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[159] Ninth Missouri infantry, Col. John B. Clark; and Ruffner's four-gun battery. Colonel Clark, being the ranking officer, commanded the brigade. The Second brigade was composed of the Tenth Missouri infantry, Col. William M. Moore; the Eleventh Missouri infantry, Col. S. P. Burns; the Sixteenth Missouri infantry, Lieut.-Col. P. W. Cumming; Pindall's battalion of sharpshooters, Maj. L. A. Pindall; and Lesueur's Missouri four-gun battery, Capt. A. A. Lesueur. Colonel Burns commanded the brigade.

General Churchill's Arkansas division was at the same time sent to Shreveport. The two divisions aggregated about 4,500 men, and made General Taylor's force about 13,000. He had fought the battle of Mansfield before the arrival of the reinforcements and driven one corps of Banks' army back upon the other, and at the time of their arrival was preparing to attack his army concentrated at Pleasant Hill, aggregating about 18,000 men. About four o'clock on the evening of the 9th of April he attacked Banks in a strong position. Parsons' division was on the extreme right of Taylor's line, while next to it on the left was Churchill's Arkansas division, the two divisions forming Churchill's corps. The battle opened with a heavy artillery fire, and a charge of a regiment of Texas cavalry on the enemy's center. The charge was repulsed, but the regiment formed again behind rising ground and charged gallantly, with the same result. Churchill then ordered Parsons to charge with his division, which he did, driving the enemy before him, capturing 300 prisoners and taking a battery, but found his command subjected to a heavy cross fire and ordered it to retire, losing in doing so two of the guns he had captured and 150 of the prisoners he had taken. On the center and left the Confederates were more successful. There Polignac, Walker, Green, Bee and Major drove the enemy steadily before them until night closed the conflict, leaving the Confederates in possession of the

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