[CHAP. XXII.

promptly, driving the enemy back after a fierce engagement of fifteen or twenty minutes. In this engagement the whole command suffered severely.

At this time, my ammunition wagons having arrived, I sent the One hundred and Fifty-fourth, Second, and Fifteenth Tennessee Regiments to supply themselves with ammunition, retaining Blythe's Mississippi regiment for the support of the battery placed at this point. Before the return of the regiments sent back for ammunition the enemy advanced his sharpshooters on the road in front of the battery, and was annoying the command greatly by his well-directed fire. Perceiving that the single regiment there supporting the battery was not sufficient to hold the position, I ordered up Company L, of the One hundred and fifty-fourth Regiment (Captain Cole), armed with Maynard rifles, to be deployed as skirmishers on the right and in front of my position while another regiment was coming forward.

Riding back about 200 yards, I brought up the Fourth Tennessee, Lieutenant-Colonel Strahl commanding, which came up to the conflict in most gallant style to the relief of Blythe's regiment and Captain Cole's company, which were hotly pressed by the enemy, and a fierce and somewhat protracted engagement drove the enemy in great disorder from this portion of the field, to which he did not again return during the day.

The One hundred and fifty-fourth and Second Tennessee having reported with ammunition, the One hundred and fifty-fourth, by direction of Major-General Polk, under whose immediate supervision all of the movements of the army on this portion of the field had been conducted, was ordered to the support of a battery in the avenue before spoken of. The Second Tennessee, having been joined by the Thirty-third Tennessee, was placed in position to repel a threatened attack of the enemy on our right.

Soon after this we were ordered forward to the support of a line of battle, composed of the Thirty-eighth Tennessee and some other troops, on the left of the road leading to Pittsburgh, the One hundred and fifty-fourth having been ordered to the support of Swett's (Arkansas) battery. In this position we moved forward and occupied the last encampment of the enemy, in the direction of the river, from which my command retired, under orders, about sunset. Having seen the Second Tennessee Regiment, encamped for the night at the cross-roads near General Beauregard's headquarters, I started out to ascertain where the Fifteenth Tennessee and Blythe's Mississippi regiments had encamped, neither of which commands had reported to me after retiring for ammunition during the afternoon. I found Blythe encamped not far from General Beauregard's headquarters, and learned that the One hundred and fifty-fourth Tennessee, with portions of the Fifteenth and Second Tennessee and a few of Blythe's command, had returned in the direction of their encampment of the previous night, at which place I found them about 12 p.m.

At this part of my report I beg leave to speak particularly of the gallant bearing of Colonel J. Knox Walker and Lieutenant-Colonel Smith, of the Second Tennessee, and Lieutenant-Colonel Wright, Major Fitzgerald, and Adjutant Stovall, of the One hundred and fifty-fourth Senior Tennessee Regiment, and to express my high admiration at the soldierly bearing of the officers and men generally of my command throughout this bloody and eventful day.

I would also mention the Thirty-third Tennessee Regiment, under Colonel Campbell, which constituted a part of my command during a