
camp, and their tents and every thing else burnt.
There was a continual string of wounded going
to the rear, and a number of prisoners. We
supposed the day was ours, and, having caught
six secesh artillery horses that came dashing up,
and fine ones at that, we were feeling well.
General McClernand and staff came past and
said we were in danger of being cut off any mo-
ment, having no infantry to support us, and told
us to fall back further, which we did, but had
not been gone ten minutes before four thousand
troops came up to where we had been, having
crossed the river from Columbus, and more had
been landed below, and they came up on both

PRIVATE LETTER FROM A MEMBER OF TAY- sides and drove us back, the infantry being tired

LOR'S BATTERY.

BIRD'S POINT, Mo., Nov. 8.

We returned last night from the hardest fought battle our troops have had since Wilson's Creek. It is the old story. We were overpowered by superior numbers and driven from the field, leaving many of our dead and dying, although we had once fairly gained the victory, and taken two splendid guns from the Louisiana

with two hours' hard fighting, and discouraged to see the fresh numbers coming on. We retreated slowly, being too tired to run. We attempted to rally and make a stand, but, after we had halted in battery, could not stop the infantry. So away we went again, intending to make a stand on the river-bank, and give them another turn. I cleared the road, and got along as fast as I could with our two guns, which

look right down on the battle from the shore, where Pillow was said to be in command. Our battery was very fortunate, part of them being in the thickest of the fight all day, and only three or four wounded. Geo. Q. White had his right hand blown off, but is doing well. Orderly Sergeant Everett was struck in the back of the head, but is doing well. Sergeant Chase was shot through the arm-doing well. Two of our guns destroyed a famous battery of nine guns, called the "Washington Battery," from New Orleans. We brought off two of their guns, but had to leave two of our caisson. bodies. I brought off one of them with my caisson-teams, a brass six-pounder, engraved on the breech "Lee, John Clark, maker, New Orleans, La."

REBEL ACCOUNTS OF THE BATTLE.

were together. The road was full of soldiers, | down upon our men all the time; they could
and I had hard work to make them make way
for the artillery. The road was strewn with
knapsacks, overcoats, etc., but they clung well
to their arms. We reached the boat, and the
colonels and officers tried every means to rally
their men, but without success. We were then
ordered to get aboard as quick as possible, and
we slid our guns aboard lively, I tell you. I
could have brought off my caisson-body by
leaving the secesh gun we had taken, but con-
sidered I was far ahead by leaving it, although
pretty full of ammunition, and having our
blankets, etc., strapped on, (mine was on my
horse ;) and the captain said, "Certainly, by all
means, you were right." The gun was worth a
great deal more. The other one we took was a
twelve-pound brass howitzer. Our boys got
secesh coats, caps, revolvers, rifles, muskets,
knives, etc., when they burnt the camp. The
enemy were well armed and fought bravely,
but are no match for us, man for man; but
when they are three to one, and have the ad-
vantage of intrenchments, heavy artillery, and
position, it is rather too much. We had got
nearly all of our carriages aboard, when the
rebels were seen advancing. We got all our
horses, guns, and carriages aboard and shoved
off, during the firing which had opened between
our troops on the boats and the rebels. We
learned afterward, from some of the Twenty-
seventh, which we left behind, that among the
enemy's reinforcements were four batteries of
artillery, which were advancing on us when we
were embarking, and if we had made a stand
on the bank we would have had hot work. Af-
ter we got out in the river and in range, we
opened with three of our guns on them, to-
gether with the gunboats, and the way we
dropped the shell among them was a caution.
The firing did not cease till sundown.

The whole thing was an awful "bungle."
The question is, where was the force from Pa-
ducah, and the force above, which left several
days ago? Fifteen thousand, we thought, were
there to engage the rebels at Columbus, while
we were to take them at Belmont.

