October 8, 1862, The Charleston Mercury
(Correspondence of the Mobile Advertiser.)
TUPELO, September 29.
There are many inquiries as to the object and result of General Price’s late march to and retreat from Iuka, and a great desire to know whether it resulted in any advantage, or proved a failure or reverse. The palpable evidence of his having been obliged to retire from his position at Iuka is accepted by some as a proof that he was unsuccessful. Nothing could be further from the fact. Early in August, as soon as General Hardee had moved his forces and placed the railroad at General Price’s disposal, the latter made preparations for an advance, and communicated with Major General Earl Van Dorn, stating his intentions and desiring co-operation, assuring him that so soon as the armies formed a junction he would cheerfully turn over the command to him. The proposition was favorably accepted, but circumstances at the time forbade Gen. Van Dorn’s leaving his position, menaced as he was by a superior and exasperated foe. Meantime Gen. Bragg had accomplished the great task of concentrating his forces at Chattanooga and confronted the enemy with an army that not only stayed their further progress into our fair land, but threatened their destruction. Soon the Yankees turned their cowering front towards Nashville, and were rapidly followed by the Army of Mississippi. Bragg felt confident that he could ruin the fleeing army in his front, but had some misgiving should they be reinforced by the 25 or 30,000 under Grant and Rosencranz, then extended from Columbus and Memphis to Tuscumbia. All the information that he could gain of the enemy tended to their leaving West Tennessee and reinforcing Buell. This he informed Price of and desired him, at any sacrifice, to hold the Federal army in West Tennessee in check and prevent their escape, at the same time ordering Van Dorn to act in concert with Price. Price sent an aid to Van Dorn with his plan of operations, desiring his approval and co-operation, and again assuring him that when a junction was formed he would willingly merge the commands and place Van Dorn in the position of commanding general. This proving acceptable, both parties prepared for the march, General Price gradually advancing his forces by rail and march to Baldwin, and himself moving his headquarters to Guntown, where he reviewed a portion of his troops and personally inspected their movements. Up to the day of marching from Baldwin, the 11th, it had not been determined by what route to march upon the enemy, but information having then been received that they were at Iuka 8000 strong, and intended crossing the Tennessee at Eastport, en route for Nashville. The troops were moved forward on the Marietta road and ‘Natchez trace’ to Iuka, which place the cavalry reached on the 13th, finding the enemy entrenched, and awaited the arrival of the infantry, which by a forced march arrived at the place early on the morning of the 14th, only to find that it had been evacuated during the previous night. Possession was taken of the town, and the weary and hungry soldiers fed substantially and luxuriously upon the commissary and sutler stores captured by their valor.
Considerable study was given to the topography of country, strange to us but familiar to the enemy. The Federals had not attempted a passage of the river at Eastport, but had been withdrawing for sometime their forces from Tuscumbia, Decatur and points east, and sending them to Corinth, where if was learned nearly all the available forces in West Tennessee were concentrated and reported to be withdrawing to Hamburg and Pittsburg Landing, and there crossing the river. Gen. Price sent a courier with this information to Gen. Van Dorn, who had been advancing his forces by the Mississippi Central Road, and who was then at Davis’ Mill, in the vicinity of Grand Junction, proposing to form the junction at some point on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, or convenient to supplies, and advance in a solid body upon the enemy’s force at Corinth. This was acceded to, and the place of rendezvous named, and marching orders were issued on the morning of the 19th to march on the succeeding day.
During the 19th the scouts and pickets came in from various quarters and reported the enemy advancing, laying waste the country in the line of march. About 4 o’clock Hebert’s brigade were ordered out to meet the enemy, and found them in force within a mile of town on the Jacinto or Marietta road. The engagement commenced, the enemy having the advantage of position on a ridge of hills and of masked batteries and concealed forces. Martin’s brigade came forward to the aid of Hebert, and the struggle commenced furiously, and the rattle of musketry and roar of artillery ceased not for a moment during the severe engagement of an hour and a half. Gens. Little, Price and staff were upon the field, and the other two brigades of Little’s division were ordered forward to the support of Hebert and Martin. The brave commander of the division had but given the command when a death-speeding Minie ball pierced his brain, and reeling he fell from his horse at the side of Gen. Price, with whom he was conversing at the last recorded moment of his fatal hour. It would be doing injustice to one of our most skillful, patriotic and brave officers to omit the encomium Gen. Price, in his official report, passed upon him:
‘It will thus be seen that our success was obtained at the sacrifice of many a brave officer and patriotic soldier, chief among whom was Brig. Gen. Henry Little, commanding the first division of this army. Than this brave Marylander no one could have fallen more dear to me, or whose memory should be more fondly cherished by his countrymen than him. No more skillful officer or more devoted patriot has drawn his sword in this war of independence. He died on the day of his greatest usefulness, lamented by his friends, by the Brigade of his love, by the Division which he so nobly commanded, and by the Army of the West of which he has from the beginning been one of the chief ornaments.’
