Especially in regard to his thugs or bushwhackers, the prompt and emphatic, yet courteous response of Gen. Blunt, put a sudden estoppel upon any further intercession or attempt at justification upon that subject. He (Hindman) was given plainly to understand that if any of the class of assassins referred to were caught, and their acts proven upon them, they would be shot down upon the spot or hung up like dogs! equal to our own. It may be truly added that they were used with a desperation and an apparent bravery worthy of a better cause. They fought through the day like devils incarnate, and as if resolved on victory or death. Although our superior artillery played upon them at every exposed point, and shelled the woods, doing the most terrible execution, as the next day's examination clearly proved, and our infantry pushed Ambitious, unprincipled, and vindictive as he into the woods, firing volley after volley, in rapid is, it is not to be questioned that Hindman is a succession as they went, the rebels held their man of a high order of ability and of great re-ground with wonderful tenacity until night came sources. Not all of his half a dozen or more on. Their killed and wounded cannot be less brigadiers united- though Marmaduke and than from two thousand five hundred to three Roane, and Parsons and Frost are of the number thousand; while our own, probably, will reach (and were here in the battle)-could have gotten one thousand. together, and kept together, an army of men such as he has, and supplied them with arms. In the writer's opinion, he (Hindman) is, in every quality that goes to constitute either the able soldier or statesman, the superior of Sterling Price, whom he knew well in years gone by. But, in Gen. Blunt, Hindman met a man of the sort he did not expect to meet-clear-headed, as well as decided, and not to be turned away from his purpose by any of the diplomatic arts of which he is the master. Yet one thing the trickster did accomplish by means partially of the interview obtained through the flag of truce; but it was by so unsoldierly and dishonorable a proceeding as forever to attach a stigma to his name. The whole thing, embracing the interview above described, was planned by Hindman, there can be no doubt, to enable him to withdraw the remnant of his usedup forces from the field of their defeat. He had commenced to do this during the night before, and to enable them to crawl stealthily away, had caused the blankets of his men to be torn up to be used as mufflers on the wheels of his artillery! When, therefore, the interview with Gen. Blunt took place, the most of Hindman's army were miles off toward the south, picking their way under cover of the woods; but he wanted some more time for the remainder of it to follow, and to secure the safety of his own precious person. Hence the flag of truce and the armistice, of so many hours, under the pretext of caring for the killed and wounded! It was the old trick over again, played by Marmaduke at the end of the rout from Cane Hill - when pushed to the wall and about to be crushed, he wanted to save his cannon! He, too, sent a flag of truce to care for the killed and wounded. And this, I suppose, is chivalry! But one good comes of this proceeding. The flag of truce game is about "played out." For the future they will be respected only after having been clearly ascertained to be used for some legitimate object. For some time past, spies and scouting-parties (in fact) have come into our camp, and scoured the country around them, under these rebel flags of truce, with no other object in view. Mention has been made above of the character of the arms used by the rebel soldiers-especially their infantry in the late battle, as being fully On the field of Prairie Grove the enemy were making the last desperate struggle to "get back into Missouri or perish in the effort," of which we have heard so much. Staking all upon a cast of the die, they have lost! Said Hindman, in the "Address to his Troops," three days before the battle: "OUR COUNTRY WILL BE RUINED IF WE FAIL." They did fail, and have ingloriously fled — back over the mountains from whence they came ! NASSAU CHICAGO "JOURNAL" ACCOUNT. HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE FRONTIER, RHEA'S MILLS, ARK., Sunday, Dec. 7, 1862. Death has reaped a terrible harvest to-day. The "battle of Prairie Grove" will long be remembered by the people of the West, and it will fill a conspicuous place in the future history of this cruel and unholy war. Since the battle of "Cane Hill" the forces of General Blunt have been occupying a radius of country of some sixteen miles, comprising Dutch Town Mills, Boonsboro, or Cane Hill, and Rhea's Mills, the great wheat and corn district of Arkansas. General Salamon's brigade occupied Rhea's Mills; the other two brigades, Dutch Town and Boonsboro. On the morning of the fifth, Gen. Blunt learned that the enemy were making