Battle of Barren
fork
posted 12/11/03 Our
forces were camped out in winter quarters when came the report
of a yankee force within the vicinity. the 16th Arkansas, the
26th Texas and the 15th Arkansas sallied out to find the invader.
Our skirmishers met theirs at the bottom of a large hill. Our
skirmishers were driven back when an overwhelming force of yankee
infantry appeared on the scene. The 26th texas was deployed to
hit the yankees on the extreme right. There was furious fighting
with casulties on both sides. then our commanding officer Major
Griggs sent the 15th to reinforce the 26th. the combination of
both these forces was enough to push the yankees back. the yankees
sent in another force to try and flank our boys on our left. Thats
when the 16th hit the yankees at the bottom of a large hill on
our left, the combination of the fresh 16th on the left and the
multiple forces of the 26th and the 15th on the right sqeezed
the federals in a narrow space between a small lake and a creek.
There the fed's made a stand at a fence line. Casultys on both
sides mounted as we charged the ready made breastworks. the combat
was hand to hand at times but on this day we gave better than
we recieved and th yankee invaders skedaddled across the creek
leaving several trophies of war and casulties. So ended the first
day of battle.
That night our pickets heard a commotion in the brush, when a
challenge went un answered, our forward picket opened fire. Out
of the brush toppled the body of an yankee invader. the next instant
the woods bcame alive with flame from the yankee guns, our forward
picket, one Fred Hagman was killed instantly. WE had to forcably
restrain his brother Angus from finding his own death when he
wanted revenge against the yankee force. We met the enemy with
a volley of our on and they in return fired at us. This night
battle under the full moon lasted for at least two and one half
hours. We could see men moving from ;behind trees and large rocks.
Fire from musket blasts seemed to leap out behind every tree.
Finally the invaders were driven of leaving one officer and two
men dead in the battle field. Through the moon lit night we could
see a heavy pall of smoke. Through the moon lit night we could
see a very heavy pall of smoke. We stood on our guns the rest
of the night.
That morning we were prepared to drive the yankee from the field,
but as the 26th Texas was probing the line they hit us with accurate
cannon fire. Somehow the yankee new we were coming. The 16th was
deployed to take the cannon. We formed a line of battle and charged
the cannon. When we were within 25 yards the yankee's fired double
cannister at us inflicting massive casulties on our men. Our brave
men poured fire on the yankee's , at least one of them fell to
our fire, it was at this time, oneof our men decided that he had
enough and turned coward and tried
to run away, leaving the other brave soldiers to do his fighting
for him. The Captain of the 16th did what he felt obligated to
do, he but a bullet into the back of the coward and he crumpled
into a heap. About this time the yankees were flanking us on our
left, we the 16th were orderd to fall back. Our men protested,
they wanted to make a stand, but orders are orders. We just could
not figure out how the yankee new our plans. We rallied around
some breastworks and pond, with our backs against a small creek.
The yankees tried to get around us and cut of our retreat. We
inflicted numorous casulties on them. Our on casulties were mounting
also. That is when we took two yankee officers prisoner. Our small
force was then being attacked from two sides. They fired a heavy
volley at us killing two of our men and their on two captured
officers. We made a hasty retreat and mad a stand at the creek.
the yankee horde attacked, we fired volley after volley at them,
killing and wounding many of them. As our on casulties were mounting,
we spotted over in the yankee formation, one that we thought was
our on. A one Cooter Lister, brother of our former deceased Captain
JR Lister (may God rest his soul) firing at us. It was clear now,
how the yankee got our plans. It wasby the traitor Cooter Lister.
We fell back in an orderly fashion. We will regroup an fight the
yankee foe another day on our terms and when we do we will show
no mercy on the hated blue coats.
Incidently Cooter Lister has dissapered, but if we ever find him
he will hang from the tallest tree we find and then we'll kill
him.
Captain Abner Frazier 16th Arkansas
