h two or
three, none less than two wounds. Two of my colored
sergeants were killed; both brave, noble men, always prompt,
vigilant, and ready for the fray. I never more wish to hear
the expression, 'The niggers won't fight.' Come with me, a
hundred yards from where I sit, and I can show you the
wounds that cover the bodies of sixteen as brave, loyal, and
patriotic soldiers as ever drew bead on a rebel.

"The enemy charged us so close that we fought with our
bayonets, hand to hand. I have six broken bayonets to show
how bravely my men fought. The Twenty-third Iowa joined my
company on the right; and I declare truthfully that they had
all fled before our regiment fell back, as we were all
compelled to do.

"Under command of Col. Page, I led the Ninth and Eleventh
Louisiana when the rifle-pits were retaken and held by our
troops, our two regiments doing the work.

"I narrowly escaped death once. A rebel took deliberate aim
at me with both barrels of his gun; and the bullets passed
so close to me that the powder that remained on them burnt
my cheek. Three of my men, who saw him aim and fire, thought
that he wounded me each fire; One of them was killed by my
side, and he fell on me, covering my clothes with his blood;
and, before the rebel could fire again, I blew his brains
out with my gun.

"It was a horrible fight, the worst I was ever engaged
in,--not even excepting Shiloh. The enemy cried, 'No
quarter!' but some of them were very glad to take it when
made prisoners.

"Col. Allen, of the Sixteenth Texas, was killed in front of
our regiment, and Brig.-Gen. Walker was wounded. We killed
about one hundred and eighty of the enemy. The gunboat
"Choctaw" did good service shelling them. I stood on the
breastworks after we took them, and gave the elevations and
direction for the gunboat by pointing my sword; and they
sent a shell right into their midst, which sent them in all
directions. Three shells fell there, and sixty-two rebels
lay there when the fight was over.

* * * *

"This battle satisfied the slave-masters of the South that
their charm was gone; and that the negro as a slave, was
lost forever. Yet there was one fact connected with the
battle of Milliken's Bend which will desc