We steamed slowly up stream, lying to occasionally and taking on fugitives, in squads, till we were loaded down. We learned that there were two regiments left behind, but they were all mixed up; nobody knew where his regiment was, or what had become of the rest. All the wounded were taken on the boats up to the time of the retreat, but of course many were left behind. Our cabin and state rooms were crowded as thick as they could be laid with the wounded, and the surgeons were busy as they could be all night.

To recapitulate: We had about four thousand men; attacked about three thousand at Belmont and drove them from the field, when they were reinforced by four thousand above and three thousand below, together with cavalry and four batteries from Columbus, and their heavy guns from the bluffs opposite playing

MEMPHIS "APPEAL" NARRATIVE.

COLUMBUS, Nov. 10, 1861. Thursday, the 7th day of November, 1861, as your columns have already announced, was an eventful day to the Confederate cause in the Northwest-"the advance of the first column of the enemy,' as a prisoner has remarked, "upon New Orleans," though, more properly speaking, upon Columbus. Things had worn their wonted aspect of quiet up to six A. M. on that morning, with the exception of an occa sional piece of impudence on the part of the Lincolnites, in the shape of near approaches with small bodies of their men to our lines, without any skirmishing, however, for some two weeks.

On the morning of the 7th, about six o'clock, boats were seen landing troops some seven miles above Columbus, on the opposite side of the river, near Hunter's Landing. Information was immediately conveyed to head-quarters. The number of the boats, however, seemed to imply that they were after larger game than was known to be in that vicinity. The Aleck Scott had frequently been seen on these marauding expeditions, but this time she was accompanied by six other boats, including two gunboats, most of them of heavy tonnage. The proeess of disembarkation kept steadily progressing, and by the numbers landed it became plain that our little force on the other side of the riverconsisting of Col. Tappan's Thirteenth Arkansas regiment, Watson's battery, Col. Beltzhoover, and the Bolivar Troop, Capt. Montgomery, and Capt. Bowles' Cavalry, of Lieut.-Col. Miller's battalion of Mississippi Cavalry-were in imminent danger of an attack. Under these circumstances, reinforcements were rapidly sent, consisting of Col. Edward Pickett's Twenty-first, Col. J. V. Wright's Thirteenth, Col. Freeman's Twenty-second, and Col. J. Knox Walker's Seeond Tennessee regiments. On the landing of these troops they were hastily formed in line of battle on the border of an old field lying im mediately behind the encampment of Col. Tsp

the landing for disembarking our reinforcements had been removed further up the river, and were consequently with the main body at and after the time of landing.

pan's regiment, skirmishers being detailed from | Dragoons and Captain White's Tennessee Col. Pickett's regiment to press forward and en- Mounted Rifles (being companies A and B, of gage the enemy at the head of the lake, Col. the battalion) were detailed and marched unFreeman's regiment and Watson's battery, Col. der Colonel Logwood. In crossing the river, Beltzhoover, occupying the centre, with the the two companies were compelled to take sepThirteenth Arkansas on the right, and Thir-arate boats, and Captain Taylor's company, acteenth Tennessee on the left. All of this had companied by Colonel Logwood, reached the been effected by nine o'clock, and our troops on other side before our forces had retired up the the other side at this time may be estimated at river. Taking a position on the left wing with about two thousand seven hundred men. The Captain Montgomery's Bolivar Troop and Capenemy at about ten o'clock came upon our ad-tain Bowles' Cavalry, under Colonel Miller, as vance, which received them with a heavy vol- sharpshooters and videttes, that portion of our ley of musketry, and gradually fell back toward cavalry, when the charge was made, were cut our main line, the Lincolnites following them off from the main body and were obliged to reup closely until they came within range of the treat down the river. Captain White's commain body, where they were gallantly received. pany were delayed some hour or more in crossNow commenced the rattling of the musketrying, and made the other side at a time when and the roar of the artillery in earnest, our line standing firmly for one hour and a half in the face of the enemy. Our position at this time was not an eligible one, as our forces were mostly drawn up in the open field, giving the enemy the advantage of the woods, which was bordered by a heavy underbrush, and large numbers of old logs, which served them as impromptu breast works. Two of the guns of Watson's battery had by this time become unserviceable through the stopping of the vent by their fuze, which materially impaired the efficiency of the battery, though it still continued to do noble service. Under all the circumstances, however, it was folly to maintain our position before a vastly superior force, who were steadily outflanking us, and the order was given to fall back and await reinforcements, which was not done, however, until our little force had repelled three desperate charges by the enemy.

