Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 5.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[491] Davies's tried division was placed in the centre, which was retired, reaching to battery Powell, Hamilton's staunch fighting division was on the right with Dillon's battery, supported by two regiments posted on the prolongation of Davies's line.

The design of General Hamilton was to use the hill where the batteries stood against an approach from the west, where Sullivan found the enemy on the last evening. Against my better judgment, expressed to him at the time, I yielded to his wishes and allowed the occupation as described.

Early in the evening I called the chiefs of divisions together and explained to them their plans, and having supervised the positions, retired at three A. M. on the fourth to take some rest. I was soon aroused by the opening of the enemy's artillery, which he had planted within six hundred yards of battery Robinette.

This early opening gave promise of a hot day's work; but the heavy batteries and the Tenth Ohio, placed north of Gen. Halleck's headquarters, silenced them by seven o'clock, and there was an interval of an hour, which was employed in going over our lines.

About seven o'clock, the skirmishers which we had sent into the woods on our front, by their not firing, proclaimed the presence of their forces preparing for the assault. Soon the heads of their columns were seen emerging to attack our centre, on Davies first, Stanley next, and Hamilton last.

The drawing shows these positions, and is referred to for the sake of brevity.

I shall leave to pens dipped in poetic ink to describe the gorgeous pyrotechnics of the battle, and paint in words of fire the heroes of the fight, the details of which will be found graphically depicted in the accompanying sub-reports.

I will only add that when Price's left bore down on our centre in gallant style, their force was so overpowering, our wearied and jaded troops yielded and fell back, scattering among the houses. I had the personal mortification of witnessing this untoward and untimely stampede.

Riddled and scattered, the ragged head of Price's right storming columns advanced to near the house north side of the square, in front of Gen. Halleck's headquarters, when it was greeted with a storm of grape from a section of Immell's battery, soon reenforced by the Tenth Ohio, which sent them reeling back, pursued by the Fifth Minnesota, which advanced to them from their position near the depot.

Gen. Sullivan was ordered and promptly advanced to the support of General Davies's centre. His right rallied and retook battery Powell, into which a few of the storming column had penetrated, while Hamilton having played upon the rebels on his right, over the opening, effectively swept by his artillery, advanced by them and they fled. The battle was over on the right.

During all this the skirmishers of the left were moving in our front. A line of battle was formed on the bridge as shown in the drawing; about twenty minutes after the attack on the right the enemy advanced in four columns on battery Robinette and were treated to grape and canister until within fifty yards, when the Ohio brigade arose and gave them a murderous fire of musketry, before which they reeled and fell back to the woods.

They, however, gallantly re-formed and advanced by aim to the charge, led by Col. Rogers of the Second Texas.

This time they reached the edge of the ditch, but the deadly musketry-fire of the Ohio brigade again broke them, and at the word charge, the Eleventh Missouri and Twenty-seventh Ohio sprang up and forward at them, chasing their broken fragments back to the woods.

Thus by noon ended the battle of the fourth of October.

After waiting for the enemy's return a short time our skirmishers began to advance and found that their skirmishers were gone from the field, leaving their dead and wounded.

Having ridden over it and satisfied myself of the fact, I rode all over our lines announcing the result of the fight in person, and notified our victorious troops that after two days fighting, two almost sleepless nights of preparation, movements and march, I wished them to replenish their cartridge-boxes, haversacks and stomachs, take an early sleep and start in pursuit by daylight.

Returning from this I found the gallant McPherson with a fresh brigade on the public square, and gave him the same notice, with orders to take the advance.

The results of the battle briefly stated are: We fought the combined rebel force of Mississippi, commanded by Van Dorn, Price, Lovell, Villipigue and Rust in person, numbering, according to their own authority, thirty-eight thousand men.

We signally defeated them, with little more than half their numbers, and they fled, leaving their dead and wounded on the field.

The enemy's loss in killed was one thousand four hundred and twenty-three officers and men; their loss in wounded, taking the general average, amounts to five thousand six hundred and ninety-two. We took two thousand two hundred and forty-eight prisoners, among whom are one hundred and thirty-seven field-officers, captains, and subalterns, representing fifty three regiments of infantry, sixteen regiments of cavalry, thirteen batteries of artillery, and seven battalions, making sixty-nine regiments, six battalions, and thirteen batteries, beside separate companies.

We took also fourteen stands of colors, two pieces of artillery, three thousand three hundred stand of arms, four thousand five hundred rounds of ammunition and a large lot of accoutrements. The enemy blew up several wagons between Corinth and Chewalla, and beyond Chewalla many ammunition-wagons and carriages were destroyed, and the ground was strewn with tents, officer's mess-chests, and small arms. We pursued them forty miles in force and sixty miles with cavalry.