Admiral David D. Porter, The Naval History of the Civil War.

[506] light artillery, and the 83d Ohio--in all, 2,413 infantry. The cavalry and mounted infantry under Lee were posted on the flanks and rear, having Colonel Dudley's brigade on the left, and Colonel Lucas' on the right, with skirmishers deployed in front of the infantry.

The enemy attacked this position at 4 P. M. His first line was driven back in confusion, but, recovering, he again advanced; unable, however, to withstand the fire from the Federal troops, the Confederates laid down 200 yards in front and returned the fire; at the same time a force was pressing the Federal left flank and driving the mounted infantry back. The 1st Indiana and Chicago Mercantile Batteries had just arrived on the field, and General Ransom directed them to be placed near a house occupied as Banks' headquarters, where they opened on the enemy, who had shown himself in strong force on the left flank, which it was evidently his purpose to turn — a purpose soon afterward accomplished after the infantry were driven in and Nims' battery captured.

This may be said to have been the turning-point of the battle, which was nearly lost to the Federals. The infantry, generally, behaved with great gallantry. The Chicago and 1st Indiana Batteries went promptly into action, but were soon so cut up that they were obliged to retreat, leaving their guns in the hands of the enemy.

The fact is, the guns had to be abandoned, because the cavalry wagon-train blocked up the road against all operations from first to last. Some went so far as to assert that the said wagon-train was the cause of all the disasters; and, although this may not be literally true, the world will naturally inquire why, on the approach of a heavy engagement, the wagons were not sent to the rear. There were men enough to have hauled them away had the horses been unable to do so. The fact is, the blame rests, and always will rest, on General Banks' conduct after he took command in person. The disaster was due to his sending forward small bodies of troops — which were defeated in detail — to support the cavalry, which should have been ordered to fall back until the main army came up.

In this day's fight the Federals had but 7,000 men and 26 field-pieces, a very large proportion of ordnance to the number of infantry. The natural consequence was that, when a retreat was ordered, the artillery had to be abandoned for want of time to force it through the obstructions of wagons and bodies of infantry.

The 3d Division, 13th army corps, arrived on the field in season to check the advance of the enemy; and General Franklin, who came on the field in person, was wounded by a fragment of a shell. This check proved but temporary, and the retreat of the Federals commenced. Their loss was 26 pieces of artillery, all the ambulances, and 157 army wagons and their horses, with the rations and forage of the mounted infantry.

General Emory's corps got into action as the evening was setting in, and checked the advance of the enemy completely by his masterly management, preventing a disaster to the whole army. With their superior numbers, and flushed with apparent victory, the enemy could not dislodge him from his position; while the discomfited regiments that had fallen back behind his corps were enabled to re-form. It was, without doubt, Emory's corps that saved the day, and prevented the Confederates from gaining a substantial victory.

At about dark the enemy retired, to rejoice over their success, and fill their canteens from General Lee's ample supply of liquor. To make sure of their captures, the Confederates unharnessed all the horses from the wagons, and conveyed them and the artillery to what they considered a place of safety.

After this repulse, General Banks fell back to Pleasant Hill with his whole force, and was there joined by General A. J. Smith, who had just reached that point with his command. At Pleasant Hill the army encamped to reorganize and repair damages.

The great mistake in this battle was in bringing the wagon-train to the front and directing General Lee,if hard pushed, to fall back on the infantry, apparently not realizing the danger of leaving all the train in the enemy's hands. Banks had ample opportunity to redeem this error before reinforcing Lee and pushing the latter further into danger, thereby bringing on a general engagement, which it was desirable to avoid in the then scattered condition of the Federal forces. General Franklin assigned this as a reason for not complying with Lee's request for reinforcements, and military critics support him in this; but it would have been wiser to have sent a positive order to Lee to send his wagon train to the rear and to fall back when the main body of the enemy was found in force. This would have been sufficient to have compelled the obedience of this officer, who was exhibiting a great deal of gallantry.

Banks says he expected the mounted soldiers to be in front and the infantry close behind; but there was no necessity for the cavalry to have their wagons with them, as each man could carry two days rations and forage on his horse, or a certain number of wagons could have been dispatched each night with rations for the day following.