THE WAR IN LOUISIANA: Another Battle on the Red River; THE REBELS BADLY WHIPPED (4/21/1864)

New York Times - Times Machine ^ | 4/21/1864

[Homer_J_Simpson]

CHICAGO, Wednesday, April 20.

Last evening's Journal publishes extracts from private letters from members of the Chicago Mercantile Battery, dated April 12, to the effect that on the day of the recent disaster to the Thirteenth Army Corps, Gen. A.J. SMITH, with the Nineteenth Army Corps, engaged the enemy and defeated them, capturing 2,000 prisoners and 20 cannon.

A letter dated Grand Ecore 11th, from a private in the Chicago Mercantile battery, giving an account of the part taken in the battle, confirms yesterday's dispatch in regard to the disaster to a portion of our forces composing the Red River Expedition.

The letter says, of our whole division, numbering 3,000 men, but 1,000 are left to tell the fearful odds against which they contended. Two regiments of the division were consolidated, and bad in all 140 men and seven officers -- the highest in rank being a Captain.

The Nineteenth Corps checked the rebels, and held them for about twenty-five minutes, when they were forced to retire, which they did slowly; and as night came on the bloody conflict ended.

The next morning Gen. A.J. SMITH came up with his command and relieved Gen. FRANKLIN, and whipped the rebels badly, recaptured 12 guns and took 800 prisoners.

A letter from another private in the same battery says: Our corps (the Thirteenth) is all cut to pieces, and we fell back to the place (Grand Ecore,) five or six miles from the battle-field to reorganize the last twenty-four pieces of artillery, all that were in the fight.

This letter says that Gen. SMITH captured 2,000 prisoners and 30 guns in the fight on the 0th.

Still another letter says: We get all sorts of reports from the front.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents U.S. History, 1861-1865: Seminar and Discussion Forum
The American Civil War, as seen through news reports of the time and later historical accounts

First session: November 21, 2015. Last date to add: May 2025.
Reading: Self-assigned. Recommendations made and welcomed.

Posting history, in reverse order

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Link to previous New York Times thread

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[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[Homer_J_Simpson]

The War in Louisiana: Another Battle on the Red River – 2
The War in Kentucky: The Rebels Defeated at Paintsville and Half Mountain – 2
Department of the Gulf: No Additional News of the Great Battle – 2
Affairs in Tennessee: The Project Dividing the State – 2-3
From Lookout Valley: A Reconnoissance – 3-4
The Fight at Paintsville, Ky.: The Rebels Repulsed with Loss – 4
From the Mississippi – 4
Remarkable History of a Military Company – 4
News from Washington: Special Dispatches to the N.Y. Times – 5
Proceedings of Congress – 5-6
The Metropolitan Fair: The Art Auction – 6
Editorial: Factious Opposition to the Union National Convention – 6-7
Editorial: The Army of the Potomac – 7-8
Company D, Forty-seventh Pennsylvania Regiment – 8
The New Tax Bill – 8
Grant and Lee – 8
Small Change – 8