The surgeon of the Sixth Iowa Infantry fell into the enemy’s hands early on the morning of the first day of the battle, and established a hospital in our abandoned camp.  His position was at a small log-house close by the principal road.  Soon after he took possession, the enemy’s columns began to file past him, as they pressed our army.  The surgeon says he noticed a Louisiana regiment that moved into battle eight hundred strong, its banners flying and the men elated at the prospect of success.  About five o’clock in the afternoon this regiment was withdrawn, and went into bivouac a short distance from the surgeon’s hospital.  It was then less than four hundred strong, but the spirit of the men was still the same.  On the morning of the 7th, it once more went into battle.  About noon it came out, less than a hundred strong, pressing in retreat toward Corinth.  The men still clung to their flag, and declared their determination to be avenged.

The story of this regiment was the story of many others.  Shattered and disorganized, their retreat to Corinth had but little order.  Only the splendid rear-guard, commanded by General Bragg, saved them from utter confusion.  The Rebels admitted that many of their regiments were unable to produce a fifth of their original numbers, until a week or more after the battle.  The stragglers came in slowly from the surrounding country, and at length enabled the Rebels to estimate their loss.  There were many who never returned to answer at roll-call.

In our army, the disorder was far from small.  Large numbers of soldiers wandered for days about the camps, before they could ascertain their proper locations.  It was fully a week, before all were correctly assigned.  We refused to allow burying parties from the Rebels to come within our lines, preferring that they should not see the condition of our camp.  Time was required to enable us to recuperate.  I presume the enemy was as much in need of time as ourselves.

A volume could be filled with the stories of personal valor during that battle.  General Lew Wallace says his division was, at a certain time, forming on one side of a field, while the Rebels were on the opposite side.  The color-bearer of a Rebel regiment stepped in front of his own line, and waved his flag as a challenge to the color-bearer that faced him.  Several of our soldiers wished to meet the challenge, but their officers forbade it.  Again the Rebel stepped forward, and planted his flag-staff in the ground.  There was no response, and again and again he advanced, until he had passed more than half the distance between the opposing lines.  Our fire was reserved in admiration of the man’s daring, as he stood full in view, defiantly waving his banner.  At last, when the struggle between the divisions commenced, it was impossible to save him, and he fell dead by the side of his colors.