It seems that Battery F is about to receive some of its long
over-due recognition as a National Battlefield Landmark.

While some many view Battery F as a mound of earth in the
middle of Kimberly Heights, it was far more than that to the 4,000
men who fought for its possession on October 3, 1862.

Battery F was the western-most of six lettered batteries (A-F)
constructed by the Federals after Corinth was occupied the last of
May 1862. It is the only battery left intact as well as the only
one to come in contact with the battle.

On the night of October 2, Confederate Major General Earl Van
Dorn and his Army of West Tennessee occupied the hills around
Chewalla (Tennessee) for the purpose of re-taking Corinth's vital
railroad junction. During the night he met with his division and
brigade commanders to reveal his plans for battle.

Major General Mansfield Lovell's division was to lead the way,
keeping with the Corinth-Chewalla Road (now Wenasoga Road) until
Cane Creek was crossed, deploy his three brigades in line of battle
with his left resting on the south side of the Memphis and
Charleston Railroad. The divisions of Brigadier General Dabney
Maury and Brigadier Louis Hebert, under command of Major General
Sterling Price, were to follow about five miles, then turn left,
cross the railroad and form in line of battle. Maury's division
was to be on the right with his right resting on the North side of
the railroad with Hebert's division on Maury's left. These two
divisions were to attack the enemy posted behind the old
Confederate works Van Dorn had helped build six months before.

At daylight on October 3, Van Dorn's army, 22,000 strong,
moved out. At Cane Creek, Lovell found the enemy had destroyed the
bridge which had to be rebuilt in order to cross his artillery.
This done, the division formed in line of battle with the brigades
of Brigadier General J. B. Villepigue on the left, Brigadier John
S. Bowen the center, and Brigadier General Albert Rust on the
right.

Lovell's target now became the hill in his immediate front
which was defended by the only two regiments, the 21st Missouri and
the 16th Wisconsin of Brigadier Thomas J. McKean's Division.
Although greatly out-numbered, the Yanks put up a good fight but
were soon forced to cross the railroad and join the rest of their
division. Lovell then advanced another half mile but ran into
trouble. In his report of the battle he wrote:

"On our right front was a strong redoubt, well-flanked with
infantry and with an abatis of felled timber half-a-mile in width,
extending around it in one direction, but with no obstructions to
the North, in the direction of Price's right. This fact I
communicated to the major general commanding, and shortly afterward
the work was attacked and gallantly carried from its right read by
Moore's Brigade."

The "strong redoubt" spoken of was Battery F which was armed
with a section of the 1st Minnesota Battery and a section of the
3rd Ohio Battery as well as the 11th, 13th, 15th and 16th Iowa
Regiments commanded by Col. Marcellus Crocker.

As indicated above, the burden of taking the battery position
fell upon the brigade of Brigadier General John C. Moore, made up
of the 42nd Alabama, Lyle's Arkansas regiment, 35th Mississippi
regiment, Boone's Arkansas regiment, 2nd Texas regiment and
Bledso's Battery, and, in addition, Moore borrowed the 19th and
20th Arkansas regiments from Brigadier W. L. Cabell's reserve
brigade.

Moore wrote in his report: "At this time a connonading was
kept up at some distance to our right from a strong work of the
enemy about 200 yards south of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.
Being now reinforced by Colonels Johnson's and Dockery's Arkansas
regiments, we charged direction to the right, throwing forward the
left wing, and moving in the direction of the firing, we soon
reached the railroad, having our line of battle nearly parallel to
it, and on crossing, the enemy opened on us a most terrific fire
from the brow of a hill not more than 75 yards distant. The enemy
opposed us with a heavy force, being formed in two lines, the front
lying on the ground and the other firing over them. This awful
fire staggered us but for a moment, and as soon as our line was
steadied a little, we charged, drove them from the position, and
carried their works, capturing a few prisoners, and taking a large
camp, with their supplies of commissary and quartermaster's stores.
On discovering our approach, the enemy removed and saved their
guns. This we found to be a strong work, in a fine position, and
well-constructed. From the position we judged this to be the point
from which a cannonading had been kept up during the day."

It is of interest to note that Battery Robinett has been more
or less eulogized over the years, and rightly so; but it should be
remembered the fight at Battery F was similar to that at Robinett
in that about the same amount of troops on each side were involved,
troops on each side were involved, and in each case the Rebs
attacked the Yanks' gun emplacements. The big difference is that
in the case of Battery F, the Rebs prevailed.

For the Daily Corinthian Newspaper
November 21, 1991