preparations to cross Boston Mountains, and attack us at Boonsboro. During the day the enemy advanced his pickets, driving ours over the mountains. Both armies then commenced strengthening their pickets. During the night severe skirmishing was going on in the mountains, our pickets slowly retiring toward Boonsboro, and the enemy approaching within two miles of our main lines. During Saturday, the sixth, the enemy continued to hold his position at the foot and upon the north side of Boston Mountains, upon the same ground where we had fought and whipped them on the twenty-ninth ultimo. We had learned positively that Hindman had reënforced Marmaduke with about twenty thou sand men and fourteen pieces of artillery. This was evidence conclusive that the enemy was planning to overwhelm our small force, knowing that they would have nothing but the division of Blunt to oppose them. But General Blunt, upon the first intimation of Hindman's reënforcement, or dered the command of General Schofield forward upon forced marches. At ten o'clock on the morning of the seventh, (Sunday,) we discovered that Hindman had essayed to trap us. His demonstration upon our front was only to cover his flank movement upon our left with his entire army of twenty-five or thirty thousand men, and before we had discovered his intention, his whole force was far on its way toward Rhea's Mills, where he intended to fall in our rear and "gobble us up." Let us see how he succeeded. turn they would charge our men and drive them again to the edge of the opening. Thus the battle wavered until darkness began to set in, when our troops were ordered to withdraw from the woods to the open fields, in good order. The batteries were all set for this movement. The enemy supposed us retreating, as our cannon were still, and they came charging to the very open fields, with hideous cheers. The whole skirt of the woods was filled with them. Our fifty cannon poured a volley of grape and canister into their lines that struck them dum. Our guns were not sixty yards from them. They rallied and attempted to charge the batteries, many of them almost reaching the mouths of the cannon; but another volley of canister sent them howling to the wilderness, and closed their fire. A few rounds more of shell into the bush and the battle was ended. Darkness was upon us. A few hearty cheers went up for the Stars and Stripes, and all was hushed but the groans of the wounded and dying. The field was ours. A noble victory had been won, and Hindman had been outgeneraled. I cannot give you the thousand incidents of personal bravery that occurred through the day. It is sufficient to say that all our troops did nobly. None but those fighting under our glorious flag could have fought so bravely. Flags of truce were sent from both lines to pick up the wounded. The whole night was occupied in this work. The wounded were scattered through the brush and woods, and the darkness made the work slow and tedious. Immediately our two brigades were "aboutfaced" and ordered to Rhea's Mills on a doublequick, a distance of ten miles, our trains taking a road parallel and a little west of us. Now commenced the strife. Hindman had fully four miles the start with the front of his column, his men enthusiastic with the prospect of gaining our rear and cutting off our trains of over two hundred wagons and a fresh supply of commissary stores. This army was upon what is called the "Wire road," leading from Fayetteville to Van Buren; while General Herron, of Schofield's division, was on the same road, making a forced march to reënforce Blunt at Cane Hill or Boonsboro. About three miles, a little south of east of Rhea s Mills, Gen. Herron and Hindman ran together, similar to two locomotives, both rather thunder-struck at this unexpected meeting. Now the fun commenced. The men were speedily formed, the guns unlimbered, and the "war-dogs" let loose. Blunt's division heard the first roar of the cannon, and were west upon the flank about three miles. The booming of every gun seemed to add strength and speed to man and beast. Leaving the main road, we took a straight shoot over fences, ditches, through fields of chapparal and thorn-brush, until we came to the enemy's lines upon their left flank. Here they were just making a movement to flank Herron with a force of over seven thousand in- Generals Blunt and Hindman had an interview fantry. Herron's forces fought like tigers, but the the next morning after the battle, at the solicitaenemy were overwhelming them with numbers, tion of the latter. The subject matter of the inand they already began to falter. Instantly our terview was unimportant, further than an ar(Blunt's) guns were unlimbered, and two full bat-rangement for the exchange of prisoners, and the teries belched forth shell and shot into the ene my's left. This was sweet music to the ears of General Herron and his brave boys. The roar of our first guns had hardly