Yes sir...

Report of Captain William D. Blocher, Blocher's Arkansas Artillery (Confederate) on the Battle of Prairie Grove, Arkansas, December 7, 1862.

CAMP ON LEE'S CREEK, AT OLIVER'S,

December 9, 1862.
MAJOR: The following report of the part my battery took in the engagement on Sunday, December 7, at Prairie Grove is respectfully submitted.

I received orders from Brigadier General [James Fleming] Fagan about 11 o'clock to go immediately into battery on the Fayetteville and Cane Hill Road on the crest of the hill, and remained about half an hour, when I received orders to limber up and advance about 150 yards down the road, and take a position at a house about 200 yards from the right of it, on the side of the hill.

Skirmishers here reported to me from Colonels [Joseph C.] Pleasants', [James P.] King's and [Alexander Travis] Hawthorn's Regiments, which I ordered to my front right and left at least 200 yards in advance of my battery. I remained for nearly an hour when the enemy advanced a battery up the road and into a field on their right and opened fire upon my battery, which I returned and drove them from the field. I then ceased firing for about an hour.

During this time the enemy had brought two batteries in the field under cover of a column of infantry. The infantry having started from the field, I was ordered to commence firing. I directed my fire upon the column of infantry and continued until they retired from the field. I then turned it upon the battery nearest the road. In the meantime, one of my guns having been rendered unserviceable by a primer being fastened in the vent, I ordered it off the field to be repaired.

During this time the enemy had placed three more batteries on the field and were directing a heavy fire upon my battery, doing but little damage. After firing about twenty minutes, I received orders from Brigadier General [Francis Asbury] Shoup to cease. The batteries continued to throw spherical case, canister, and solid shot, also large projectiles from an English rifle battery upon the position occupied by me.

At this time the line of battle was advancing across the field, evidently for the purpose of charging my battery, when I sent a messenger to Brigadier General Fagan to know whether I should remain where I was or retire further up the hill. This messenger met you, and you ordered him to return immediately and order me to fire canister shot, when their advanced line, which was under cover of the hill and unseen by me until within twenty yards of my battery, opened fire, and advanced in solid mass in a run upon my battery, killing and wounding a large number of horses and men. I attempted to limber to the right, with the intention of moving to the rear by the road on my right, but was unable to do so, owing to the enemy pressing me so closely and killing so many horses.

I then ordered my men to fall back to the infantry and leave the guns. They fell back to the rear of Colonel Hawthorn's Regiment, at least 250 yards to my rear and on my left, which was lying down until the enemy advanced and fired upon them. When the regiment had driven the enemy back from my guns, I took two pieces from the ground and could not get horses enough to take any more carriages away at that time. After the firing had ceased for the day, I got horses from Captain [Westley] Roberts' Battery and rescued my last piece and caisson. Two of my caissons I could not find, supposed to have been carried to the rear by our own men.

My loss during the engagement was two men killed, eleven wounded, and eleven missing (most of them supposed to be killed or wounded) and forty horses killed.

My thanks are due Captain [John G.] Marshall for lending me his forge, limber and horses to a disabled caisson from the field; to Lieutenants [James] Cook, [J.V.] Zimmerman, and [Edward] Visart, and particularly to my men for their coolness and bravery during the entire engagement - not one of them left their posts until the order was given. My thanks are also due Lieutenant J. Wesley Halliburton (First Arkansas Cavalry), who reported to me for duty before the engagement and rendered me valuable services.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. D. BLOCHER,

Captain, Commanding Light Battery.
Major WILLIAM [EDWARD] WOODRUFF, JR.

Chief of Artillery.
[Weekly Arkansas Democrat, newspaper, Little Rock, Arkansas, May 29, 1879]