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would else have drawn heavily upon our limited supplies of forage.
Another courier was to-day sent to General Johnston with the following dispatches: “During the past two days the enemy has passed up the river in transports in large force for a point not yet discovered.”
“The enemy has continued a spirited fire all day, also his shelling from mortar boats.
Our men have replied rarely.
Two large transports came down loaded with troops; they are evidently reinforcing their present large force.
Am I to expect reinforcements?
from what direction, and how soon?
Have you heard nothing from General Loring?
Can you send me musket-caps by courier?”
“The enemy kept up incessant sharpshooting all yesterday on the left and centre, and picked off our officers and men whenever they showed themselves.
Their artillery fire was very heavy, ploughed up our works considerably and dismounted two guns on the centre; the works were repaired and the guns replaced last night.
The great question is ammunition.
The men credit, and are encouraged by, a report that you are near with a large force.
They are fighting in good spirits, and the reorganization is complete.”
“P. S.--Brisk musketry and artillery fire to-day on the centre.
Three guns there dismounted — will be replaced as far as possible.
Officers suffer most from their sharpshooters.
Incessant mortar firing from the river, and last night three of their gunboats engaged the lower batteries.”
May 22.
The fire from the enemy's artillery and sharpshooters from the rear was heavy and incessant until noon, when his gunboats opened upon the city, while a determined assault was made along Moore's, Heberts, and Lee's lines.
I cannot bet ter describe this assault than by the following extracts from the official reports of my several division commanders.
General Stevenson says, in his report: On the morning of the twenty-second of May, many indications showed that they (the enemy) contemplated an assault upon the line of General Lee. A tremendous artillery fire was opened and kept up for about two hours, while the fire of their large force of sharpshooters was heavy and incessant. At about one o'clock P. M., a heavy force moved out to the assault, making a gallant charge. They were allowed to approach unmolested until within good musket range, when every available gun was opened upon them with grape and canister, and the men rising in the trenches poured into their ranks volley after volley with so deadly an effect that, leaving the ground literally covered in some places with their dead and wounded, they precipitately retreated.The angle of one of our redoubts having been breached by their artillery previous to the assault, when the repulse occurred, a party of about sixty of the enemy, under the command of a Lieutenant-Colonel, made a rush and succeeded in effecting lodgments in the ditch at the foot of the redoubt, and planted two colors on the parapet. It was of vital importance to drive them out, and upon a call for volunteers for that purpose, two companies of Waul's Texas Legion, commanded respectively by Captain Bradley and Lieutenant Hoague, accompanied by the gallant and chivalrous Colonel E. W. Pettus, of the Twentieth Alabama regiment, musket in hand, promptly presented themselves for the hazardous service. Of their success and the manner in which it was achieved, General Stevenson says:
A more gallant feat than this has not illustrated our annals during the war. The preparations were quietly and quickly made, but the enemy seemed at once to divine our purpose, and opened upon the angle a terrible fire of shot, shell, and musketry; undaunted, this little band — its chivalrous commander at its head — rushed upon the works and in less time than it requires to describe it, it and the flags were in our possession. Preparations were then quickly made for the use of hand-grenades, when the enemy in the ditch, being informed of our purpose, immediately surrendered.General Forney, in his report, speaking of the assault upon our intrenchments, says:
On the twenty-second of May he assaulted three points on my line, as follows: Three times on my extreme left and extending to General Smith's front; twice on the Jackson road, and twice on the Baldwin's Ferry road, at eleven A. M., and five P. M. These assaults were made by larger bodies, and apparently with more determination than those of the nineteenth of May. Colonel Waul's Legion had previously been sent to General Stevenson, but Green's brigade of Bowen's division, was in reserve behind my right, and assisted in repelling the attack at that point. There were also, on this day, two Louisiana regiments, of Smith's division, in reserve behind my division. The enemy was repulsed in each of his attempts, though he succeeded in getting a few men into our exterior ditches at each point of attack, from which they were, however, driven before night. Hand-grenades were used at each point with good effect. A color banner and two stands of colors were captured by the Second Texas regiment of Moore's brigade. On this day the casualties in my division were forty-two killed and ninety-five wounded. The loss of the enemy must have reached two thousand.General Smith, in his report of this assault, says:
The twenty-second passed in the same manner until about two P. M., when a column was discovered advancing against the right of Shoupe's brigade. It was immediately driven back; another then approached on the right of the centre. This was dispersed without great effort, and with considerable loss. Again the enemy appeared in increased force on my right and Forney's left. He was promptly repulsed with heavy loss. This terminated the day's operations,