died away, when a thrilling cheer went up from Herron's whole division that drowned for a moment the din of battle. Cheer upon cheer was sent up from their lines, as our booming cannon told them that Blunt had come to the rescue! Our lines were speedily formed, and in less than half an hour the whole line, from Herron's left to Blunt's right, was engaged. It was now about two o'clock, and one of the most lovely days that ever beamed on a Western climate. The enemy fought with desperation. They were covered through the entire length of their lines with a small growth of timber and upon the height of land; while our entire forces were upon the open, level ground fronting the timber. This gave them a very great advantage. Again and again our infantry would charge into the woods from the open fields and drive them back, and in Our loss will reach over one thousand men ; that of the enemy will easily double ours. Hindman has fled with his great army over the mountains again, and will not, probably, make a stand until he reaches the Arkansas River. acknowledgment of Hindman that he was whipped severely. The prisoners taken say that our artillery slaughtered them terribly. Nearly all express a wish to see the war ended, and the wounded seem to rejoice that their wounds will let them out of the rebel service. BURLINGTON "HAWK-EYE" ACCOUNT. The following account of the battle is given by a correspondent of the Burlington (Iowa) HawkEye: At twelve м. we reached Rhea's Mills, where the train was left upon a large open plain, and the Iowa First, Ohio Tenth, and Missouri Eighth cavalry, accompanied by three howitzers, were sent forward upon the Fayetteville road, to ascertain the position of Gen. Herron, and also of the enemy, with orders to report any information they might gather, of the whereabouts of either army. We had proceeded about two miles, when as we passed over a rise of ground, we heard the boom their noble sons and brothers, had they been where they could have seen them at the time I just referred to-every man in his place, scarcely moving a muscle as the balls whistled by his ing of cannon and saw the smoke rising up out of a valley about two miles ahead of us. A messenger was immediately despatched to Gen. Blunt, and we moved forward. About one mile further on, we came upon about four thousand of the en-head, his pistol drawn and his horse "in hand," emy, moving round under cover of a heavy piece of timber, flanking Gen. Herron upon the right. Colonel Wickersham, then in command of the detachment, put the cavalry into position and brought his howitzers forward and opened fire upon the rebels, determined to hold them in check, if possible, until General Blunt came up with his infantry and artillery. But a few shots had been fired, when the enemy charged upon and took possession of one of our little pieces, in charge of the Ohio Tenth, but it was almost immediately retaken by a small detachment of the Iowa First, and the enemy compelled to fall back. ready to execute every command that might be given; and even after every company, except the one from Burlington, (company C,) had been ordered from the ground, leaving them alone with three thousand rebels advancing upon them, now within eighty yards' distance, firing upon them through every opening of the brush where they could see them, not a man moved from his place until the order came to the Captain to bring off his company. When the command was given, the company moved as steadily and in as good order from the field as they could have done were they marching out for drill or review. Such men can be relied upon everywhere, under any circumstances. The enemy having left their position in front of Gen. Blunt's camp, in the night, as I have before stated, marched some fifteen miles and attacked a regiment of Arkansas troops (the First) camped for the night on the banks of the Illinois River, cut them up very badly, destroyed their train, and took a portion of their men prisoners. They next surprised and attacked Gen. Herron's body-guard, consisting of one battalion of the First Missouri cavalry, who had preceded the column some distance as advance-guard, killing and wounding a number of them, taking the Major and a number of his command prisoners. Companies A, L, and M, of the First Iowa, were thrown out as reconnoitring parties-companies B, C, D, and K put into position immediately in front of the enemy's advancing columns, not with the expectation of repelling them, or even checking their advance, had they advanced rapidly upon us; for we were on thickly timbered ground, where cavalry could do but little against infantry, covered by thick brush and large trees as they advanced upon us. The object was to gain time by making as great a show as possible, and thus compel them at least to move slowly | and cautiously forward. This manoeuvre had the desired effect. The artillery and infantry came up just as the enemy's line