kept the enemy closely within their walls. I immediately ordered up the artillery from the knob and planted it near the house, not more than 200 yards from the fort, and in a position where it was protected in some measure from the fire of the enemy by a depression in the ground and by the timber. This position completely flanked the enemy's rifle pits and stockade on the center and left of their works, and if my guns had been of longer range I could have rendered them untenable. The distance was, however, too great for my guns, which could only reach the bastion and the rifle pits in the center, from the latter of which their fire drew every man. The fire of my artillery was maintained from this point during the continuance of hostilities.

When making his movement I notified Colonel Smith of it, and repeated my previous instructions to him.

In attempting to carry out these instructions, being entirely ignorant of the ground to be passed over, he came within range of the enemy's guns from the right of their work and in front of the abatis of fallen trees, in a position where it was equally dangerous to advance or retreat, and immediately advanced against the works. Hearing the firing, I ordered Blythe's regiment to support the Tenth,and that regiment was soon engaged with the enemy in endeavoring, under a very heavy fire, to force its way through the abatis. In this attack Colonel Smith, of the Tenth Mississippi Regiment, was dangerously wounded; Lieutenant-Colonel Bullard, of the same regiment, was killed; Lieutenant-Colonel Moore, commanding Blythe's Mississippi regiment, was mortally wounded, with a large number of their officers and men. By the fall of these officers the command of Blythe's regiment devolved upon Major [J. C.] Thompson, and that of the Tenth upon Captain [J. M.] Walker, both of whom discharged that duty during the remainder of the engagement in a highly satisfactory manner. As soon as I was informed of the loss of these officers I instructed Major [James] Barr [jr.], of the Tenth Mississippi Regiment, who was acting on my staff as inspector-general of the brigade, to assume command of his regiment, but before he could reach it the firing had ceased. Before I knew disastrous nature of this attack, believing that the bastion fort could be carried by a combined attack by my whole force, I sent orders to Colonel Smith to move to the right and join me with the two regiments under his command; but he was wounded before the order reached him, and his regiment was so engaged that it would have been impossible to withdrawn it without great loss. Perceiving, however, after the order was sent that a furious struggle was going on upon the enemy's right, I thought if a favorable opportunity to move against them upon the left, and I at once ordered the three regiments under my immediate command to advance from their cover, the Seventh on the right, the Ninth on the left, and the Twenty-ninth in the center, and to storm the fort. This movement was made in fine style. The regiments moved in a perfect line across the road and up the hill upon which the fort stood to a point where they were in some measure protected by a depression in the ground and by the ruins of a church which the enemy had burned early in the morning and which we had supposed to be the railroad bridge. Here they halted and poured in so deadly a fire that the enemy were compelled to seek shelter behind their walls, and only ventured to return the fire from their artillery of by holding their guns at arm's length over the walls without exposing their persons. Seeing that the Ninth Mississippi Regiment was more exposed than the others I ordered it to move by the right flank in rear of the others, intending to form it on the right of the Seventh and to advance it against the fort from the direction of the river. The order to