victory was complete. It has given us confidence in the officers and men of this command, that will enable us to lead them in any future engagement without fear of the result. General McClernand (who, by the way, acted with great coolness and courage throughout, and proved that he is a soldier as well as a statesman) and myself, each had our horses shot under us. Most of the field officers met with the same loss, besides nearly onethird of them being themselves killed or wounded. As near as I can ascertain, our loss was about two hundred and fifty killed, wounded, and missing." General McClernand, in his official report of this battle, after speaking of the hotness of the engagement, and narrow escapes of some of his officers, makes use of the following words : * "Here the projectiles from the enemy's heavy guns at Columbus, and their artillery at Belmont, crashed through the woods over and among us. * And here, too, many of our officers were killed or wounded; nor shall I omit to add, that this gallant conduct was stimulated by your (Grant's) presence, and inspired by your example. Here your horse was killed under you." After the United States troops had returned to their base of operations at Cairo, General Grant issued the following order : HEAD-QUARTERS, DISTRICT OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI, } CAIRO, November 8, 1861. The General commanding this military district, returns his thanks to the troops under his command at the battle of Belmont on yesterday. It has been his fortune to have been in all the battles fought in Mexico by Generals Scott and Taylor, save Buena Vista, and he never saw one more hotly contested, or where troops behaved with more gallantry. Such courage will insure victory wherever our flag may be borne and protected by such a class of men. To the brave men who fell, the sympathy of the country is due, and will be inanifested in a manner unmistakable. U. S. GRANT, Brigadier-General Commanding. But, while General Grant was engaged in congratulating those who had returned safe, he was not unmindful of the sufferers who had fallen wounded into the hands of the enemy. Knowing the incomplete state of the Medical and Surgical Departments of the rebel army opposed to him, he addressed the following dispatch to the rebel general, under a flag of truce : HEAD-QUARTERS, District of Southeast Missouri, General commanding forces, Columbus, Ky. : SIR:--In the skirmish of yesterday, in which both parties behaved with so much gallantry, many unfortunate men were left upon the field of battle, whom it was impossible to provide for. I now send, in the interest of humanity, to have these unfortunates collected, and medical attendance . secured them. Major Webster, Chief of Engineers, District Southeast Missouri, goes bearer of this, and will express to you my views upon the course that should be pursued under the circumstances, such as those of yesterday. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, U. S. GRANT, Brigadier-General Commanding. To this communication, the commander of the rebel post returned the following answer: HEAD-QUARTERS, FIRST DIVISION, WESTERN Department } COLUMBUS, KENTUCKY, November 8, 1861. Brigadier-General GRANT, U. S. A.: I have received your note in regard to your wounded and killed on the battle-field, after yesterday's engagement. The lateness of the hour at which my troops returned to the principal scene of action prevented my bestowing the care upon the wounded which I desired. Such attentions as were practicable were shown them, and measures were taken at an early hour this morning to have them all brought into my hospitals. Provision was also made for taking care of your dead. The permission you desire, under your flag of truce, to aid in attention to your wounded, is granted with pleasure, under such restrictions as the exigencies of our service may require. In your note you say nothing of an exchange of prisoners, though you send me a private message as to your willingness to release certain wounded men, and some invalids taken from our list of sick in camps, and expect, in return, a corresponding number of your wounded prisoners. My own feelings would prompt me to waive again the unimportant affectation of declining to recognize these States as belligerents, in the interests of humanity; but my government requires all prisoners to be placed at the disposal of the Secretary of War. I have dispatched him to know if the case of the seventy wounded held by me will form an exception. I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, L. POLK, Major-General C. S. A. Five days after the engagement, General Grant wrote his official report of the whole affair :-- CAIRO, November 12, 1961. On the evening of the 6th instant, I left this place with two thousand eight hundred and fifty men of all arms, to make a reconnoissance toward Columbus. The object of the expedition was to prevent the enemy from sending out re-enforcements to Price's army in Missouri, and also from cutting off columns that I had been directed to send out from this place and Cape Girardeau, in pursuit of Jeff. Thompson. Knowing that Columbus was strongly garrisoned, I asked General Smith, commanding at Paducah, Kentucky, to make demonstrations in the same direction. He did so, by ordering a small force to Mayfield and another in the direction of Columbus, not to approach nearer than Ellicott's Mills, some twelve miles from Columbus. The expedition under my immediate coinmand was stopped about nine miles below here on the Kentucky shore, and remained until morning. All this served to distract the enemy, and led him to think he was to be attacked in his strongly fortified position. At daylight we proceeded down the river to a point just out of range of the rebel guns, and debarked on the Missouri shore. From here the troops were marched by flank for about one mile toward Belmont, and then drawn up in line of battle, a battalion also having been left as a reserve near the transports. Two companies from each regiment, five skeletons in number, were then thrown out as skirmishers to ascertain the position of the enemy. It was but a few moments before we met him, and a general