had got within eighty paces of our right, when we were moved out of the woods into an open field in front, to support Rabb's battery, that was put in position, and three regiments of infantry were sent into the woods to take the place we had left. By this time the enemy had brought up a battery and put in position upon the hill-side, and opened fire upon our infantry. Now commenced the most deadly conflict that it is often the fortune of old warriors to witness. The constant roar of cannon and rattle of musketry was almost deafening for the space of half an hour, when the enemy's battery was silenced and they were compelled to fall back. One of their artillerymen, captured by our men, admitted that the first three shots from our battery killed one hundred of their men. Their dead were piled upon the ground in every direction, while our loss did not exceed twenty men. The First Iowa cavalry escaped wonderfully, considering the position they occupied before the artillery came up. For the space of half an hour the balls flew around us like hail, cutting the limbs from the trees over our heads and all around us, and yet but two men of the regiment were wounded. Captain Chase, of company C, had two ball-all our calculations." holes in his coat; Orderly Sergeant William A. Clark, who was at the right, by the side of Capt. Chase, had his horse's hip cut by a musket-ball, and private Wilson, of the same company, had ball put through his hat; with these exceptions we came out of the battle unscathed. a Many of your readers would have felt proud of Gen. Herron came up about eight o'clock in the morning, when they pitched into him, thinking, as some of their wounded officers, with whom I have since conversed, told me, that his command would just about finish out their "breakfast," when they intended to fall back upon Gen. Blunt, whom they supposed to be still upon "Cane Hill," and dine upon his command. They thought that they would have little or no trouble in annihilating both the commands in twenty-four hours. But, alas for human calculations, they were doomed to be sadly disappointed. When they ran upon Gen. Herron they caught a "tartar." With an Iowa General to direct, and Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana troops to execute, the capture of six thousand men, even though twenty thousand were pitted against them, was no easy task, and they soon found it to be so, to their sorrow. A wounded lieutenant-colonel said to me yesterday: "Our plans were well laid, our men fought bravely, but you out-generaled us in every move. We ought to have whipped Gen. Herron easy before Gen. Blunt came up, but we failed in The Iowa regiments engaged, and more espe cially the Nineteenth, has added largely to the enviable reputation of our Iowa soldiers. The three companies from Louisa and Henry suffered perhaps more than any others. They fought like tigers and fell like soldiers, making two villains bite the dust for each one of them that fell. In fact, there was no faltering upon the field; all fought nobly and won a glorious victory over a force outnumbering them two to one. I have not fully ascertained our loss in killed and wounded; you will get the official report long before this will reach you. The enemy's loss will never be known by us, their ambulances and every team they could raise were engaged all day and night, drawing them from the field, and parties were engaged burying them in deep, large pits; how many were put into one of these places, no one knows, but we do know that after all their efforts for two days and nights under a flag of truce, to get their dead and wounded out of our sight, piles of them, from ten to thirty in a place, are still unburied, and lying upon the field, while every house and yard within from three to five miles of us, are filled with their wounded and dying. Three thousand I consider a moderate estimate upon their loss. The fight continued unceasingly until darkness put an end to the deadly conflict for the night. We bivouacked that night upon the field, expecting to renew the fight at early dawn in the morning, but when morning came the enemy were not to be found. They had retreated during the night, leaving a party with a flag of truce to bury their dead, and care for the wounded. ed whose groans of agony filled and frighted the night of the seventh of December have been carried to the hospitals to be cared for in the best way possible under the circumstances. The excitement of the day has passed, also, and we can now sit down and write coolly of the incidents of a day which has given this little spot a place in history, and given another step forward in the effort for the maintenance of our Government to the armies which have sprung up as if by magic and rallied to the flag of the Union. An actor in a battle has not perhaps the best opportunity of describing all the moves in the grand but terrible scene going on, but he can at