New York Times US
THE WAR IN ARKANSAS.
Details of the Victory at Maysville.
A TRIUMPH AGAINST GREAT ODDS.
We published more than a week since a brief account, by telegraph, of Gen. BLUNT's victory over the rebels at Maysville, Ark., on the 22d ult. We find the first details that have been received in a letter to the Leavenworth Conservative, as follows:
"Maysville is almost directly west, (a little to the north,) and some twenty-three miles distant from Bentonville, immediately on the boundary line between Arkansas and the Indian Nation. It is seven or eight miles south of the northwest corner of Arkansas. From there, some four miles in a southwesterly direction, over an open, beautiful prairie, the enemy were found at the edge of the woods, the site of an old United States military garrison long since abandoned.
Gen. BLUNT had with him no other force but three companies of the Kansas Second that had happened to be in the lead, and his body guard of some 25 or 30 men. Soon the other companies of the Second arrived upon the ground; the whole regiment numbering not to exceed 600 men all told. They were dismounted to act as infantry, Gen. BLUNT directing the movements in person, and encouraged the men, promptly and efficiently seconded by Col. BASETT and all his officers. The regiment had with it two little mountain howitzers, and the men were armed with Harper's Ferry rifles without bayonets. Emboldened by the very small number of our people present, the enemy brought out his artillery clear of the woods, and commenced blazing away at them industriously, but a very few hundred yards intervening between the two lines and no obstacle in the way. Of course the compliment was returned promptly and with a will from the two little howitzers, and thus the matter went on for some time. Finally, impatient of longer delay, the worn was given for the gallant Second to advance (od foot, of course,) which it did with a rush, firing as it went straight up to the muzzles of the enemy's guns, driving his cannoniers from them, seizing the four brass pieces and bringing them in triumph from the ground. Close at hand lay the forces of the enemy, probably not less than 7,000 strong, concealed mostly by the woods. The head of our own anxiously looked-for column, the Eleventh Kansas, Sixth Kansas. RABB's and the Kansas Batteries, were still back three miles or more toward Maysville; while the rear of the column -- WEIR's Regiment and others -- were still further back, perhaps eight or ten miles off. New orders were sent for the advance to come up rapidly, which it did accordingly -- had been doing, in fact, all the time since the dawn of day. The Sixth, headed by its gallant Colonel, JUDSON, came galloping over the four miles of prairie between Maysville and the point where the light was going on; the horses of RABB's Battery under trot, and the men of the splendid new Eleventh Regiment at double-quick, under the lead of EWING, MOONLIGHT and PLUMB, until they were nearly exhausted, and made the distance in admirable time -- MOONLIGHT himself, by the way, on foot at the head of the men.
Arrived upon the ground, RABB's Battery was placed in position with the customary promptitude of its youthful commander, and at once the six mouths of the fierce, spiteful pieces were heard barking away at the foe, who had retired into the woods, giving forth music that was truly inspiring.
The Eleventh and the Sixth were formed into line of battle on the right of the position occupied by the Second, and close up to the woods. Soon, also, the First and Second Indiana Regiments, Cols. WATTLES and PHILLIPS, arrived upon the ground, and were placed upon the left, with orders from Gen. BLUNT to sweep the woods in a wide circle in that direction, and find the enemy -- the Sixth and Eleventh advancing simultaneously on the right. All went ahead, and some skirmishing ensued at different points, but no considerable force of the enemy was overtaken. Again they had fled.
What the casualties of yesterday's affair have been is not yet known. Four of the Kansas Second, slain in the attack upon the battery captured by it, were buried a few hours later in the open prairie, under three or four small quaking asp trees, a short distance north of the battle-ground. Several others were more or less severely wounded -- some of them, perhaps, to die -- and others to recover.
The battery captured yesterday consists of three 6-pounders and one 12-pounder field howitzer, all brass, and supplied with some thirty or forty rounds of ammunition. One of the caissons was knocked to pieces by the shells from our howitzers, and another hauled away. A number of horses were killed -- all the others attached to the guns being captured with them.