October 13.
A fight took place at Wyatts, a town on the Tallahatchie River, Miss., between a party of rebels retreating from Colliersville, Tenn., and the National cavalry under Colonel Hatch. The place had previously been fortified and was surrounded by a deep trench. By the aid of pontoon-bridges the rebels had succeeded in crossing their horses and stores, so that their whole force was rendered available for repelling the Union troops. They had upward of three thousand men, with nine pieces of artillery, and were sheltered by the log-houses of which the town was composed; the Union force was less than two thousand five hundred, with eight pieces of artillery. The fight commenced at three o'clock in the afternoon, by the enemy attempting to force back the Union left. In this they failed. They next massed their forces to break the centre, but were driven back. Slowly Colonel Hatch advanced his line, driving the enemy back step by step. Thus the afternoon wore away, till night, dark and rainy, closed the scene. The rebels, taking advantage of the darkness, succeeded in crossing by means of their bridges, though many of them were killed by the artillery. The Union loss in the engagement was less than forty in killed and wounded. It was impossible correctly to estimate the loss of the confederates, as they succeeded in carrying off all of their wounded and many of their dead. Fifteen dead rebels were found and buried. Colonel Hatch captured seventy-five prisoners, among whom was a rebel chief of artillery.
A rebel force, under the command of Colonel William L. Jackson, attacked the outpost of General B. F. Kelley's army, at Bulltown, Braxton County, Va., this morning, and after a severe fight were compelled to retreat with heavy loss. They were pursued by the Union cavalry. The Union force in the engagement consisted of detachments of the Sixth and Eleventh Virginia regiments, numbering about four hundred, commanded by Captain William H. Mattingly, of the former regiment. He was dangerously wounded. The other casualties were slight. The rebel loss was sixty wounded and nine killed.--General Kelley's Despatch.
A fight took place near Merrill's Crossing, Mo., between the Union troops under General Brown and the rebels under Shelby, in which the latter was defeated.--(Doc. 195.)
