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maintained a new and hazardous position under fire from the gunboats and from the land-batteries of the enemy.
Throughout this movement, Semmes' battery served efficiently.
The First division, under Gen. Charles Clark, brigades of Colonel Hunt and Colonel Smith, advancing to the right of the Greenwell Springs road, made a gallant charge, constantly pressing the enemy back until, after several hours of fighting, he was driven to his last encampment.
This was in a large grove just in rear of the penitentiary.
It was here the division suffered the greatest loss.
The fight had turned hot and stubborn.
Colonel Hunt, commanding the Kentucky brigade, was shot down.
At this juncture the attack was pressed with great vigor until General Clark received a wound, supposed at the time to be mortal.
Through some misapprehension Hunt's brigade began to fall back down the slope, but still preserving order and obeying commands.
Captain Buckner, of General Breckinridge's staff, had been placed at its head.
Breckinridge notified Buckner that he did not yet desire to make a retrograde movement.
He was still expecting to hear the guns of the Arkansas in victorious thunder.
Captain Buckner, therefore, about-faced his brigade and renewed vigorously the attack, aided by Smith.
Thompson's brigade was discovered by Breckinridge to be without ammunition, and he at once ordered it to advance to the support of Buckner with fixed bayonets.
During this movement the fire from the gunboats, growing fast and furious, was causing considerable suffering to our men, which fortunately did not last long.
By this time the opposing lines were approaching each other closely in the heat of the assault and defense, and a regard for their comrades obliged the gunboats to suspend their fire.
For a space bloodiest battle surged around the last Federal camp.
Breckinridge here directed a charge, which drove the enemy in confusion through his last regimental encampment
Atlanta, Ga. 1899.
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