72 



AKMY OPERATIONS. 



division until nearly noon, and it missed the 

 way on coming up, and did not arrive until 

 night. The division of Gen. Hurlbut at length 

 became exhausted, and fell back out of sight 

 of their camps to a point within half a mile 

 of the Landing. lu consequence of losing this 

 support, the division of Gen. Wallace, thus in 

 isolated advance, was compelled to fall back, 

 the last to leave the field. Just at this moment 

 its commander was mortally wounded. 



It was now half past four o'clock. The front 

 line of the divisions had been lost since eleven 

 o'clock, and the reserve line was gone too. The 

 Confederates occupied the camps of every divi- 

 sion except Smith's, commanded during his 

 sickness by Gen. "Wallace, who had just been 

 wounded. The whole army was crowded in the 

 region of Wallace's camp, and to a circuit of one 

 half to two thirds of a mile around the Land- 

 ing. The next repulse would put it into the 

 river, and there were not transports enough to 

 cross a single division before the enemy would 

 be upon them. Nearly half the field artillery 

 was lost, nearly all the camps and camp equi- 

 page. Prisoners had been taken in great num- 

 bers. 



At this time a lull took place in the firing, 

 the first which had occurred since sunrise. It 

 was thought that the enemy were either pre- 

 paring for the grand final rush that was to 

 crown the day's success, or that they were 

 puzzled by the last retreat, and were moving 

 cautiously. These few minutes were golden 

 ones for that driven and defeated army, and 

 they were improved. Col. Webster, chief of 

 staff, arranged the guns which he could collect 

 of those that remained, in a sort of semicircle 

 to protect the Union centre and left, upon 

 which it was thought the enemy were now 

 sure to advance. Corps of artillerists to man 

 them were gathered from all the batteries. 

 Twenty-two guns were thus placed in position, 

 two of which were long 32's. In front was 

 a victorious enemy ; behind were the remnants 

 of the repulsed divisions of the army driven 

 within half a mile of the Landing, beyond 

 which was a deep and rapid river. Gen. Wal- 

 lace's division at Crump's Landing had not been 

 heard from. Across the river now was seen 

 the first glitter of the advance of Gen. Buell, 

 but it could not be brought over in time to do 

 much good. Suddenly a broad flash of light 

 leaped out from the darkening woods, and the 

 whistling leaden hail swiftly followed. The 

 enemy were about to make their crowning ef- 

 fort for the day. Instantly the artillery re- 

 plied, and as they approached nearer, the in- 

 fantry fired volley after volley. At this time 

 the gunboats, Lexington and Tyler, approached 

 the mouth of Lick Creek, and were able with 

 their guns to reach the field occupied by the 

 Confederates near the river. This was a fire in 

 their flank, which disconcerted their plans. 

 Amid this terrible conflict darkness came on. 

 The enemy had been held at bay. 



Meantime Gen. Wallace had arrived with his 



division, and Gen. Buell with his forces, part 

 of which took part in the battle of the after- 

 noon, and it was decided after the sounds of 

 battle had ceased, to attack the Confederates as 

 soon as possible after daybreak. Gen. Wallace's 

 division was to take the right and sweep back 

 toward the position from which Gen. Sherman 

 had been driven during the morning, and Gen. 

 Nelson was to take the extreme left. Gen. 

 Crittenden was to take a position during the 

 night next to Gen. Nelson, and Gen. McCook 

 with his division next to Crittenden. The space 

 between Gens. McCook and Wallace was to 

 be filled with the reorganized divisions of Gen. 

 Grant's army. Stealthily the troops crept to 

 their new positions, and lay down in line of 

 battle on their arms. All through the night, 

 Gen. Buell's men were marching up from Sa- 

 vannah to the point opposite Pittsburg Land- 

 ing, and were ferried across, or were coming 

 up on transports. At nine o'clock, the gun- 

 boats commenced a cannonade of the Confed- 

 erate position, which was kept up all night. It 

 produced little or no effect. 



Gen. Beauregard thus reported his position 

 on Sunday night : " At six o'clock p. M., we 

 were in possession of all encampments between 

 Owl and Lick creeks but one. Nearly all of 

 his field artillery, about thirty flags, colors, and 

 standards, over three thousand prisoners, in- 

 cluding a division commander (Gen. Prentiss) 

 and several brigade commanders, thousands of 

 small arms, an immense supply of subsistence, 

 forage, and munitions of war, and a large amount 

 of means of transportation all the substantial 

 fruits of a complete victory such indeed as 

 rarely have followed the most successful bat- 

 tles ; for never was an army so well provided 

 as that of our enemy. 



" The remnant of his army had been driven 

 in utter disorder to the immediate vicinity of 

 Pittsburg, under the shelter of the heavy 

 guns of his iron-clad gunboats, and we remain- 

 ed undisputed masters of his well-selected, 

 admirably provided cantonments, after over 

 twelve hours of obstinate conflict with his 

 forces, who had been beaten from them and 

 the contiguous covert, but only by a sustained 

 onset of all the men we could bring into ac- 

 tion." 



The Federal forces arranged for the battle of 

 the next day were : the divisions of Gens. Nel- 

 son, Crittenden, McCook, Hurlbut, McClernand, 

 and Sherman, including in the three latter the 

 shattered and disorganized commands of Pren- 

 tiss and W. H. L. Wallace, which were without 

 commanders, and the fresh division of Gen. L. 

 Wallace. These divisions were arranged in the 

 order above named, beginning on the left. 

 The change produced in the position of the 

 Confederate forces, by the shells of the gun- 

 boats during the night, prevented them from 

 opening the battle at daylight. 



At seven o'clock in the morning, Gen. Nelson 

 on the extreme left formed his fine of battle, 

 and advanced, with skirmishers thrown out, for 