As soon as it became apparent that our troops had deserted their camp on the Missouri side, and while the flames were issuing from them, surrounded as they were, the famous pivot gun Lady Davis was turned loose upon them from this side, and Stewart's and Smith's batteries opened fire from a position on this side of the river, opposite them. The Lady Davis fired two shots.

About this time the Ingomar was coming up the river, and the guns of the enemy being turned against her, she was compelled to fall back and postpone her landing. The batteries on this side of the river, however, kept up such an incessant firing that the enemy were compelled to retire from the river bank and take position farther back and within the cover of Our forces, after falling back in good order, the woods. By this time our reinforcements took up a position on the bank of the river, had landed, and were drawn up in line of battle where they continued firing until their ammu- on the bank; Colonel Smith's First (One Hunnition gave out, and they were compelled to re-dred and Fifty-fourth) Tennessee regiment, and tire under the bank in order to escape the gall Colonel Blythe's Mississippi battalion, being in ing fire of the enemy, who had taken Watson's transit across the river. battery after a desperate charge, and turned it upon our lines, charging at the same time upon the encampment which had been occupied by Colonel Tappan's regiment, and the Watson battery, setting fire to the tents and throwing their lines upon the banks of the river beneath which our men lay without ammunition. It is said that as the Lincolnites came upon the bank above them, our whole force, which lay but eight or ten yards off, had but three rounds of cartridges with which to receive them.

Our men now retreated up the bank of the river to a point opposite the upper end of Columbus; here Colonel Carroll's Fifteenth (under Colonel Tyler, of San Juan notoriety) and Col. Mark's Eleventh Louisiana regiments were being landed, which forces reached the other side of the river between half-past twelve and two. At eleven o'clock A. M. orders were received for two companies of the first battalion Tennessee Cavalry, Colonel Logwood, to cross the river, and Captain Taylor's Memphis Light

The falling back of the enemy from the river was the turning tide in the affairs of the day.

Gen. Pillow, now at the head of Col. Tappan's, Freeman's, Pickett's, Wright's, Russell's, and Mark's Eleventh Louisiana regiments, attacked the enemy in three desperate charges between twelve and two o'clock, each time repulsed and rallied by General Pillow in person. Wherever the battle raged the fiercest, there was seen their indomitable leader, overseeing and directing even the details of the engagement.

In the mean time, a flank movement under General Cheatham was being effected, under the immediate direction of General Polk. This movement was intended to cut the enemy off from their boats by throwing our right wing between the river and the head of a little lake that runs parallel with the river some mile from each other. Captain White's Tennessee Mounted Rifles were on the extreme right of this movement, with Carroll's Tennessee regi

ment and Blythe's Mississippi battalion; soon followed on their landing, by Col. Smith's First (One Hundred and Fifty-fourth) and Neeley's Fourth Tennessee, in their order, on his left, commanded by General Cheatham.

the enemy. Colonel Dougherty has since had his leg amputated twice, the first operation being unskilfully performed.

Captain Dashiel, of Pickett's regiment, was carried off the field wounded.

General Fouke, an "M. C." of some little distinction, was commander of a brigade on the field, and it is said that in retreating on to the boat a colonel of one of our regiments, who was formerly his personal friend, prevented a soldier of his regiment from shooting "his honor" through excess of courtesy, he being a “distinguished visitor."