least give accurately a description of that part which he acted. And so though I shall strive to do all justice, you will expect me to refer more particularly to the part of my own regiment and those immediately connected with us in the proper place. The Second and Third divisions of the army of the frontier, under Gen. Herron, on the morning of the fourth of December, were camped, the Third on Flat Creek, twenty-nine miles south-west of Springfield, Mo., and the Second some six miles nearer the same place. On that morning we started at three o'clock, on the march for Gen. Blunt, who lay at Cane Hill, threatened by an overwhelming force of the rebels. On that day the Second division marched twenty miles, and on the fifth they marched twenty-three miles; on the sixth marched twenty-six miles, and starting at midnight of the sixth, marched on the seventh to our present position, a distance of thirty miles, arriving about half-past one o'clock P.M. On the last ten miles of our march we had been cheered by the music of cannon, from which we knew that the Third division in advance of us were engaging the enemy. Already the news of the rout of our cavalry and capture of eighteen or twenty of their wagons had reached us, and from this we knew that a powerful and determined enemy was before us, and that Gen. Blunt needed our assistance, which had arrived Why it is I cannot tell, but the very name of just in time. Arriving on the field, we immedithe "Iowa First" strikes terror to the hearts of ately formed line of battle, and the battle opened their troops, many of whom are from Missouri, as all modern battles do, with the thundering of and were compelled to flee before us to this State artillery, and just here, while our artillery is at -and to that cause more than any other I at-work and doing splendid work too, as we lay in tribute our wonderful success and escape during the day. IOWA. Their army was well supplied with new arms and ammunition, of English manufacture, and of a superior quality. They were completely broken up, and demoralized, and I expect the next we see of them will be at Fort Smith, where they may make another stand behind their intrenchments. The Iowa First cavalry held the post of honor during the fight, being the reserved troops, supporting the artillery, and held in readiness for any desperate emergency that might arise, but the presence of the regiment upon the ground in front of their flanking regiments, caused them to fall back under cover of the woods, and abandon every such attempt. CHICAGO "TRIBUNE" NARRATIVE. CAMP THIRTY-SEVENTH ILLINOIS VOLS., BATTLE-FIELD, line supporting it, let me describe the position the enemy had chosen on which to meet us. Instead of Prairie Grove, this should be called Grove Prairie, for it is a beautiful open valley lying between these hills, which forms Arkansas, running east to west some five miles long and On this beautiful morning, as I write, the sun one mile wide, bordered on either side by a range shines out clearly and brightly, and the hum and of heavily wooded hills and watered by Illinois bustle in our camp is as plain and cheerful as Creek. On the range of hills on the south side, though battle smoke had not hung like a pall rising abruptly in some places, and in all places over this valley three days ago; and none, to rapidly, till some thirty to fifty feet high, and look around, would suppose that in that time then sloping gradually back for one and a half many of our brave men had been made martyrs miles, the rebels had planted their batteries and by death or heroes by wounds. But the smoke formed their line of battle. Across this valley, has floated away on the winds which now serve then, we witnessed an artillery duel, proving as to purify the air. The bodies of the dead are at Pea Ridge, and all Western battles, the supemostly gathered home, and over their last resting-riority of our guns and practice. This could not place the volleys have been fired, and the wound-last long, however, for the rebel batteries were soon silenced or driven from the field, and as our regiment on the extreme right moved forward to a new position, supporting Murphy's battery, (First Missouri light artillery,) we saw a line of infantry moving from our left on the enemy's right, driving the skirmishers home, moving steadily and gallantly forward to the foot of the hill, and carrying their banners proudly up and over its crest, till they were lost to our view in the woods. But soon we heard the roll of musketry, an instant scattering, and then concentrating deadly, deafening, and we knew that the Twentieth Wisconsin and Nineteenth Iowa were having terrible work. How our boys chafed at being compelled to listen without aiding! But we knew our turn was coming- had already come, for the order was given to move, and with a feeling of positive relief the banner of the Thirty-seventh was borne forward. As we moved on our eyes were on