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o'clock the previous day, where the enemy was found in force.
McCook was on the north side of the western Corinth road, and eventually swept across half of
McClernand's camp and released his headquarters from the grasp of the enemy.
The “
Hornets' Nest” was in front of
Crittenden's left brigade, and “the peach orchard” and the ground where
Albert Sidney Johnston fell were in front of
Nelson.
Without following the vicissitudes of the struggle in this part of the field, I enter with a little more detail, but still cursorily, upon the operations of
Grant's troops, which have not been connectedly explained in any official report.
The action here was commenced by
Lew Wallace, one of whose batteries at half-past 5 o'clock opened fire on the enemy, who was discovered on the
high ground across Tillman's Hollow.
There is some diversity of statement among the official reports as to the priority of artillery firing in front of
Nelson and
Wallace.
Colonel Hovey, who was in immediate support of
Wallace's battery, gives the priority to
Nelson, while
Colonel Marsh, who was half a mile farther to the left, gives it to
Wallace.
But this is unimportant.
Nelson was in motion three-quarters of an hour before that time, and had been engaged with the enemy's light troops.
The first artillery fire was from the enemy,
Nelson at first having no artillery.
Wallace's action was not yet aggressive, no orders having been given for his advance; but while the firing was in progress
General Grant came up, and gave him his “direction of attack, which was formed at a right angle with the river, with which at the time his line ran almost parallel.”
The enemy's battery and its supports having been driven from the opposite height by the artillery of
Wallace, the latter moved his line forward about 7 o'clock, crossed the hollow, and gained the crest of the hill almost without opposition.
“Here,” he says, “as
General Sherman's division, next on my left, had not made its appearance to support my advance, a halt was ordered for it to come up.”
Wallace was now on the edge of the large oblong field which was in front of the encampment of
McClernand's right brigade.
The next of
Grant's commands to advance was
McClernand's. The orders to that effect have already been cited, and their execution is explained by
Colonel Marsh, into whose brigade what was present of
McClernand's division seems to have merged.
He says:
