Battle of Pleasant Hill.
On the morning of the 9th of April Gen. Smith’s guerrillas had no revielle. About 3 a. m. our company officers came around nudging the sleeping men in the sides, in commands given in whispers ordered them to fall in line, and we were held in readiness to move. At daylight Col. Shaw’s brigade moved out on the Mansfield road about one mile, relieving our cavalry, who were already skirmishing. We were posted in a strong position along the east side of a cotton field, facing west, with a section of the 25th N. Y. Battery. We lay in this position all the forenoon with nothing to relieve the monotony except an occasional shell from our artillery feeling for the enemy in the woods beyond and frequent shots from the enemy’s sharpshooters. About 2 p. m. the enemy opened on our line with artillery. Our two pieces of artillery at once limbered up and went to the rear under whip. The enemy, thinking this was a continuation of the rout of the day before, charged our lines with a regiment of Texas cavalry. They, little dreaming that in the timber on the other side of the field lay a line of grim veterans who had seen service at Fort Donelson, Corinth, the Hornet’s Nest at Shiloh, and in the trenches around Vicksburg, made a magnificent charge to defeat and death. The enemy’s infantry then charged and our small brigade was soon fighting in front and flank. We held our position until the enemy had nearly cut us off from our main line, when we were compelled to fall back. We took a position two hundred and fifty yards from our first stand, which we held for over an hour and a half. Here occurred the most desperate fighting of the day, being almost a face to face combat. Overwhelming numbers at last forced us back to our reserve line, after losing quite a number taken prisoners. About sundown the final crash came when the enemy dashed against our massed line of artillery and infantry held in reserve. Night closed in with Smith’s guerrillas victorious and the enemy in full retreat towards Mansfield. The heaviest loss in the battle fell on Shaw’s brigade, being estimated at two thirds of the whole loss sustained in the engagement, amounting to some five hundred men killed, wounded and taken prisoners. The enemy’s loss was estimated at one thousand killed and wounded, eight hundred prisoners and eleven pieces of artillery.
While Smith’s guerrillas were fighting the battle of Pleasant Hill, Gen. Banks, with the 13th and 19th Corps, were improving the time in retreating. After caring for our wounded by placing them in hospitals and detailing surgeons and nurses from our ranks to care for them, about noon of the 10th we commenced to fall back towards Grand Ecore, following Gen. Banks’ army, which had preceded us, a shameful retreat and one that would never have been made had Gen. A. J. Smith been commander-in-chief. But Gen. Banks was whipped and thoroughly incompetent to command, and seemed to only have one idea—that was to get back to New Orleans as quickly as possible. His men under him seemed to share fully his demoralized condition. The 16th Corps were saucy and full of fight and had the utmost confidence in Gen. Smith, a feeling that was mutual between the commander and the men under him. We arrived at Grand Ecore on the 12th, and learning that our transports and gunboats were cooped up at Blair’s Landing, some twenty miles up the river, with some of the transports aground and a confederate battery below them, Gen. A. J. Smith at once crossed the river and hurried to their relief with the 16th Corps. After driving away the battery below and seeing the fleet safely on their way down the river, we returned to Grand Ecore and on the 22d of April took up our line of retreat for Alexandria. During this time Generals Kirby Smith and Taylor, commanding the Confederate forces, had not been idle, but were moving troops down the river to harass our retreat as much as possible. On the 23d we had a lively skirmish with them at Coulterville. Again at Monett Bluff April 23d. Here we found the enemy posted in a strong position on the bluff on the east side of the river. The 16th Corps was guarding the rear; the 13th and 19th Corps failing to drive the enemy, we were ordered up from the rear, forming on the right of the 19th Corps, fixed bayonets and charged. The enemy fell back and gave us for the time undisputed possession of the right of way. It was here that Gen. A. J. Smith informed Gen. Banks, in language more forceful than eloquent, that he would do the fighting at either end of the line of retreat, front or rear, but would not do both. We resumed our march on the 24th, the 16th Corps guarding the rear, without much trouble from the Johnnies, but when they pushed us too closely we would form a line of battle and they would very prudently keep at a safe distance. In this manner we continued to retreat to Alexandria, reaching there about April 30th.
N. D. STARR.
1st Lieut. Co. E, 21st Regiment Missouri Inf. Vet. Vols.
Vice-President 21st Missouri Inf. Vet. Vols. Association.
The fleet had already arrived, but the water on the falls was so low it began to look like we would have to lose our gunboats or stay there and guard them. In the meantime, to complicate the situation, Gen. Dick Taylor, commanding the Confederate forces, came up with about 18,000 men. On the 2d of May the 16th Corps was busily engaged at Henderson’s Hill skirmishing with their advance lines. The situation was now a gloomy one indeed, but at this critical moment Col. Bailey, of the 28th Wisconsin, suggested that the water on the falls could be raised by building wing dams, and as chief engineer he was detailed to superintend this work, and the 13th and 19th Corps placed at his disposal to do the work, while Gen. Smith, of the 16th, was drawn up in line of battle, south and east of town, watching the enemy; skirmishing with them May 3d at Jones’ Plantation, May 4th at Bayou LaMore, May 6th and 7th at Bayou Boeuf. Gen. Taylor then drew off, moving down the river some twenty miles, planting his batteries on the river bank and sinking two of our light gunboats and capturing our mail boat and mail.
About the 12th of May, the dam proving a success, the fleet passed below the falls. On the 14th we resumed our line of march for the mouth of Red River, Gen. Taylor falling back in front of us. On the 16th we found him drawn up in line of battle on the Marksville Prairie. After three hours’ fighting he fell back and took a position on Bayou De Glaze. On the 17th, after a sharp skirmish with him, he drew off to one side and let us pass. We then moved on down, the 13th and 19th Corps going into camp at Simmsport, on the Atchafalaya river, while the 16th Corps took up a position some three miles in the rear, on the east bank of Yellow Bayou.
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.