Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 8.
Frank Moore, Ed.

After the close of the battle of Friday, a council of war was called by General Banks, and it was decided to withdraw the army to Pleasant Hill, that place affording a better position to give battle to the enemy, who, it was expected, would renew the attack early in the morning. It was also known that General A. J. Smith's command had reached Pleasant Hill, and General Banks was anxious to unite the forces of Smith with his own.

The withdrawal of the force commenced at ten o'clock, and before daylight the rear of the army was well on the road. The enemy, in the night, had pressed his pickets down on our front, but he failed to discover the movement of our troops, the withdrawal being conducted with the greatest silence and expedition. It was not until morning that he was made aware that our army had left his immediate front, when he followed after with his main force, sending forward his cavalry in hot haste to find our whereabouts. But they failed to come up with our forces until they had reached Pleasant Hill. General Emory's division brought up the rear, and arrived at Pleasant Hill about seven o'clock in the morning.

Colonel Gooding, commanding the Fifth brigade of the cavalry division, as soon as General Emory had arrived at Pleasant Hill, was sent out on the Shreveport road to find the enemy.

He had not proceeded up the road more than a mile when he met the advance of the rebels coming down. Finding the enemy approaching in strong force, Colonel Gooding skirmished with him until General Emory had completed the formation of his line of battle, when the cavalry retired in good order, the enemy keeping up a hot fire on them as they fell back, killing and wounding some forty men belonging to the Second New-York veteran cavalry, Eighteenth New-York cavalry, and Third Rhode Island cavalry. Two officers were wounded, Captain G. W. Beecher and Lieutenant Hall, the latter of whom has since died.

The battle-field was a large common just on the outside of the town of Pleasant Hill, on the Shreveport road. The ground was open and rolling, and ascended both from the side of the town and from the side on which the enemy was expected, a belt of timber extending almost entirely around the field.

General Emory's division was drawn up in line of battle on the side of the bill, his right resting across the Shreveport road. General McMillen's brigade formed the extreme right of the line, and his right rested near the woods, which extended along the whole base of the hill, and through which it was expected the enemy would advance. General Dwight's brigade was formed on the left of General McMillen's on the right of the road, the left resting on the road. Colonel Benedict's brigade formed on the left of General Dwight, the right resting on the road a little in the rear of General Dwight, forming an echelon to his brigade. Two pieces of Taylor's battery were placed in the rear of Dwight's left, on the road, and the remaining four pieces were got into position on an eminence on the left of the road and in rear of Benedict's left. Hibbard's Vermont battery was in the rear of the division.

General A. J. Smith's division of the Sixteenth army corps, under command of General Mower, were massed in two lines of battle, with artillery, in rear of Emory's division. The right of the first line rested on the road, and was composed of two brigades, the First brigade on the right, commanded by Colonel Linch, the Second brigade on the left, commanded by Colonel Shaw. The Third Indiana battery (Crawford's) was posted in the first line of battle, on the right of the Eighty-ninth Indiana. The Ninth Indiana battery (Brown's) was in position on the right of the First brigade. The Missouri battery occupied ground on the right of the Eighty-ninth Indiana.

Other batteries were on the field, but neither the positions they occupied nor the names of their commanders were learned. All, however, did good service. General Smith's second line of battle was fifty yards in rear of the first, and was composed of two brigades, one on the right of the line, and that on the left commanded by Colonel Hill.

General Mower commanded the Second brigade, and was temporarily in command of the whole force, while General Smith commanded the corps as a separate command.

This disposition being made, our army waited the approach of the enemy, but as the day wore away, many began to believe that no attack would be made.

It was now five o'clock, and but two hours of daylight remained in which to fight the battle. The skirmishing, which had continued all day, at this hour became lively, and at ten minutes past five, General Emory sent word to General Franklin that the skirmishers were being driven in and the enemy marching down upon him in three lines of battle.

At twenty minutes past five, the enemy appeared on the plain at the edge of the woods, and the battle commenced, our batteries opening upon him with case shell as he marched at a double-quick across the field to the attack.

Our left, Colonel Benedict's brigade, came into action first, and soon after our right and centre were engaged. The battle now raged fiercely, the air was full of lead and iron, and the roar of musketry and artillery incessant. The carnage on both sides was fearful, the men fighting almost hand to hand, and with great desperation.

Nothing could exceed the determined bravery of our troops; but it was evident Emory's division was fighting the whole army. Pressed at all points by overwhelming numbers, our line fell back up the hill to the Sixteenth corps, which was concealed just behind the crest.

Taylor's battery for a time fell into the hands of the enemy.

General Smith made all preparations to receive the advancing foe, and as the human tide came rolling up the hill, he looked quietly on until the enemy were almost up to the muzzles of his guns,