Battle of Yellow Bayou.
May the 18th, 1864, the long roll called us to arms about 12 m. Shaw’s Brigade with Battery E, 2d Mo. Artillery, crossed the Yellow Bayou and double-quicked about a half mile to the front and immediately became engaged with the enemy’s advance. As fast as the several regiments of the 16th and 17th Corps reached the field they formed on our left. All the afternoon the tide of battle ebbed and flowed along the south bank of Bayou Rapides. Night closed in with Gen. Taylor falling back and Gen. Smith’s men in possession of the battle-field. Our loss was about five hundred killed and wounded. The enemy’s must have been much greater as they made several determined assaults on our lines. We captured about three hundred and fifty prisoners and from them we learned that Gen. Taylor had about fifteen thousand men engaged, about twice the number under Gen. Smith. About dark on the evening of the 18th, the 13th Corps arrived on the field and took position in front of Smith’s tired and bleeding troops.
May the 19th, early in the morning, the 13th Corps marched back to Simm’s Landing, leaving Gen. Smith with the 16th and 17th Corps, at the front. Gen. Taylor showing no disposition to resume hostilities and learning that the 13th and 19th Corps were safely across the pontoons on the Atchafalaya river, about 1 p. m. we took up our pontoon bridge across Yellow Bayou and the 16th Corps followed and crossed to the east bank of the Atchafalaya and camped, just sixty-five days from the time we first camped on the west bank on our way to Fort De Russy. On the 20th of May we reached the mouth of Red River. We here met our transports and the portion of the 21st Mo. that went home on veteran furlough, and embarked for Vicksburg. The 13th Corps went south to New Orleans.