engagement ensued. The balance of my forces, with the exception of the reserve, was then thrown forward-all as skirmishers-and the enemy driven, foot by foot, and from tree to tree, back to their encampment on the river bank, a distance of two miles. Here they had strengthened their position by felling the timber for several hundred yards around their camp, and making a sort of abatis. Our men charged through this, driving the enemy over the bank into their transports in quick time, leaving us in possession of every thing not exceedingly portable. Belmont is on low ground, and every foot of it is commanded by the guns on the opposite shore, and, of course, could not be held for a single hour after the enemy became aware of the withdrawal of their troops. Having no wagons, I could not move any of the captured property; consequently, I gave orders for its destruction. Their tents, blankets, &c., were set on fire, and we retired, taking their artillery with us, two pieces being drawn by hand; and one other, drawn by an ineffi cient team, we spiked and left in the woods, bringing the two only to this place. Before getting fairly under way, the enemy made his appearance again, and attempted to surround us. Our troops were not in the least dis couraged, but charged on the enemy again, and defeated him. Our loss was about eighty-four killed, one hundred and fifty wounded—many of them slightly--and about an equal number missing. Nearly all the missing were from the Iowa Regiment, who behaved with great gallantry, and suffered more severely than any other of the troops. I have not been able to put in the reports from sub-commands, but will forward them as soon as received. All the troops behaved with much gallantry, much of which is atttributed to the coolness and presence of mind of the officers, particularly the colonels. General McClernand was in the midst of danger throughout the engagement, and displayed both coolness and judgment. His horse was three times shot. My horse was also shot under me. To my staff, Captains Rawlins, Logan, and Hillyer, volunteer aids, and to Captains Hatch and Graham, I am much indebted for the assistance they gave. Colonel Webster, acting chief-engineer, also accompanied me, and displayed highly soldier-like qualities. Colonel Doherty, of the Twenty-second Illinois volunteers, was three times wounded and taken prisoner. The Seventh Iowa Regiment had their lieutenant-colonel killed, and the I colonel and major were severely wounded. The reports to be forwarded will detail more fully the particulars of our loss. Surgeon Brinton was in the field during the entire engagement, and displayed great ability and efficiency in providing for the wounded and organizing the medical corps. The gunboats Tyler and Lexington, Captains Walker and Stemble, United States navy, commanding, convoyed the expedition and rendered most efficient service. Immediately upon our landing, they engaged the enemy's batteries, and protected our transports throughout. For particulars, see accompanying report of Captain Walker. U. S. GRANT, Brigadier-General Commanding. General Polk's account of the battle is brief and exultant: HEAD-QUARTERS, FIRST DIVISION WESTERN Department, To General Head-Quarters, through General A. S. JOHNSTON :— } The enemy came down on the opposite side of the river, Belmont, today, about seven thousand five hundred strong, landed under cover of gunboats, and attacked Colonel Tappan's camp. I sent over three regiments, under General Pillow, to his relief, then, at intervals, three others, then General Cheatham. I then took over two others in person, to support a flank movement which I had directed. It was a hard-fought battle, lasting from half-past ten A. M. to five P. M. They took Beltzhoover's Battery, four pieces of which were recaptured. The enemy were thoroughly routed. We pursued them to their boats seven miles, then drove their boats before us. The road was strewn with their dead and wounded, guns, ammunition, and equipments. Our loss considerable; theirs heavy. L. POLK, Major-General Commanding. General Polk's dispatch confesses to a severe rebel loss, both of men and artillery. No blame can reasonably be attached to General Grant for the movement because not successful, acting, as he did, under the orders of the Department of which he was only district commander, and consequently responsible only for the time and manner of fighting. The attack was undeniably well planned and brilliantly executed. Braver troops never shed their blood on the battle-field, and, had it not been for the large re-enforcements of the enemy, would have been regarded as one of the most gallant encounters in the early history of the war. Neither General Grant nor the country will blush over the faithful record of the action at Belmont. When General Halleck scanned the battle with his fine military appreciation, he said: "Grant will do to trust an army with." While the rebels lost, in killed and wounded, two thousand eight hundred, General Grant lost, in all, less than six hundred. Of the cannon taken, two were cap tured from us at Bull Run. But the noble leader in the strife did not forget that there was a third class of men, besides the living in the ranks and the dead which had left them-the wounded in the hands of the enemy. When, after the struggle, General Grant, under a flag of truce, sent a detachment to bury the dead and remove the wounded, they heard the song of "The Star-spangled Banner" rising on the still air. Following the sound, they discovered under a tree a warrior with both legs mangled, from whose feverish lips the national anthem rang out over the gory plain. Of such material was the chieftain's army made. Another incident strikingly illustrated a mournful peculiarity of the war-near relatives and friends fighting against each other. Captain Brooks, of the Twenty-seventh Illinois, came against a corpse. Looking at the dead surgeon, he recognized his own brother, who, he knew, was in the rebel army, but had no intimation where he was serving the cause of treason. General Fremont, then at the head of the Department in which the field of conflict lay, about this time was superseded by General Hunter. |