Here is another, more lengthy account of the Ashley fight that I posted and which since has been archived. Note that it refers to the death of Beck.
4 Sept. 1862, Louisiana Journal, p. 1
REBEL RAID INTO OLD PIKE!--THE FIGHT AT ASHLEY--NINETEEN UNION MEN WHIP ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY REBELS!!--THE ASHLEY BOYS COVER THEMSELVES WITH GLORY!--Full Particulars, &c.--
About day-break on Thursday morning, of last week, a guerrilla party of one hundred and twenty-five or thirty men, made an attack upon the village of Ashley, for the purpose of seizing arms sent there for protecting that vicinity against depredation. The enrolled militia men station there, not dreaming that there was any apprehension of immediate danger, had merely posted a few sentinels on the main roads leading into the village, to give alarm should occasion arise. Scarcely any person were at their armory.
At the time stated, the sentinels on the north side came in, stating that the bushwhackers were coming in large force. There was but a moment's time for preparation, as right upon the heels of the notice came the rebels. Only a few persons, therefore, could be gotten together for defence. About twelve had reached the second story of J.C. Elmore’s store-room--some four were in the upper room of John McCormick’s store--and some five or six in a two-story brick building a few rods north of Elmore's store.
In this condition of affairs, the whole band of rebels came rushing in through the main street from the north, yelling like so many savages. A few well directed shots from Elmore's store abruptly checked the even tenor of their way, and caused the party to spread themselves in line of battle, as they at once discovered their progress had to be made with caution. Accordingly their men were posted behind the houses, out buildings, fences, and whatever else afforded shelter from the effectively managed arms in the hands of the besieged. Ball and buckshot flew like leaden hail in every direction. That fired by the rebel crew was hurled against the three buildings already described, but mostly against Elmore's store, that being a frame and most of the shots received by the assailants coming from it. No less than twenty-eight shots penetrated the interior of this building, a number passing through a central partition, and one even passing out at the opposite end. A number of shots entered the windows of McCormick's store, and a few spent their force against the brick walls. The brick north of Elmore's was also peppered, but to what extent we are not informed. At the end of about forty minutes from the commencement of the firing, the leaders of the gang sent Mr. J.C. Elmore, whom they had arrested and pressed into service with a flag of truce and the following note:--
Ashley, Aug. 28, 1862
Commanding Officer:
We demand an unconditional surrender as far as arms are concerned. All prisoners will be paroled on honor.
Signed, Col. Porter & Burbridge, Maj. Snyder Commanding 3d Division
To which Capt. Purse sent the following reply:
Ashley, Aug. 28
Col. Porter &c.
Can't comply with your request. Your men should have respected your own messenger.
Wm. H. Purse, Capt.,
Commanding Post
The last sentence of Capt. Purse's reply will be understood when it is stated that while Mr. Elmore was standing on the platform at the door, on the outside of his own store, and awaiting an answer, he was fired on by the guerrillas and wounded severely though not dangerously, immediately below the shoulder blade, the ball passing out under his right arm.
After the return of Mr. Elmore, a few shots were fired by both parties, some by one or two citizens who had got out just in time to have a hand in the affair. Mr. E. states that he exhorted the person who seemed to be in command to withdraw his men, as he was only exposing the lives of the citizens and of his own men and could accomplish nothing. The order to retreat was given, but from another motive doubtless, than Mr. Elmore's exhortation. The rebels were badly whipped.
Now the result. On our part we regret that Mr. George Trower was shot and instantly killed by a squad of rebels who came up to him on the east side of Ashley, near the Clarksville fork of the road, some time after the fight was over. The rascals pretended they belonged to Capt. Trower's company of enrolled militia and thus crept up on George, who was a brother of Capt. Trower.
The only person seriously injured in the village were in Elmore's store. Mr. James Venable, whom our Louisiana readers will remember as a worthy citizen of our town until within a year or so ago, was mortally wounded in the hip and abdomen. He died on Friday night, and was brought by an escort to this city and buried on Saturday. Mr. Ambrose Vanarsdale was dangerously perhaps not mortally wounded in the chest. At last accounts he was recovering, but still in a critical condition. John W. Kiser was shot in the shoulder slightly; Samuel S. Grimmett in the thigh and hand slightly; Crede L. Grimmett in the face slightly; Joseph W. Orr, (Capt. Rice's company of Red Rovers [Co. I, 3rd MSM Cav.]) through wrist--severely; H.M. Reid in the rib slightly. Our total loss was two killed and nine wounded.
