Comte de Paris, History of the Civil War in America. Vol. 1.
Henry Coppee , LL.D., Ed.

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[362] rally the Seventh Iowa, whose officers were nearly all disabled, was seriously wounded and taken prisoner. As the steamers were getting under way they were riddled with balls by the enemy, who was only fifty metres from the bank, but, strange to say, only one man was killed; and soon the two vessels, firing grape into the Confederate ranks, compelled them to seek shelter in the woods. While slowly ascending the river the steamers picked up many soldiers, either single or marching in squads, who had gone astray and had reached the river bank. Finally, very late in the evening, the flotilla came to anchor in front of Cairo. Grant immediately sent an order to Oglesby to leave New Madrid and return to the point whence he had started—an order which that officer promptly and successfully executed. The two demonstrations which had been ordered for the day previous had been made, but without discovering any enemy.

The battle of Belmont cost Grant, it is said, thirty-four killed, two hundred and eighty-eight wounded, and two hundred and thirty-five prisoners. The loss which he inflicted upon the enemy was much greater: he captured about one hundred and fifty men and two pieces of cannon; the retreat, however, was too precipitate for the result of the expedition to be regarded as a success. If, as the public believed, Grant had intended to take up his position at Belmont, the affair was a complete failure. The fact of Oglesby's column being sent to New Madrid, to the south of Belmont, would seem to justify that assumption. Such an intention, however, should not be attributed to him, as it would imply that he was ignorant of the strength of Polk's army and of the configuration of the ground, which placed Belmont at the mercy of the guns of Columbus. It appears in reality that Grant's project was to make a simple demonstration, without carrying the attack to a conclusion, but he was afraid of discouraging his troops by stopping them before they had been seriously engaged. At all events, even after the capture of the camp, if, instead of dispersing, they had pursued Pillow's soldiers and fallen back immediately afterwards, they would have been satisfied with their success, and he could have led them back without loss. The fight at Belmont was nothing more than an isolated incident which could have no serious consequences. The