while under a murderous fire. They
were accompanied by 300 empty wagons to haul off the hard-tack, but the
tack they got was not very welcome, and a little before sundown the
whole company broke, and retreated toward Dallas, a defeated army,
leaving their dead and wounded in our hands, about 2,000. But many of
our own brave men lost their lives. The 93rd Illinois alone lost 80.
Three companies of the 18th Wisconsin, stationed in a block house, were
surrounded early in the morning, but held their own in spite of
artillery and musketry until 5 P. M., when the besiegers, failing every
other way, built a fire all around it, telling them to come out or
suffocate by smoke. All these brave men fell prisoners, but not until
sixty men lay dead around to attest to the valor of the eighty-four
within. General Corse was wounded in the face, and all of his staff
killed or wounded. Colonel Tourtellotte of 4th Minnesota and many
others. The 12th Battery won great laurels, losing more men than ever
before. Lieutenant Amsden wounded, appeared to be fatal. Four killed and
two others wounded fatally. Fifteen wounded slightly. All their horses
nearly gone. They were the best in the Corps too. Our total loss was 722
men. Had the reinforcements come up at noon, which they would, had not
the train run off the track, a large portion of them would have been
captured. The main charging column of the rebels was the famous Missouri
Brigade that fought them before at Iuka, Corinth, Champion Hills, and
occupied Fort Hill during the siege of Vicksburg. Many of them came into
our lines, tired at last of war. I don't think there has been more
desperate fighting done this year than yesterday at Allatoona.

Etowah Bridge, Friday, Oct. 7. Called up early to go a-foraging.
Swallowed a hasty breakfast and started while it was yet dark, but did
not start from Cartersville till 9 A. M. The train consisted of about
ninety wagons. After the usual amount of halting, crowding and swearing,
by mule drivers and wagon masters, we started west, three armed men to a
wagon. Traveled ten miles through much more beautiful country than I
expected to find in the Etowah Valley. Saw some palatial mansions with
beautiful surroundings. Here our advance saw, or thought they did, "them
guerrillas" and they dared not go any farther. Turned out into a field
of about four hundred acres, but the corn was very scarce, not having
had any care, and choked with weeds. We succeeded in