Weekly Gazette
Elgin, Illinois
March 26, 1862

From the Thirty-Sixth

ROSE HILL, Benton Co., Ark.

Tuesday, March 11th, 1862

DEAR CAPTAIN;-

Your letter of Feb. 19th I received yesterday, and it was my intention to have answered the same day, as the mail was to go out this morning; but just as I had got out my desk and was preparing "go in" to the foolscap, an alarm was sounded, the "long roll" beat, the signal guns were fired to call in the stragglers, and the d--l was to pay generally, for a few minutes. It proved to be a false alarm; but e had packed up everything, and after that I couldn't write.

Will Smith's letter will probably reach you long before this one does, and will let you know that Co. A is all right, but he wanted me to write and hive you the particulars, which he said he had not time to do.

Well, after we gave up the chase after Price, on Sugar Creek, the 17th of Feb, Davis division joined ours, and we marched twelve miles further , to Osage Springs, four miles S. E. of Bentonville. Our division and Gen. Asboth's stayed here several days, but Davis's division moved on to Cross Hollows, five or six miles from us. The 2d of March our division marched again, this time camping on McKissock's farm, Bentonville. The night orders from Sigel to be in at 2 o'clock, A. M. We had reveille at 12, and from the time till four A. M., we stood shivering around our camp fires, wondering why in the world we didn't go, and where we were going to. I, of course, moved with the train, which went ahead, but I stopped some time in Bentonville, looking over documents in the "secesh" Court House, and while there I noticed a large body of cavalry on the prairie south of the town, but supposed, of course they were our own men. You see, we boys had not the slightest idea that there was a force of any importance within 50 miles of us. Well, we hadn't got out more than 3 miles further, before firing commenced in the rear, and pretty soon messengers came back for Col. Greusel, who said that our rear guard was attacked, and that our Co. B. was all cut to pieces. The 36th, which was close behind the train, was turned back, and presently the 17th Missouri, which was our advance guard, came back also, on double quick. The firing was kept up pretty much all day, and I didn't get reliable information until we went into camp that night , which we did on the bluffs overlooking Sugar Creek. It appears that Hank Gale, who has been driving the ammunition wagon belonging to our Reg't, in driving out from camp in the dark, run against a tree and broke his wagon tongue, and 40 men of Co. B, 36th, were left, under Lieu't Walker, to guard him while he was getting his wagon repaired. Bent Rowland and Baker, of Co. A, were also left with him, and Joy, the Reg't'l Blacksmith. Just after they started out, a Regiment of cavalry surrounded them, and the Col. ordered them to halt. They did so, and he then told them if they would lay down their arms they shouldn't be hurt; so they surrendered. Just then the 12th Mo., having got wind of what was going on, came up and opened fire on the Secesh. The Revel Col. ordered our boys to lie down so that they wouldn't get shot accidentally, by his men, which part of them did, and part took to the brush and escaped - among them Hank Gale and Baker. Bent R. got into the wagon, and in looking out to see what was going on, his guard hit him with a bayonet scabbard, in the face. Pretty soon the Rebels began to retreat, and the Col. ordered our boys to fall in and go with them. Bent told him he was sick and wouldn't walk, and the Col. then told him he could join his regiment, as he didn't want any such men. Hank's Jack mule was shot, so they couldn't get the wagon away.

Early on the morning of the 7th, the troops left camp, and bout 10:30 a.m. the first gun was fired. From that time till 8 p.m. both parties kept up a terrific cannonading. The battle ground is from four to five miles in length, and about five or six in breadth, with a space between our two divisions of about three miles, where there was very little fighting. From prisoners brought in early in the day, we ascertained that their force was about 45,000, under Generals Price, McCulloch, McIntosh, Pike and Van Dorn. Gen. Pike's force consisted of from four to six thousand Cherokee and Choctaw Indians.

Gen. Sigel directed the movements against McCulloch, who commanded the enemy's right wing, and Curtis and Davis fought Price.

