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[68] his entire front before sunrise, gave him ample assurance of this; while his soldiers, exhausted and stiffened by yesterday's protracted efforts, and chilled, like ours, by the rain of the intervening night, stood to their arms firmly, but without alacrity or enthusiasm.

Nelson had quietly aroused his men at 4 A. M. ; and he advanced in parade order at 5 1/2; soon concentrating upon himself the fire of half the Rebel army. Not having received his artillery, his infantry, annoyed by two Rebel batteries, began, at 7 1/2, to give ground; when, on applying to Gen. Buell, the battery of Capt. Mendenhall, and at 9 that of Capt. Terrill--both regulars — were sent to his support, and the Rebel batteries in front thereby silenced. Meantime, the Rebel concentration upon this division was continued; but its behavior was splendid, especially that of Ammen's brigade, admirably handled by its chief; while that of Hagen, on the right, maintained its position with equal gallantry. The loss by this division of 739 out of 4,541--more than half of it in Hagen's brigade — attests the tenacity of the Rebel resistance this day.

Crittenden's and McCook's divisions were engaged later, but not less earnestly. Advancing across a ravine, McCook's right and center were immediately attacked in force; but the steady valor of Rousseau's brigade prevailed, and their assailants, recoiling, were pursued nearly a mile; when they were reenforced and rallied among the tents whence McClernand's left had been so hurriedly driven the previous morning. Two of his guns, being now turned against us by the enemy, were finally captured by a charge of Col. Buckley's 5th Kentucky ; while McClernand's headquarters were retaken by Rousseau, who, impetuously pursuing across a level field, opened too wide a gap between his right and Gen. Crittenden's division, which was filled by Col. Willich's regiment advancing, under a deadly fire of sell, shot, and musketry, to its support; rushing up for a bayonet-charge to within 200 yards of the enemy's line, when the latter gave way, and the regiment was deployed in line of battle to give them a hastening volley. Disordered. by bad management, which brought its skirmishers under a fire of our own regiments on either side, Col. Willich's 32d Indiana hastily fell back ; but was soon reformed and deployed, advancing with the entire division until the retreat of the enemy was decided.

Lew. Wallace, on our extreme right, with Sherman and MeClernand between him and Buell's divisions, had likewise opened fire at day-light, dismounting a gun of the Rebel battery before him. Throwing forward his right, by Gen. Grant's personal direction, until his line, which had been parallel, formed a right angle with the river, lie advanced en échelon, preceded by skirmishers, across a ravine to the opposite bluff, where he waited for Sherman to come up ; and meantime, finding his right secured by a swamp, attempted to turn the enemy's left, which was thereupon heavily reenforced, being effectively cannonaded by the batteries of Thompson and Thurber. An attempt was made to capture Thurber's battery by a dash of cavalry, which was easily defeated by the skirmishers of the 8th Missouri;

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