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

A reconnoissance sent towards Farmington found the enemy four thousand five hundred strong, with four pieces of artillery and some cavalry, occupying a strong position near the town. Our forces advanced at once to the assault, and after a sharp skirmish carried the position in fine style. The enemy left thirty dead on the field, with their tents and baggage, our cavalry pursuing them. The whole affair was very handsome, our regiments charging the battery [5] and their line of infantry at the double-quick. The enemy fled in wild confusion. Some regiments of cavalry sent through to Boonville took possession of the town, tore up the railroad track and destroyed two bridges. We have a good many prisoners, but can't tell how many yet. Our loss is two killed and twelve wounded.

General Paine's division made a reconnoissance to Farmington to-day, found about four thousand five hundred of the enemy, drove them in hand — some style, killing thirty, wounding many, and capturing some prisoners, their camp equipage, etc. At dark our cavalry was in pursuit of their artillery and baggage-train beyond Farmington, in the direction of Corinth. I witnessed the fight. Our men behaved splendidly.

An artillery reconnoissance went to Glendale this morning and destroyed two trestle-bridges, and some track of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. It has been a splendid day's work for the left wing. The weather is clear and the roads are becoming good.

Yesterday was a busy and bloody day with this command, or a part of it at least. Our forces had scarcely got fairly into their new camp, midway between Hamburgh and Corinth, before an order came to “reconnoitre in force” the route via Farmington, to the vicinity of the rebel works. Gens. Paine and Palmer were detailed for the work, and at ten o'clock on the third instant were on the march to accomplish it. The regiments selected were the Tenth, Sixteenth, Twenty-second, Twenty-seventh, Forty-second, and Fifty-first Illinois volunteers, Tenth and Sixteenth Michigan volunteers, Yates sharp-shooters, Illinois; Houghtailing's (Illinois) and Hezcock's (Ohio) batteries; and the Second Michigan cavalry. The column proceeded out on the Farmington road about five miles, when it encountered the enemy's pickets. The sharp-shooters immediately formed in line-of-battle order in the road, throwing flanking parties out to the right and left, and opening a most terrific fire from the bushes, which was promptly returned by the rebels. Six rebel saddles were emptied in half as many minutes by the terrible hand of death; eight others of the “butternuts” were severely wounded; eight others were taken prisoners, and the rest, some forty, “skedaddled” off in the direction of Farmington. Five of the Yates Phalanx were severely wounded, but none were killed. Our forces immediately pushed on; but had proceeded but a few rods when they encountered a succession of fallen trees across the road, from behind which a deadly fire was opened upon our advance. As soon as it was possible to discover the enemy's position the sharpshooters charged over the abattis, driving the enemy before them like a flock of panic-stricken rats running from a Cairo basement in a time of high-water. This last firing was of no detriment to us, for we lost no men by it, and it taught us that the rebels were prepared and determined to dispute our progress inch by inch from this point onward. As fast as they would show us their whereabouts, however, our infantry would dislodge them, and so it continued for half a mile or more, over tangled bushes and obstructed swamp roads, to the open fields to the east of Farmington. But as fast as the sharpshooters advanced the engineers of Col. Bissell--those who took the steamboats over-land to New — Madrid — would clear away the debris and repair the bridges, so that at three o'clock the vanguard emerged from the swamp.

Now commenced the fight in earnest. The enemy had posted four pieces of artillery upon an elevation of perhaps twenty feet in height, completely commanding the road, and making it utterly impossible for our troops to gain the open field, except by a detour to the right or left. Then Col. Morgan's (Tenth) regiment were sent to the right, with the Yates sharpshooters to the left, who soon poured such a fire of musketry upon their ranks as sent the gunners from their pieces in confusion, and caused the infantry to rush pell-mell over the hill to their second position, where they formed in line of battle. Then the rebel postillions galloped up to the guns, limbered them up, and dragged them away, under a most galling fire from our infantry.

Their second position was taken upon the crest of a hill, to the right of the Farmington road, just in advance of a piece of dense wood, being flanked upon the left by an old cotton-gin and press, and on the right and in front by a deep though not impassable ravine. It now became apparent that the enemy were determined only to treat us to a cannon fight, and had taken such a position as to preclude us from advancing upon them except by a circuitous route of some two miles, which, being through swamp and brush, was impossible. So Houghtailing's guns were brought forward, and emerging from the timber at a double-quick, went into battery upon the same ground just vacated by the rebels. Now, for half an hour a terrible artillery duel was kept up, the enemy showing a spirit of chivalry worthy a better cause, two regiments of infantry in the mean time going around and gaining a position commanding their left flank, and opening upon them with musketry at a distance of only about three hundred yards, such a fire as sent their butternut colored ranks into the tall timber as if the old Nick or some other justice of the peace was after them. Finding themselves deserted by their infantry support, the rebel artillerists changed their position to a point about a half-mile further on. Their new position was just to the right of the road leading from Farmington to Corinth, upon the brow of a [6] hill, and about three eighths of a mile north of the village of Farmington. Houghtailing's battery immediately moved up to the enemy's second position at the cotton-gin, while Hezcock's battery proceeded to an open field in front of Farmington and to the enemy's right, from which two points our fire soon became too terrible for humanity to endnre, and the rebels fled in confusion in the direction of Corinth. Then our infantry were drawn up at the town and along the roads, while the cavalry were sent on after the flying foe.

Our loss was only two killed and eleven wounded, while that of the enemy was ten killed, twelve wounded, (now in our hands,) and about thirty prisoners. The rebel forces were commanded by Brig. Gen. Marmaduke, and consisted of the following regiments:

Third confederate (regular) infantry, Maj. Keep.

Twenty-ninth Tennessee infantry, Col. Sam. Powell.

Twenty-fifth Tennessee infantry, Col. White.

Third Louisiana infantry, Col. Pettigrew.

One battalion of regular cavalry, and

Swett's battery of light artillery (four pieces) of Vicksburg.

The affair was a most brilliant one through-out, and reflected great credit upon all concerned.