My Days and Nights on the Battle-Field

river makes a sharp curve, sweeping round a tongue of land towards the west and northwest, then turning again at New Madrid, making a great bend towards the southeast, as you will see by the ma

am are carried within a stone's throw of the Tennessee shore. The bank on th

They thought it was a place which could not be taken. They held New Madrid, eight miles below, on the Missouri side, which was defended by two forts. They held the island and the Tennessee shore. East of their position, on the Tennessee shore, was Reelfoot Lake, a large body of water surround

e, along the border of Reelfoot Lake, is about five miles, but the dis

sissippi, for New Madrid, which is forty miles distant. It was a slow, toilsome march. The mud was very deep, and he could move sca

nd N

oote's fleet.

bel floating-battery.

e batt

ne below it seven. Both were strong works, with bastions and angles, and ditches that could be swep

ral McCown, at New Madrid. General Mackall was sent up by Beauregard to direct the defence

t me tell you who I am. I am a General made by Beauregard,-a General select

stood on the fields of Mexico. Give them your co

rage, to your discipline, to your patience; exhibit the co

friends thus: "General Mackall has put the rear in effective defence. The forts are impregna

place, and would make New Madrid as famous in history as that narrow mountain-pass

ound, and it was an easy matter for the gunboats to throw shells over the town into the woods upon General Pope's army. The Rebels had over sixty pieces of heavy ar

possession of Point Pleasant, ten miles farther down. The order was admirably executed. Colonel Plummer planted his guns,

made holes in the ground for his artillery, and the Rebel shot did him no injury. Hollins began at long range, then steamed up nearer to the batteries, but Plummer's artillerymen, by their excellent aim, compelled him to withdraw. The next

all night, and in the morning had two breastworks thrown up, each eighteen feet thick, and five feet high, with a smaller breastwork, called a curtain, connecting the two. This curtain was nine hundred feet long, nine feet thick, and three feet high. On each side of the breastworks, thrown out like wings was a line of rifle-pits. Wooden platforms were placed behind the breastworks, and the guns all mounted by daylight. Colonel Bissell, of the engineers, managed it all. In thirty-four hours from the time he received th

d guns, and replied. He paid but little attention to the fort, but sent his shot and shell at the gunboats. Captain Mower, of the First United States artillery, commanded the batteries, and his fire was so accurate that the gunboats were obliged to take new positions. Shortly after the cannonade began, a shot from the fort struck one of Captain Mower's thirty-two pounders in the muzzle and disabled it; but he kept up his fire through the day, dism

deeply impressed with the fact that so few were injured by such a terrific fire, and at night sa

oticed that he did

ickets. General Paine advanced almost to the ditch in front of the fort. Preparations were made to hold the g

under fire all day. They had endured the strain upon their nerves, but through the long night-hours they stood in the drenching ra

igh-sounding words, the officer who was going to make New Madrid a Thermopyl?, and himself a Leonidas in history,-the nine thousand infantry had gone! Two or thr

rried them to the Tennessee shore near Island No. 10. They spiked their heavy guns, but Colonel

in bags, and a great quantity of ammunition

which had been pointed inland were wheeled the other way.

osed! No escape for

operations against New Madrid, and by the battle at Pea Ridge, in the southwestern part