Though thwarted in his plan of attack by the unexpected obstructions which Colonel Moody’s division had to encounter, General Milroy was far from being disconcerted by the result. The men had evinced a high order of courage, and the divisions had alternately maintained an obstinate fight against an army of nearly three times their number.
The official report of the casualties on the Federal side gives the number of killed, twenty; wounded, one hundred and seven; missing, ten. The rebel loss is acknowledged by the Richmond Enquirer to have been about the same.
BATTLE AT MUNFORDSVILLE, KY.
December 17, 1861.
Colonel Willich, with the Thirty-second Indiana, a regiment composed of Germans, occupying an advance post of General McCook’s division of the Federal army in Kentucky, was attacked on the 17th of December, by three regiments of Arkansas infantry, Colonel Terry’s Texan Rangers, and Major Phifer’s cavalry, and also an artillery company, with four pieces, the whole under the command of General T. C. Hindman.
Colonel Willich’s regiment was guarding a new bridge built by the Federal troops over Green river, at Rowlett’s Station, on the Louisville and Nashville railroad, a temporary substitute for the handsome iron structure which had been destroyed by the rebels, in front of Mumfordsville. A picket guard of two companies had been thrown across the river on the south side, occupying a wide area of cleared ground, which was skirted by forests, from whence the rebels attempted to surprise and capture them.
The second company, Captain Glass, was acting in detached squads as pickets in the woods on the right flank, and were attacked in detail by the enemy’s skirmishers. The pickets made a gallant defence, and fell back slowly and in good order on their supports. The alarm in the mean time having been given to the other companies on the north side of the river, they started in “double-quick” over the bridge, crossed the hill on the opposite side, and rushed with fierce haste into the woods whence the firing proceeded, led on by Lieutenant-Colonel Treba, Colonel Willich at the time being necessarily at headquarters. A portion of the third company, under Lieutenant Sachs, occupied a covered position on the left flank, where they were now attacked by the advancing enemy. Unable to restrain the ardor of his men, the Lieutenant boldly left his sheltered position and attacked the rebels in the open field; but fierce as his onset was, the disparity of numbers proved too greatly against him, and his little band would have inevitably been cut to pieces but for the timely arrival of Lieutenant-Colonel Treba, with the main body of the regiment. He sent the sixth, seventh and tenth companies to support the second company on the right, and the first, fifth, eighth and ninth companies to support the third company on the left flank. At the very first rush of the skirmishers, the enemy were thrown into confusion, and driven back at all points.
Then the most severe and bloody part of the battle commenced. With terrible ferocity Colonel Terry’s regiment of Texas Rangers poured in black masses of cavalry upon the Union skirmishers along the whole line. They rode up within fifteen or twenty yards, some even in the very midst of the men, and commenced a terrible fire from their carbines and revolvers. At their first onset, it seemed as if every one of the men would be destroyed. But here it was that the veteran coolness and bravery of the Union troops shone forth. They allowed the enemy to come almost as near as he chose, and then poured a deadly fire upon him, which shook the entire line. Upon the right flank of the third company’s position, by order of Adjutant Schmidt, the eighth company was led forth by Lieutenants Kappel and Levy; upon the left, Lieutenant-Colonel Treba advanced with the ninth company; both attacked the enemy in close skirmishers’ line, drove him back, and rescued the rest of the heroic little band under Lieutenant Sachs. He himself and a number of his men were, however, already killed, though they had made the enemy pay dearly for their lives.
Now the artillery of the enemy was brought to bear upon the Union men. Their fire, balls and shrapnell, was well directed, but fortunately not very fatal. Only a few of the men were wounded by splinters of balls.
While this was going on upon the left wing, the conflict on the right was no less severe. The second, sixth and tenth companies were scattered as skirmishers, while the seventh was drawn up in company column for their support. The sixth company had taken position behind a fence. The Rangers galloped up to them in close line, and commenced firing from rifles and revolvers. Their fire was steadily returned by the sixth, which held them in check till a part of them got behind the fence, when the skirmishers fell back behind the seventh, drawn up in a square. Now a fearful conflict ensued. A whole battalion of Rangers, fully two hundred strong, bore down upon the little band of not more than fifty. Upon the front and left flank of the square they rushed, with a fierce attempt to trample down the squad before them.