Only nineteen men we are assured, fired a gun at the rebels. Two or three in the buildings above named, being alarmed, did not fire, but wished to surrender, deeming the situation untenable against such fearful odds. The rest said--"No surrender. We'll fight and whip the scoundrels." And they did whip them soundly. Of these nineteen nearly a dozen of those not seriously injured, were peppered in their person or clothing, showing that the place where they were posted was about as hot as such places ever get to be. Judging from these facts, we think it may be fairly said of the Ashley men--THEY COVERED THEMSELVES ALL OVER WITH GLORY!"
The guerrilla loss was Capt. Moses Beck, instantly killed by a musket ball through the head. Beck was from Warren county but formerly resided a few miles southwest of Ashley. His father is a Baptist preacher.
A private by the name of Worsham, of this county, was instantly killed, a large ball having carried away a part of the skull on the left side.
A youth of eighteen or nineteen, of intelligent and good appearance, was wounded in the abdomen, and died on Thursday night. His name was said to be James William Friedly. He was from St. Charles.
David Whitesides, of Lincoln county, was also wounded in the abdomen and died on Friday night. He was Orderly Sergeant of Beck's company and had the muster roll in his possession. He was about twenty-five years old, well educated, and until the madness that unhappily rules the hour seized upon him was looked upon by all who knew him as a young man of most excellent reputation.
A private, David Blue, of Ralls, was found by our men on Friday, at the house of Ambrose Lovelace, eight miles southwest of Ashley, wounded in the abdomen--and has since died.
The ubiquitous Clint Burbridge was in the gang, and it is said, may be known hereafter by his having had the top of his right ear clipped by a ball. Snyder was also wounded--in the ear and thigh, it is said. Besides those named it is known the rebels had several of their men badly wounded. In the woods back of Ashley, the writer of this saw three large pools of blood, and tracked them nearly half a mile by clots of blood plainly visible on the ground. It is reported that some seven or eight of their men are already known to be dead.
Besides the damage done their persons, the rebels lost a fine horse, eight guns (that of Capt. Beck, an excellent piece), two or three fine revolvers, Beck’s bowie knife, several powder flasks, tin cups, and, as the auctioneers say, “other articles too tedious to mention.” Take it all in all, the affair turned out most disastrously to the rebel rascals who ventured to make a raid upon the “sacred soil” of Old Pike.
We must not, long as this detail is, fail to tell how the rebels came to lose their horse. Before coming to Ashley, about seventy of their men surrounded the dwelling of Mr. Moses Hendricks, three miles distant, and demanded his guns, of which there were five in the house. Mr. H is a sterling Union man, and concluded to hand over his implements of war in broken doses, so as to make them last the longer. Accordingly, he sent the contents of the first plump into the buttocks of a rebel, giving him so much of his rights. He did the same with a second, wounding his man slightly. A third missed the object aimed at. The fourth burst a cap. At this point, Mr. Hendrick’s negroes rushed into the house, in terrible alarm, declaring that more than a hundred armed men were around the house and every body would be killed in Master didn’t quit shooting. Mr. Hendricks’ force being his son James, who was busy loading, his wife busy cheering, and half-a-score of frightened “niggers,” he surrendered. If anybody blames him, we certainly do not.
The gang then pinioned Mr. H.’s arms, put him on a horse, and took him along, securing him they intended to hang him at 12 o’clock. When they left their horses in the woods near Ashley before making the attack, they left Mr. H. also. By the time they had come back, he had succeeded in loosing his arms, and jerking the rope which was about his horse’s neck from the hands of the fellow who held it, he dashed off toward Ashley, followed by the contents of thirty or forty guns.--Neither himself nor horse was hit, and he came into the village at a 2 40 pace without a scratch. And that’s the way the guerrillas lost their horse. If there is any one who has figured as the actor in a pluckier scene than that, we shall be happy to give him an airing in the JOURNAL.