The cornfield in front of our transports terminated at the edge of a dense forest.  Before I got back the enemy had entered this forest and had opened a brisk fire upon the boats.  Our men, with the exception of details that had gone to the front after the wounded, were now either aboard the transports or very near them.  Those who were not aboard soon got there, and the boats pushed off.  I was the only man of the National army between the rebels and our transports.  The captain of a boat that had just pushed out but had not started, recognized me and ordered the engineer not to start the engine; he then had a plank run out for me.  My horse seemed to take in the situation.  There was no path down the bank and every one acquainted with the Mississippi River knows that its banks, in a natural state, do not vary at any great angle from the perpendicular.  My horse put his fore feet over the bank without hesitation or urging, and with his hind feet well under him, slid down the bank and trotted aboard the boat, twelve or fifteen feet away, over a single gang plank.  I dismounted and went at once to the upper deck.

The Mississippi River was low on the 7th of November, 1861, so that the banks were higher than the heads of men standing on the upper decks of the steamers.  The rebels were some distance back from the river, so that their fire was high and did us but little harm.  Our smoke-stack was riddled with bullets, but there were only three men wounded on the boats, two of whom were soldiers.  When I first went on deck I entered the captain’s room adjoining the pilot-house, and threw myself on a sofa.  I did not keep that position a moment, but rose to go out on the deck to observe what was going on.  I had scarcely left when a musket ball entered the room, struck the head of the sofa, passed through it and lodged in the foot.

When the enemy opened fire on the transports our gunboats returned it with vigor.  They were well out in the stream and some distance down, so that they had to give but very little elevation to their guns to clear the banks of the river.  Their position very nearly enfiladed the line of the enemy while he was marching through the cornfield.  The execution was very great, as we could see at the time and as I afterwards learned more positively.  We were very soon out of range and went peacefully on our way to Cairo, every man feeling that Belmont was a great victory and that he had contributed his share to it.

Our loss at Belmont was 485 in killed, wounded and missing.  About 125 of our wounded fell into the hands of the enemy.  We returned with 175 prisoners and two guns, and spiked four other pieces.  The loss of the enemy, as officially reported, was 642 men, killed, wounded and missing.  We had engaged about 2,500 men, exclusive of the guard left with the transports.  The enemy had about 7,000; but this includes the troops brought over from Columbus who were not engaged in the first defence of Belmont.