the hill, and soon we saw our men giving way-one, and then another, then a handful; then those regiments which had gone so proudly up were hurled down the hill, broken and shattered in pieces. From the right of our line the Thirty-seventh Illinois and Twentysixth Indiana were moved to the extreme left and faced to the same hill where the Nineteenth Iowa and Twentieth Wisconsin had a moment before been driven. Steadily, rapidly, and unbroken those two veteran regiments, the Thirty-seventh on the right and the Twenty-sixth on the left, moved across the open ground to the foot of the hill, lay down under cover of the fence, and threw forward skirmishers to discover and unmask the enemy's position by drawing their fire. The regiments below were not kept long in waiting, and the Twenty-sixth on the enemy's flank and the Thirty seventh in the enemy's front, moved up that hill in the face of a most terrific fire to support their skirmishers. We had fallen back some four hundred and fifty yards and there awaited orders. Meantime, the Twenty-sixth Indiana had formed under cover of a fence, and were already at work again. But in a moment their line was broken, and their forces scattered like chaff before the wind, while the rebels followed like a pack of wolves in the open meadow below. They did not think what a welcome they were to receive, or they surely would have been more cautious. The battery on our left limbered up and passed off five hundred yards to the rear. The Twenty-sixth swept by us to form in our rear, and then our fire was unmasked and we resumed our harvest of death. Five hundred yards is an easy range for our rifles. For the first time in our lives the enemy stood in an open field within that distance, and we profited by the occasion. Rising up we poured a volley into their flank. How their ranks went like ripe and heavy grain before the mower's scythe. They had not calculated on such a reception as this, and stopped as if amazed. But they did not hesitate long; another volley, another swing of the great scythe of death, and they broke and fled into the woods, nor did they stop until the brow of the hill was passed and they were so hidden from our view. Just then the Twenty-sixth formed on our left and so the fighting on that part of the field closed. We had not driven them from the hill, but we held the plain, even in reach of their guns, unmolested. Our cannonading was resumed, and one of our batteries engaged a rebel battery, which had been brought on the field, while their shot flew over our heads as we rested on the ground. It was a wild and beautiful music to us, filled with a consciousness that we could overpower them in this line so easily. But while we listened, another voice of battle rose on our extreme right. MusThe Thirty-seventh at the bloody battle of Pea ketry was heard again, and we knew that General Ridge had looked the wolf in the face-had con- Blunt had arrived with his reënforcements from tested the ground inch by inch with McCulloch's Cane Hill. It was good news to us, wearied division, but never had we been welcomed to the with marching and fighting, and we listened to sight of such an overwhelming force of rebels, nor the ebb and flow of the tide of battle-and so it shrouded in so terrible a cloud of bullets as greet- continued until night and silence shrouded the ed us on gaining the summit of the hill. For- battle field; silence as to hostile noises, but not ward we rushed, however, to the cover of a fence silence, for the voices of the wounded, from every in front, and thence we paid our compliments to direction, were heard pleading for help or full of the rebel line, which rose like a wall before us, despairing agony. The after part of a battle is and not more than eighty yards distant. Yet always the most fearful. But we did not listen cool as we were, thus engaged, our commanding long, for sleep, the sleep of the weary, of forgetofficer, Lieut.-Col. Black, than whom there is no fulness, came on us like an angel of mercy. That braver man or more skilful officer in this army, night a flag of truce, with Gen. Marmaduke, endiscovering that the Twenty-sixth Indiana had tered our camps, and these flags kept passing to been driven back under the fire, leaving our left and fro until ten o'clock A.M., when Gen. Hindunsupported, and that the rebels were planting a man having secured an armistice until five o'clock battery on our right, which would sweep our en- P.M., acknowledged himself whipped, and surrentire line, gave the order to retreat, an order ne-dered the field. Then began the work of burying cessary but reluctantly obeyed. To retreat in the face of such a fire is not an easy or a bloodless task. Down the hill we went, however, across the meadow at its foot, and into the cornfield, where our regiment halted at the first order, and formed rapidly, with our left resting on a battery. Of these quite a the dead and collecting arms. |