Zollicoffer's Defeat

Frotn the Cinclnnftti Ooitnreroiul. We are imlebted tu Mr. X. Derby, of Sprague &, Co., just retumcd fraai Sotuereet, tor very iiterjttÍDg particulurt of tbc battlo. The )attle round wns a place known ! ns Oid Fie'.ds, ia l'ula.-ki connty, nnd not twelve miles rest of White Ouk, as ■i.htd, but eight miles liorth of tl e niouth of t'ishing Crcek, TIio torces undar Gen. Thomas weid a followa: First and S-üoud Tonncssue j Fourth, Touili ai:d Twelfth Rcntucky; Niptli and Foüitccuth Olüo ; Teuth Indiana; S'.cond Minnesota; fuar tjattcrï.ea, and Wolford'a Cavalry. The Tciitli Indiana wns on pioket, wit li Wolford's Civulry, aud received the sliocli of the advnnchig eneinv. They fought dosporately, giving grouud slowly, and alluwiüg General Thomas timo to come tip' in good condition. The attack upon tnem eominenccd soon after dayliglit i Sun'áaj moi-uing. It bad e.'idently bcon , tlic intentioo of Zollicoff'cr to commenee ' the attack in the night, but be liad been Jetuined by the heavy rains, the height of liio streams and the darkness of tbo night. Nearly two houra elapsed before the Indi:iüv regiment was supported in force. The Iudianians lost eleven killed and fortynine vrounded. The first support reeeived by tbe Indianiaus was from the Fourth Kcntucky, who' lost iiue kiiled and twenty wounded. TheSeco::d Minnesota was in the fight uext, and lost tan killed aud Sftecn wounded. The noxt regiment in the fight was the Ninth Ouio, üol. R. L.'McCook. The loss of thifl regiment our informant did aotlearn, but it was sljghti The Ninth Ohio found the eneaiy posted behind a rail fence, from wbieb they were firing with deliberation. - Wheu within about thirty y.irds %f tlie fetice, Col. McCook ordered li is men to charge buyoncts, whiob they did firmly and with alaeiity. Tho rebels fled at once, tbiowing down their guns. General Zollicoffer was attempting a flank movcment with two regiments when hs waa killed. He carne out of the bushes on the flank of our iorces, closo by where Coloncl Fry, of Kentueky, was posted, and shouted something to Fry, whieh was understood to be uot to fire upon the men in front, for they were Mississippians. One report of what be said is : " You are firinjr upon yourown men tiiere. They are Mississippians." - Seeing bis mistake, ba diseharged liis pistol at Fry, striKiug bis borse. Fry instantly returned tho fire with his revolver, shooting Zollicoffer through the heart. Zollicoffer was very handsomely dressed. His clothes were taken by tbe Federal troops as trophies. His corpso u said to have been very beautiful, being white and clear as wax work, with a little red hole in bis left breast, where the inesseüger of death entered. The ' old fields" where the battle took placo were once cultivated, but have bceu abandoned, and are full of briar bushes and bedgo. The Federáis and Confederates were at times within twenty yards of cach other Mobt of tho dead rebela were shot tbrougli the head. A surprising number wcro shot in the forehoad and eyes, The eorpses lay on a bilí sido, where the severest iightiiK' took placo, thick as a flock of sheep. Tho rebels took out but two field-pieces, and left them botli. Uur artillery was vigorously used in tbe pursuituf tho enomy, huiling shells aiuong thetu as they ran. The battle was fought in a heavy rain, the mud being very deep, and tbe little crecks were roaring torrents. The First and Second Tenncssee did not get into the fight, but took the advauee in tho pursuit, aud s'opt the night after the battle close to the enemy's intrenchments, intending to be foremost cf tbe stormere. But ou Monday morning thoy found the euemy had seampcred in the night. The rebels were well provided. They bad erected good cabins, and had rhiukcd and plastered the crevices. They had chimneys to their houses, built of sticks, and plastered iuside with clay. They had and an ampie supply of thick heavy wooleu blaiikets, mostly white, with dark . . ! il _ . mL.!_ _ 1 . .1 ítripes ni tiicm. lueir ciotues were jeans, niostly butternut colorcd, aud wcre lluck and varia, but ihey liad fcw overcoats. Only two good overcoats were found on the field of battle and the track of thu Üight. Sonic of the rebels wore 3traw hats. Their food seems to have consisted largely of corn pone. The rebel offieers generally had thcir trunjts in camp, containing all thcir fine clothcs, luvc-lelters, trii.kets, etc. A largo number of heavy leather trunks were taken. Several suits of white duck, such as are worn by gentleman in the summer, were found in the trunks, showing thut the rebel offieers had au unmilitary nssortment of superfluous baggage. Colonel 11. L. McCuok's wound is in the leg. The Jirigado Surgeon of the Tennessee Reginients reíales that he was oxajnmVDg McCook's wouud, whon aa order canj? t0 i?0 forward in pursuit of the enemy. MeCo?)t's wound was painful, but ho cornpelled tiiö Surgeon to bandage it up temporarily, to stop the biood, and being hIped upon a bonse prefsed forward with his men. The rebel troops wero not ycry well armcd, baving generally smooth-kpre muskets. altered from flint-locks, and sijiiirrcl rifles. Tliey had no loug rango rifles. Four of our regiments whipped the enemy, who bad boasted that they could whip fifty thousand Yankees. - Zolliooffer's attaek is said by military men to have been well planned and energetieally piuhed, but be wus mistaken as to the oharactcr of the men be had to liglit, as well ns the strength of the división under General Thomas. Our informant thinks it will be impossible for General Thomas to pursue the enemy with gr. at effect. The roads are absolutely impassablo. Tbere has not been a freeze on the Cumberland this winter. Tho ground is full of water, and the mud oti the roads is up to tho knees of the men. The road from Somerset tto Stanford is hardly passable. - üur informant eaw one hundred government wagons hopelessly gtuck iu the mud near Stanford. It ie a erious question ■whether it will be ponsible to transport provisions to our army on the Cumberland. A strong forcé is, bowever, at work on the road above Somerset, corduroying the worst places. It would he harctly possible to push an army train through the wild countrv beyond the Cumberland, where the rebels dispersed. If there should be a freeze thcro would be inovements; but wbile the weather remains mild we ueed not expeet to hcar of sucb a tbing as eelerity. lal?" The follnwing is a list of tho staff oflicers of tho Thirteooth Regiment; Colonel- Charlea E. Stuart. IAcut. Colonel - Orlando H. Moorc. Major - Frederick W. Worden. Surgeon - Aluxundor Ewing. Azaisanf. Surgenn - Foster Pratt. Adjutant - Joshua 13. Culver. Qturtfrma&ls - Goorge V, KicJdor.