Alfred Roman, The military operations of General Beauregard in the war between the states, 1861 to 1865

At about one o'clock P. M., the enemy, on our left, being reinforced, had resumed the offensive. General Bragg—whose forces had been weakened by the withdrawal of three brigades (Anderson's, Trabue's, and Russell's), which, in the course of the morning, had been sent to strengthen our centre and right—was gradually driven back, towards the Shiloh meeting-house. He then sent to General Beauregard for assistance. Fortunately, in the small ravine passing immediately south of the meeting-house were the 18th Louisiana and the Orleans Guard battalion, together with two Tennessee regiments, which had been collected there in obedience to orders. General Beauregard rode down to them, addressed a few words of encouragement to the first two, and ordered them to move promptly to the support of General Bragg. As they passed by, with a tired, heavy gait, they endeavored to cheer their own favorite commander, but were so hoarse from fatigue and over-exertion that they could only utter a husky sound, which grated painfully on General Beauregard's ear. They had not proceeded far, when another staff officer came to him, in great haste, and informed him, on the part of General Bragg, that unless the latter was reinforced at once, he would certainly be overpowered. Looking in his direction, General Beauregard saw the commander of the Second Corps gallantly rallying his troops under a heavy fire from a much superior force of the enemy. He rode, with his staff, to the leading regiment of Pond's brigade, the 18th Louisiana (Lieutenant-Colonel Roman commanding, Colonel Mouton having been wounded), and, seizing its colors, ordered ‘his Louisianians’ to follow him. They started with an elasticity of step surprising in troops that, a moment before, appeared so jaded and broken down. They were soon at the side of General Bragg.¹ Leaving them in his charge, General Beauregard returned to one of the rear regiments of Tennesseeans, which he led in a similar manner, but being too weak, from illness, to carry its flag, a large and heavy one, he transferred it to one of his volunteer aids, Colonel H. E. Peyton, of Virginia, who carried it until the regiment