But two brigades, Hebertand Martin, of this brave man’s command, were in the engagement, the others arriving at night fall. The force of the enemy under the personal command of Rosencranz, encountered and driven back, numbered 8,000. Their loss could not have been heavier than our own; that of Hebert’s brigade, composed of those veterans of Oak Hill and Elkhorn, the 3d Louisiana, 3d Texas and Whitfield’s Texas Legion, and the 14th and 7th Arkansas, whose reckless bravery, says Gen. Hebert, set at defiance the base doubts which some entertained of their courage, and the 40th Mississippi, which proved their proud right to couple their arms with the veterans of Louisiana and Texas – the loss of this brigade in the hour struggle being 63 killed outright and 290 wounded, among whom were the commanding regimental officers of several of the regiments. Martin’s brigade, composed of the 36th, 37th and 38th Mississippi and 27th Alabama and 86th Mississippi (which I regret to say I mentioned in connection with the 37th and 38th in a former letter), Gen. Price accords great praise, they standing their ground and repulsing the enemy, when the 37th and 38th of the same brigade, disheartened by the galling fire from a battery which had been concealed, broke and retired in disorder, but were finally rallied. These regiments are new ones, and their first experience of a murderous fire, emanating from an unseen source, threw them into some confusion. Experience is dearly bought, but every confidence is placed in them for the next struggle.
After the battle ceased, it was found that the enemy had been driven back five hundred yards from their position, and our lines were there formed and the men slept upon their arms during the night. Gen. Price, up to midnight, held the proposition of giving fight to the enemy on the succeeding morning, but learning of heavy reinforcements under Grant having joined Rosencranz, he determined to accept the council of his officers and carry out his orders delivered on the 19th to fall back on the succeeding morning. The trains, valued at five millions, and carrying our own and the captured stores, were started ere dawn on the Fulton road, and by half past 8 a.m., every vestige of our army, save the rear guard of Gen. Maury, which was posted on the hills on the eastern skirt of the town, had disappeared, and the whole army had commenced its successful retreat determined on the day previous to the battle. Everything was brought off in safety, and 650 head of cattle which had been captured from us on the previous day, recaptured, together with the Yankee drovers. About half of the nine pieces of artillery captured were brought off, the balance being spiked and rendered useless. The main body of the army was placed in the rear of the train, and every facility given the enemy to follow us and renew the contest, but they declined to do so, after having received a wholesome lesson administered by Gen. Maury, Division Commander, who ambuscaded and destroyed about 150 of their cavalry. The army returned to a point on the railroad where supplies were easily obtainable. Gen. Price felt confident of victory had he encountered them on the 20th, but knew that in doing so he must lose a great portion of his train, and this he was unwilling to do without being satisfied of being able to gain some material advantage, which he was not.
The object of the expedition was accomplished; the enemy were prevented from forming a junction with Buell, and had administered to them a severe castigation, and for the fruits of the enterprise we point to the successful march of Bragg into Kentucky. The movement was a strategetic one, and had proved most successful as well as profitable.
The army is again in motion, and a junction has been formed which will, doubtless, bring new victories to the West. The force under Grant and Rosencranz is certainly large, and the conviction seems to be general, that finding themselves unable to force a junction with Buell, they have been reinforced by a portion of his troops from Nashville, or more probably, that Curtis has added his Arkansas army to the Yankee army now in West Tennessee.
I learn that we have lost one of the most valuable officers in the District of Tennessee, in the resignation of Major Thomas L. Snead, Gen. Price’s chief of staff. The cause of the Major’s resignation is said to be the manner in which Gen. Price and his command have been treated since their timely arrival in Corinth. This most certainly does seem unjust, the manner in which he has been slighted and misused, and although we cannot agree with Major Snead in the propriety of depriving the country of his invaluable services at the present important crisis, yet we cry out with him against the impediment offered to his priceless commander. The latest cause of complaint is that Gen. Bragg assigned to Gen. Price one-third of the exchanged prisoners which were to arrive at Vicksburg. Gen. Price sent Dr. Blackburn, of his staff, to Richmond to procure arms for these troops, and his indefatigable efforts proved successful. The arms were brought here to await the arrival of his men; but during Price’s absence with his army a Iuka, Gen. Van Dorn had the arms removed to Jackson, and armed his quota of troops with them, leaving Price without arms for the new members of his command. I hope, for the sake of the service and for Gen. Van Dorn’s good reputation, that this affair may be cleared up; as it now is, it is a crying shame, and is but one among a thousand similar efforts to place Price – the Washington of the West, and to whom the Confederacy should ever be grateful – in a minor position, and attempt to ruin that reputation which he has so deservedly gained. Gen. Price is an obliging, uncomplaining, and unostentatious General, and his modesty and good-naturedness have kept the people of the Confederacy, who admire him almost to a man, from knowing the trials he has been put to and the indignities offered him. The disregard shown him by President Davis, when at Richmond, has taught the pets of the President to emulate his example. It is time that the people knew these facts, and on our part it is not through a disposition to wrangle and bicker, but with a hope to bring these things before their eyes, and have justice done to a justly favorite officer of the Confederate States army. Since General Price’s arrival in Mississippi, the Confederacy has once nearly lost his services; and if inattention and such persecution as heretofore attend his efforts, the people may next regret that they have lost a jewel of priceless value.
N’IMPORTE.