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Lieut. Tosk says that it is undeniable that the officers of Jackson's troops displayed great ability in their manoeuvres, showing much strategic skill, but the men were raw and undisciplined, their inexperience in the art of war leading them continually into danger.
Notwithstanding their losses, the State troops still held their position so far as to cut off Siegel's advance over the creek, and that officer was compelled to retreat in the direction of Carthage, Jackson's men following and surrounding the column on three sides.
During the retreat, firing by the infantry was kept up, and in this way the cavalry was kept at some distance.
Siegel's command got back to Carthage at 6 1/2 o'clock, and at once undertook to enter the woods about a mile distant.
This movement was strongly and desperately resisted, Jackson's men feeling that once in the timber they could do nothing, being on horseback.
An effort to rally the cavalry to a charge was made, which brought the whole of the infantry into action.
After some hard fighting, Col. Siegel got his men into the woods, and so covered his retreat as to force the State troops to relinquish the further prosecution of the fight for the night.
The latter returned to Carthage with the evident purpose of renewing the battle in the morning.
Lieut. Tosk, without any positive information on the subject, thinks that in this last engagement near Carthage, Jackson's men must have suffered a loss of not less than two hundred killed. He says that during the whole day the loss on the National side was but eight killed and forty-five wounded, though we understand that the despatches of Col. Siegel to Col. Harding, at the Arsenal, place the number of killed at twenty-four.
The report that Lieut.-Col. Wolff was killed is erroneous, the only officer even wounded being Captain Stoudtman, of Siegel's regiment.
Col. Siegel, notwithstanding the great fatigue of the day — his men being in action nearly twelve hours, and suffering severely from the heat and from lack of water — ordered his men to press on in retreat from Carthage.
A forced march was made to Sarcoxie, in the south-east corner of Jasper County, (Carthage being the county seat,) a distance of twelve or fourteen miles. There they went into camp at 3 o'clock Saturday morning. In the afternoon of the next day the retreat was continued to Mount Vernon, in Lawrence County, sixteen or eighteen miles east of Sarcoxie, where Siegel took a stand, and where his Headquarters were located when Lieut. Tosk left, which was at 4 o'clock on the evening of the 7th.
We should have stated that our informant says that the cannon of the State troops was only provided with round balls, and was worked by very poor artillerists.
Lieut. Tosk met Gen. Sweeny with his force five miles from Mount Vernon, and Col. Brown 16 miles from there, so that the army under Col. Siegel had been largely augmented, and we may soon hear more exciting news from the Southwest.
Van Nostrand. New York, New York. 1862.
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