Another account of the battle of Oak hill.
--The Memphis Appeal publishes the following extract of a letter from
Gen. E. Greer, of
Mississippi, descriptive of the battle near
Springfield, Mo.:
‘
I think that it was the hardest fought battle that ever occurred on this continent.
Lyon had about ten or eleven thousand of the best organized, the best drilled, best disciplined and best armed troops now engaged in this war. He selected his position well in front, while
Siegel steadily stole up in our rear.--Soon the fight opened all around us. The grape, canister, ball and shell fell thick and fast.--My regiment kept their horses saddled all night and slept on their arms, when the ball opened in our rear, and the hissing shot and bursting shell came rushing over and around us. I ordered my command to mount, and tried to cross a large creek in our rear, between us and the enemy, in order to charge their battery, but the road was completely blocked up with wagons.
Then I was ordered up to the left, and soon after was ordered to flank the enemy on his right.
I ordered
Col. Carroll's regiment to take a position, and I would move my command beyond his and charge
Gen. Lyon's command in the rear.
I gave the command ‘"Charge!"’ and was followed by as gallant a band of Texans as ever fought on any battle-field.
Our position for the most of the day was in the rear of the enemy.
The appearance and presence of this large cavalry force in their rear, occasionally shouting like demons, and charging on them, prevented
Lyon's command, through fear, from moving forward, and intimidated a large force of infantry, which never did get on the field.
These facts will never be fully known, unless the enemy make a fair report and true statement of facts.
I hope they may do so.
"As soon as the cavalry under me (I was acting as
Brigadier General) left the rear of the enemy, they retreated from the field.
I moved my command around, and received orders from
General McCulloch to take a position on a commanding ridge.
I there learned that
Siegel, with two pieces of cannon and two or three thousand
Dutch, had gone down the road.
I dispatched two of my
Texas companies and one
Missouri company after him. They captured his regimental flag and cannon, and killed and captured nearly all of his men.
Siegel got into
Springfield with two men only.
Myself and command were ordered in pursuit of the enemy, but unfortunately ordered in the wrong direction.
We remained in the saddle from sunrise to sunset.
’
