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| B. M. Prentiss. |
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while the conflict raged fiercely along the whole of Sherman's line.
That gallant officer was seen in the thickest of the fight, exposing his life to quick destruction every moment, in encouraging his men to resist the tremendous assault, and escaping with only the hurt of a bullet passing through his hand.
He tried in vain to rally Hildebrand's brigade, but he kept those of Buckland and McDowell steady for some time, while Taylor's heavy guns did admirable execution.
These, heavily pressed, were soon compelled to fall back to an eminence across a ravine, where they made a gallant stand for a while.
In the mean time, McClernand, who lay in the rear of Sherman,1 and at first supposed the firing to be only picket skirmishing, had thrown forward his left to the support of the smitten Hildebrand, and these troops for a while bore the shock of battle.
This was at about seven in the morning, and before nine o'clock a greater part of Sherman's division was virtually out of the fight.
His flanks had been rolled up by fresh troops under Bragg; and Polk, with the third Confederate line, was soon moving toward Sherman's rear, endangering his communication with the rest of the army and with the river.
He collected and reorganized his broken columns, keeping up a desultory fight until, in the afternoon, he formed a new battle-line on a ridge in advance of a bridge over Snake Creek, by which General Lewis Wallace's division,, ordered up from Crump's Landing, had been expected.
Turned by the steadiness of a portion of Sherman's division, and the troops of McClernand, the Confederates threw nearly their whole weight upon Prentiss.
Only his first brigade, under Colonel Peabody,2 was there to receive them, the second brigade being near the landing.
These men, though surprised and bewildered, fought obstinately for a while, but d in vain.
The foe was in their midst, and a wall of living men, strong with ball and bayonet, was closing around them, ready to crush them out and make an open way for the Confederates to the river.
Prentiss had asked Hurlbut for help.
Veatch's brigade was sent, but it was not sufficient.
Then the brigades of Williams
and Lauman were ordered to his assistance, when back upon these Prentiss was pushed by Wither's division of Bragg's corps.
At that perilous moment seeming relief came, but it was only a mockery.
McArthur's brigade of W. H. L. Wallace's division had been sent to the aid of Stuart's brigade of Sherman's division, on the
1 McClernand's division was composed of three brigades. The first, commanded by Colonel Hare, was composed of the Eighth and Eighteenth Illinois, and Eleventh and Thirteenth Iowa. The second brigade, commanded by Colonel C. C. Marsh, consisted of the Eleventh, Twentieth, Forty-fifth, and Forty-eighth Illinois. The third brigade was led by Colonel Raith, and was composed of the Seventeenth, Twenty-ninth, Forty-third, and Forty-ninth Illinois. Attached to this division were the fine batteries of Schwartz, Dresser, McAllister, and Waterhouse.
2 The Twenty-fifth Missouri, Sixteenth Wisconsin, and Twelfth Michigan.
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