ARlfY OPERATIONS. 



69 



formed by Sherman's main brigades, lay Gen. 

 McClernand's division, and between it and 

 Gen. Sherman's brigade, on the extreme left, 

 lay Gen. Proutiss's division. No preparations 

 had been made for any means of defence in case 

 of attack, although the position was an exposed 

 one. 



The information that Gen. Buell was near at 

 hand, determined Gen. Beauregard to make the 

 attack at once. The movement of his troops 

 from Corinth commenced on the 3d of April. 

 Owing to the difficulties of the roads, they did 

 not reach the vicinity of the Federal forces 

 until Saturday afternoon, the oth. It was then 

 determined that the attack should be made on 

 the next morning, at the earliest hour practi- 

 cable, and in three lines of battle : the first and 

 second extending from Owl Creek, on the Con- 

 federate left, to Lick Creek on their -right a 

 distance of about three miles supported by the 

 third and the reserve. The first line consisted 

 of Gen. Hardee's corps, augmented on his right 

 by Gladden's brigade of Bragg' s corps, deployed 

 in line of battle, with their respective artillery 

 following immediately, and the cavalry in rear 

 of the wings. The second line followed the 

 first at a distance of five hundred yards, in the 

 same order as the first. The corps under Gen. 

 Polk followed the second line, at the distance 

 of about eight hundred yards, in lines of bri- 

 gades, deployed with their batteries in rear of 

 each brigade, the left wing supported by caval- 

 ry. The reserve followed closely the third line 

 in the same order, its right wing supported by 

 cavalry. These two corps constituted the re- 

 serve, and were to support the front lines of 

 battle by being deployed, when required, on the 

 right and left, or otherwise act according to the 

 exigencies of the battle. 



At half past five on the morning of April 6, 

 the Confederate lines and columns were in mo- 

 tion. Like an Alpine avalanche they came, at- 

 tacking first the left of Gen. Grant, under Gen. 

 Prentiss, who, with two thousand of his men, 

 were soon made prisoners. This attack was in 

 part a surprise. Scarcely had the men time to 

 seize their weapons and form, after knowing of 

 the approach of the Confederates. Gen. Grant 

 himself was at Savannah at the commencement, 

 but early reached the raging field. Gradually, 

 as the Confederate line came up, the engage- 

 ment had become general, and as Gen. Pren- 

 tiss's division fell back, abandoning their camp, 

 they were supported by Gen. Hurlbut, and 

 thus for a time checked the progress of the 

 Confederates. At the same time the left of 

 Gen. Sherman's division on the right was 

 forced back, and the brunt of the battle, in the 

 centre, fell upon Gen. McClernand's division. 

 Desperate as was their determination, yet at 

 eleven o'clock this division had been pressed 

 back in a line with Gen. Hurlbut. It still did 

 some gallant fighting; once its right swept 

 round and drove the Confederates for a con- 

 siderable distance, but again fell back, and at 

 the last it brought up near the position of the 



camps of Gen. Smith's division, commanded 

 by W. H. L. Wallace. Thus the divisions of 

 Prentiss, Sherman, and McClernand were driv- 

 en back, their camps were all in the hands of 

 the Confederates, and the whole front line, 

 for which Hurlburt and Wallace were but the 

 reserves, was gone, excepting Stuart's brigade 

 of Sherman's division, on the extreme left. 

 The position of this brigade was along the cir- 

 cuitous road from the Landing to Hamburg, 

 some two miles distant from the former, and 

 near the crossing of Lick Creek. They had 

 remained isolated until after the division of 

 Gen. Prentiss fell back, when the Confederates 

 advanced upon them in such force as to be ir- 

 resistible in their position, and they fell back 

 a fourth of a mile and made a stand for three 

 fourths of an hour. At this juncture a brigade 

 of Gen. Wallace's reserve, under McArthur, was 

 sent over to their support. They were, how- 

 ever, soon forced to fall back to one ridge, 

 and then to another, and finally at twelve 

 o'clock, badly shattered and disordered, they 

 retreated to the right and rear of McArthurs 

 brigade to reorganize. 



Six hours had passed since the approach of 

 the Confederates, and at this time only the 

 divisions of Gens. Hurlbut and Wallace stood 

 between the army and destruction or surren- 

 der. Still all was not lost. The divisions of 

 Gens. Hurlbut and Wallace began to make a 

 most gallant stand. The brigade of the latter 

 had been sent to reenforce McArthur's, and 

 thus reunited, filled the space in the line on 

 the left made vacant by the falling back of Gen. 

 Prentiss's division and Stuart's brigade of Gen. 

 Sherman's division, and thus were on the left 

 of Hurlbut's division. By the early breaking 

 of Gen. Prentiss's line, the onset of the Con- 

 federates had been made to veer chiefly to the 

 Union left. Here the contest continued stub- 

 born. Four times the Confederates attempted 

 to charge on Gen. Wallace's men. Each time 

 the infantry poured in rapid volleys, and the 

 artillery redoubled their eiforts, thus com- 

 pelling them to retreat with heavy slaugh- 

 ter. Farther to the right, Gen. Hurlbut's di- 

 vision, which had taken an advanced position, 

 was compelled to fall back through its camp 

 to a thick wood behind. Here, with open 

 fields before them, they could rake the ap- 

 proach of the Confederates. Three times their 

 heavy masses bravely charged upon the divis- 

 ion, and each tune they were repulsed with 

 severe loss. The troops from the driven di- 

 visions were reorganized so far as available, 

 and re-sent to the field. Thus the right of 

 Gen. Hurlbut, which was almost wholly unpro- 

 tected, and the weakness of which does not 

 ' appear to have been discovered by the Confed- 

 erates, was in a measure patched out. It had 

 been previously determined that in case of an 

 attack at Pittsburg Landing, the division under 

 Gen. L. Wallace at Crump's Landing, five miles 

 below, should come up on the right and flank 

 the enemy. But no message was sent to this 