The prisoners said that it was Prices intention to occupy Bentonville, and cut us off from Curtis; but being foiled in that by our moving so early, he had come the "Pea Ridge" road, got between us and Cassville, so that our retreat was completely cut off, and intended-to outflank us and drive us into the sugar Creek valley, when we should have been at his mercy. On the morning of the 8th the firing commenced about 9 a.m. and for two or three hours it was one continual war. Scarcely a second passed without the report of cannon. The musketry played pretty freely also. Our boys slept the night before in a corn field, without blankets and without fires, and got nothing to eat form breakfast one day till the same time the next day. However, they were "in for it," and didn't mind it much. About 10 o'clock on the 8th, Davis Brigade, having stood the firing till they could stand it no longer, began to fall back, through in good order. Gen. Sigel sent word to Curtis "for God's sake to hold on, " A battery which was playing in upon us with great accuracy, Sigel and must be taken, and the 36th, and 12th Mo. made a charge, capturing two pieces. It called all Sigel's power into play, but by his skillful management of our batteries, the enemy was forced to fall back, and the day was won. To him and to his division belongs the honor of the victory. About 12 o'clock the enemy commenced retreating in haste, our boys after them on double quick. We followed them to Keetsville, Mo., and then turned back, and are now camped on the Rose Hill battle field. All along the route from the field to Keetsville, some 10 or 12 miles, the road was strewed with broken muskets, shotguns, wagons, artillery carriages, caissons &c. But the sight on the battlefield was the most dreadful one I ever beheld. You have read enough descriptions of them to render it unnecessary for me to write on the subject. Suffice it to say that my ideas of a battle field were fully realized, and more than realized. And so ended on of the most severely contested battles of this Continent. I can only estimate the loss, but as near as I can get at it, that of the enemy, in killed and wounded, and prisoners, will be nearly four thousand, and out own some two thousand, though the figures may be somewhat large. We took a great many more prisoners than they did. the loss of the 36th in killed, wounded and prisoners, will be about 80. Of these some 8 or 10 are dead or will die, about 30 wounded and rest prisoners Considering that the 36th was in the thickest of the fight, they have been remarkably fortunate. The boys practiced lying flat on the ground, and letting the artillery play over them, which probably saved them 100 men. Co. A has but one man injured-Charley Cox, of Crystal lake and his is a flesh wound in the leg from a grape shot, which is of dangerous. Co. B. has 9 wounded and 26 prisoners, among the latter are Lieu't Walker and Serg't Douglas, and six corporals. Co. G has 13 wounded-Co. E 2 killed, &c.-Co. H has, I think, four wounded. The Indiana 18th, in one charge, lost 150 men. the Iowa 4th and 9th have also suffered severely.

All the boys speak in the highest terms of their officers, and the officers declare that their men behaved like veterans. E. was as cool as he would be at a fourth-of-July celebration-ditto Maj. Barry. Our boys say that George and Bill were just as collected s if on dress parade. Some of the officers had pretty close calls. Ed's saber bears the mark of a ball. Col. Greusel "dodged" just in time to prevent a cannon ball taking off his head, the same ball killing a Co. E. boy. Capt. Joslyn's wrist is blistered where a musket ball grazed it. Capt. Fish was thrown to the ground by the force of a 12 pound ball. Lieu't Holden has three or four scratches on his hands, where balls grazed him.

Charley Rapp had a narrow escape-a musket ball struck the cylinder of his revolver, which would otherwise have gone through him. None of the boys are sick, and since we have cleaned out Price, they all feel splendidly. The great trouble is to get enough to eat, and then, too, a great many of the boys are just about barefooted, and none of them have a change of clothes. But these are small matters-except the eating-in comparison with the whipping out of Price, and the good news we have from Tenn. K'y and N. C. While I write, the news come in that Hunter and Montgomery yesterday engaged a part of Price's retreating force in the Indian Territory, and whipped them out. Cannonading was certainly heard in that direction yesterday, and this morning part of Curtis' forces marched in the direction of the Indian Nations. We are under orders to leave in the morning. We are not in very good condition to move forward, on account of lack of supplies, both of provisions and clothing. If we can only follow up our victories, seems to me the war must soon end.

Fred Raymond is acting Adjutant, and Les Ticknor is acting Serg't Major.

Very truly, your friend,

A. A. KEYS