[52]
The enemy was commanded by Major-General Walker, was a part of Kirby Smith's command, and consisted of two brigades, containing seven regiments, four thousand strong, with six pieces of artillery.
They retreated toward Delhi, where General McCulloch is said to be posted with a command about equal in strength to the one we encountered.
This was the same force that attacked the negro regiment at Milliken's Bend, a week before, and was repulsed.
Our entire loss was three men wounded, one only dangerously.
Gen. Mowry's command participated throughout most vigorously, and I feel indebted to the General for his prompt cooperation and advice, and his skilful manner of handling his forces.
A. W. Ellet, Brigadier-General Commanding M. B. Brigade.
A National account.
On the sixteenth, the rebel General Anderson, with a division belonging to the command of Major-General Dick Taylor, marched from Richmond toward Lake Providence, where Gen. Reid was stationed with a small Federal force, consisting of the First Kansas and Sixteenth Wisconsin regiments, with some negro troops, less than one thousand five hundred in all.
Richmond is eight miles from Young's Point, on the Louisiana side, at a point where the Shrevesport road crosses the Tensas.
It is about twelve miles from Milliken's Bend, and thirty from Lake Providence, and an important point, from the fact that from it those places are easily accessible by good road, and for the enemy it would be an exceedingly offensive position toward us.
General Reid went out to meet him, and destroyed the bridge over the Tensas, a short distance from the head of Lake Providence.
The rebels opened on him with a six-pounder, damaging our forces at first considerably, but his men succeeded in silencing the gun and preventing the rebels from crossing, also pouring in a terrible fire of musketry upon them as they pressed up to the river.
Thinking our force larger than it was, the enemy retreated, with heavy loss.
On the same day, General Mower marched on Richmond, from Sherman's Landing, with his brigade of infantry and Taylor's old Chicago battery, under command of Capt. Barrett.
On reaching the Tensas, he met the rebel pickets and drove them in. The rebels burned the bridges, and undertook to make a stand.
Capt. Barret opened fire, well supported by infantry.
Such was the combined shower of shell and bullets, that, though fighting well, they were obliged to fall back with what cavalry force they had. Gen. Mower then pursued the flying enemy, succeeding in capturing forty-two prisoners.
The affair was perfected with signal vigor and promptness — our troops, in their impetuosity and daring, overcoming the disparity in numbers on the part of the enemy.
It is likely, from indications, that the entire force of Gen. Dick Taylor (who, by the way, is a son of old Zack) has skedaddled to the Red River country.1
