CONFEDERATE BIOGRAPHY: THE BATTLE OF IUKA

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Submitted by Mary Love Berryman - marylove@tyler.net
29 March 2002 
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TEXANS WHO WORE THE GRAY by Sid S. Johnson 

THE BATTLE OF IUKA.

For the number of Confederate troops that participated in the battle 
of Iuka, Miss., it was one of the hardest fought battles of the war.  
The loss sustained by the Confederate forces engaged was more than 
one-fourth of their number. The main fighting lasted less than an hour.  
It was in the capture of the Ohio battery where so many were killed 
and wounded.  It was a desperate charge, but a successful one, that 
turned the tide of battle that saved the army of Price and Van Dorn.  
The following quotations are made from a well written article of the 
battle by G. W. Dudley, editor of the Iuka Vidette.  Herbert's brigade 
consisted of the 3rd Texas, Whitfield's Texas Legion, 3rd Louisiana, 
40th Miss­issippi, 14th and 17th Arkansas consolidated regiments. Mr. 
Dudly says:  "How about the number of Confederates engaged?  In this 
particular the official report of Gen. Hebert is very explicit.  He 
says that his own brigade went in with 1,774 men and the 4th 
(Martin's), had 1,405, making a total of 3,179.  Now these were all 
the troops who fired a gun in the battle-8 regiments -- and yet many 
Federal authorities claim that the Confederates largely outnumbered 
the troops under Rosencranz, but we have shown clearly that this is 
not true.  Not only were the Federal forces greater in number but 
they occupied a chosen position of great natural strength."  The loss 
of Hebert's brigade alone was 426 out of less than 1700 troops.  It 
was a hand to hand contest and the losses were severe on both sides.  
Very few of the Ohio battery but what were killed, wounded or made 
prisoners.