While this flank movement was being effected, and before our forces had fully gained the position it was designed they should occupy, Gen. Pillow, with the forces under his command, made an irresistible charge upon the position of the enemy, driving every thing before him, and completely routing them. They made two partial stands as they were pursued by our troops, but finally broke into a perfect It is a remarkable thing that out of the sixstampede, and the victory was ours, though teen horses lying dead on the field after the the enemy's loss was not near so heavy as it battle was over, nine were white. All the would have been had the design of our flank white horses on the field, with the exception movement been fully carried out, and our of General Pillow's and Colonel Logwood's, forces placed in the position they were de- were killed. Every man on General Pillow's signed to occupy before the breaking of their staff lost his horse, and a number of them had column. Capt. White's Tennessee Mounted two horses shot under them. Geo. Pillow, a Rifles being first to move, had, however, son of General Pillow, had his horse shot to gained the point where the enemy were to emless than seven times, and was afterward himbark before they reached it in large numbers, self injured by the falling of the staging while and taking a position between the gunboats getting a six-pound gun off of one of the boats. and the enemy's hospital, where they could not Mr. II. P. Woodlock, Gen. Pillow's orderly, be shelled without the shots taking effect upon had two horses shot under him. Captain Jacktheir own sick, they kept up a brisk fire upon son, of the artillery, acting aid to General Pilthem as they retreated past. Smith's and Car-low, was shot through the thigh and the spine roll's regiments, and Taylor's, Montgomery's, and Bowles' Cavalry soon came up, and the havoc is said to have been frightful. As the enemy gained ground in the commencement of the engagement, they had kept a large number of wagons and ambulances engaged in carrying their dead and wounded off the field, and this will make it impossible for us ever to approximate the number of their killed and wounded. Besides, a galling fire was kept up upon them even after they had reached their transports, and as we crowded upon them every shot from our ordinary muskets even seemed to take effect.

Captain White's company captured two surgeons, two captains, and fourteen men from the Lincolnites, and recaptured three of Colonel Wright's regiment, when within two hundred yards of the boats.

It is a remarkable fact that not a man was lost of the cavalry corps engaged, and but two slightly wounded.

Two companies of the First Tennessee battalion of cavalry, Colonel Logwood, were kept on this side as a reserve, in anticipation of an attack on this side of the river. Captain Ballentine's company, the Shelby Light Dragoons, and Captain Green's (formerly Major Hill's) company, were stationed on the hill above Columbus, and the battle went on before them like a panorama.

Captain Taylor's Cavalry, the Memphis Light Dragoons, captured 24 prisoners, among whom was Brevet Brigadier-General Dougherty, Colonel of the Seventh Illinois regiment, who had been shot in the early part of the day-about the time of the taking of the Watson battery by

injured.

Captain J. H. Morgan and Captain R. W. Pittinan, of Somerville, of Wright's regiment, were both wounded.

General McClernand's horse was shot under him in the engagement, though it is thought he was uninjured.

Generals McClernand, Grant, and Fouke were in command of the enemy, and it is thought all escaped uninjured.

Major McClurken, of the Seventh Iowa regiment, is a prisoner. He is badly shot in the head, three inches of the skull being shot away, with the brain protruding.

Brevet Brigadier-General Fonke was here yesterday, under a flag of truce, to ask, and received, permission to bury their dead.

Colonel Tappan's Arkansas regiment lost thirteen killed, forty-three wounded, and twenty-three missing.

An incident of heroic conduct is related in connection with the first heavy charge that our columns made upon the enemy, which, as an incident of the battle, should not go unrecorded. When the two columns came face to face, Colonel Walker's regiment was immedi ately opposed to the Seventh Iowa, and David Vollmer, of Captain Stokes' company, belonging to Colonel Walker's regiment, drawing the attention of a comrade to the Stars and Stripes that floated over the enemy, avowed his inten tion of capturing the colors or dying in the attempt. The charge was made, the centre of Walker's regiment, Captain Stokes' position, facing the centre of the Iowa regiment. As the two columns came within a few yards of each other, young Vollmer and a young man