Thursday and Friday, May 5 and 6.
The army, or at least the Fourth, Fourteenth, and Twenty-third corps, which had arrived at advanced positions, remained in its position of Wednesday, awaiting the arrival of General Hooker's and General McPherson's corps, who marched around to our right, preparatory to a flank movement upon the enemy's left, for the purpose of turning it.
General Sherman arrived at the front to-day, and in company with other general officers, rode along the lines, minutely inspecting the country, and familiarizing himself with the position of his command.
This morning at an early hour, a small force advanced upon the enemy, who, in small force, held Bald Knob, a small hill about a mile south of Catoosa Platform, and drove them from it without the loss of a man on either side.
This morning Morgan's brigade of Davis' division were on picket, when a squad of rebels, mounted, came up within three hundred yards of our pickets, and called out, “Will you exchange coffee for tobacco?”
“Yes,” was the reply, “Fort Pillow, d----n you,” as the pickets leveled their guns and discharged a volley into them, wounding one man. The rebels not liking leaden coffee retreated, exclaiming as they ran, “Are you niggers or white men, to treat us that way?”
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