Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 24.djvu/137

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rendered. * * * At this time General Prentiss must have been taken prisoner. He was a brave man and cheered his men to duty during the whole day. When the fight was thickest and danger the greatest, there was he found, and his presence gave renewed confidence. * * The great numbers of the dead in front of

this OIK- position caused remark and astonishment by all who beheld it the following day. This point was held from 9 o'clock A. M. till 4:30 P. M., amid the most dreadful carnage for a little space ever witnessed on any field of battle during the war."

In report dated December i, page 291. Colonel Quinn Morton says:

" We were then ordered to change our position and to engage a large force of the enemy who were pressing upon the centre, which was done.

"After a severe engagement at a distance of twenty-five or thirty yards, we drove the enemy back, not, however, without serious loss. We held the position assigned us until 4 P. M., fighting almost without intermission, at which time we were ordered to change our front to meet the enemy who had outflanked us. * * * We fought until 5 o'clock, driving the enemy back, although they charged us frequently during that time. Here there was a most horrible shower of shot and shell. We repulsed the enemy in our rear and determined to try and reach the main body of the army, which had fallen back to the river, and in the effort to lead our now broken force back, the gallant and much lamented Colonel Tyndall fell, shot through the body, after having done his duty most nobly during the day. After retiring about 200 yards we were met by a large force of the enemy and compelled to surrender at about 6 P. M., after ten hours of almost incessant fighting."

In his report dated October 26, page 154, Colonel Wm. T. Shaw says:

"At about a quarter to 5 P. M., I received an order from Colonel Tuttle to about face and proceed to engage the same body of the enemy. In order not to interfere with General Prentiss' lines, I marched by an oblique, passing close to the i8th Wisconsin in his line, and here for the third time that day the I4th engaged with the enemy. After less than half an hour we repulsed them and made* a short advance which revealed to me the facts of our position. * * General Prentiss having already surrendered with a part of his com- mand, the I4th was left in advance of all that remained, but com-