Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 11.
Frank Moore, Ed.

On the right of the Seventh Minnesota and Twelfth Iowa, and Thirty-third Missouri, Lieutenant-Colonel Heath, and the Thirty-fifth Iowa, Colonel Hill, their lines nearly at right angles with former were engaged, but not so heavily as the left of the brigade.

The right of Colonel Moore's division, on left of road, was also engaged.

The enemy, as we were afterwards told by prisoners, were led to believe that General Smith's army was composed entirely of one hundred days troops and negroes, and they expected to walk right through and over us. Hence, the persistence and recklessness with which they again and again rallied to the charge, and tried to reach and break our lines. But the storm of fire that swept from our compact lines was more than mortal man could endure, and every time they charged forward, it was but to recoil, leaving their pathway strewn with dead.

They moved in heavy masses around to their left — our right — where they were met with musketry from the right of General Mower's division, the First, Second, and Fourth brigades, and a furious artillery fire from Hilmen's battery, company M, First Missouri, manned by the Sixth Indiana, Captain Miller, and the battery of company E, First Illinois light artillery.

In the road, on left of Colonel Wood's brigade, guns of the Second Iowa battery were posted and did earnest work.

The Third Indiana battery, on the left of the First brigade of the Third division, in position south of Pontotoc road, was also engaged. The roar of artillery was terrific.

For three hours--from six o'clock until nine--the battle raged — heaviest in front of Colonel Wood's brigade of General Morris's division, as before described, and as the list of casualties surely indicates — when repulsed and beaten at all points, the enemy fell back and drew off. A charge of Colonel Wood's brigade, the Thirty-third Missouri and Thirty-fifth Iowa, on the right, and the Twelfth Iowa and Seventh Minnesota on the left, was made, which swept over the field, capturing prisoners, driving the enemy and rendering the victory complete. It was too hot, and the men too much exhausted, to pursue far the retreating foe. In front of the lines of Colonel Wood's brigade lay the rebel Colonel Harrison, of the Sixth Mississippi cavalry, Lieutenant-Colonel Nelson, of the same regiment, and several line officers, and a great part of their command. Colonel Faulkner's body lay in front of Colonel Moore's division on the left. A Major McKay was also killed.

Prisoners say that the attack on the morning of the fourteenth was made by seven thousand of the enemy's best troops, and that many men were shot down by their own officers in driving them to the charge. One fellow said he had been in seventeen battles, but was never under such a heavy musketry fire before as that they encountered from us. The success that had attended General Forrest's army in repelling Grierson's and Morgan L. Smith's column that was moving to co-operate with General Sherman in the Meridian expedition, and his late decided victory over Sturgis, had emboldened the enemy to believe that any Federal force could be beaten, and in consequence they fought more confidently of success.

Our losses were light compared with that of the enemy and for the severity of the fight. We had a magnificent position. Our lines being sheltered in good part in edge of woods, the enemy exposed himself in open ground on our left and in a corn-field on the right. A strip of woods somewhat covered his centre.

A flag was shot down by the right companies of the Seventh Minnesota, but picked up by company B of the Thirty-third Missouri. It is to be sent to the Merchants' Exchange, St. Louis.

On the thirteenth the Fourteenth Wisconsin took a flag, the color-bearer of which was shot down by the Twelfth Iowa.

Colonel Alex. Wilkin, of the Ninth Minnesota, commanding the Second brigade of General Mower's division, was shot dead, the ball entering his left side, passing through his heart.

Lieutenant A. A. Burdick, quartermaster of the Twelfth Iowa, was killed by an elongated ball from a rifled cannon that passed through an oak twenty inches in diameter before it struck him. It also killed his horse.

The horses of Colonel Marshall and Adjutant Trader, of the Seventh Minnesota, were both shot as they were being led to the rear.

General Mower fearlessly exposed himself in all parts of the field, wherever his presence seemed needed. One of his orderlies was killed by his side.

General Smith saw all that was going on, but the perfect dispositions that had been made for battle, with the advantageous position selected by him, left little to be done during the engagement.

On the evening of the fourteenth the enemy attacked the extreme left of our lines held at that time by a skirmish line of Colonel Bently's brigade. The skirmishers were driven in on the main line, when the latter in the centre, and Colonel Gilbert's brigade, of the Fourteenth, twenty-seventh, and thirty-second Iowa, and twenty-fourth Missouri on the left, and a part of Colonel Wolf's brigade on the right, charged on the enemy and drove him back with great slaughter. This work was brief, but as gallant as any of the day.

A skirmish down the Pontotoc road occured about sunset, brought on by our sending out to bring in a piece of artillery of the enemy that we had disabled. It was some distance out from our line, but too near for the enemy to get it