Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 2.djvu/405

 roads through marshes as well as fighting battles, had converted the men of the Twenty-ninth Iowa into well-seasoned, thoroughly disciplined veteran soldiers. On the 2d of April, General Steele’s army was on the march from Arkadelphia to Washington. As the country was destitute of provisions the Union army had to transport its supplies. The train, consisting of four hundred wagons when passing along the ordinary road was four miles in length.

A large body of Confederate cavalry hovered around the marching columns watching for a favorable chance to make a dash upon the long wagon train. On this day when the main body of the army crossed the bayou of Terre Noir, the train was several miles in the rear.

BATTLE OF TERRE NOIR

Here was the long-looked-for opportunity to attack the line of wagons. About eleven o’clock Shelby’s Brigade of cavalry suddenly fell upon the train in a wild rush with loud shouts, pouring in a volley from their carbines and charging with drawn sabers. The Twenty-ninth Iowa with a section of artillery made up the rear guard and met the charge with a well directed fire, which emptied many saddles. Three times the Confederate brigade charged upon the single regiment before the line was broken. The odds were, however, too great to be longer successfully resisted. The left wing of the regiment was overwhelmed by superior numbers and forced back in confusion onto the main body. Just at this critical moment General Rice with reënforcements came upon the field and charged the enemy, driving the cavalry back with heavy loss. Soon after Shelby was reënforced by a brigade under Cabell and the attack was renewed. The Ninth Wisconsin now reached the field of conflict and opened a heavy fire on the enemy. The battle continued until after dark. While our troops were repelling an attack the train would close up and move on. Then the march in fighting