Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 13.djvu/410

 Battle of Chickamauga. 409

there being now no support on our right, the line commenced falling back on the flank, just after Lieutenant- Colonel Tillman, commanding the Forty-first Tennessee regiment, was disabled by a wound.

The Third Tennessee regiment, with about forty men of the Fiftieth Tennessee and Seventh Texas regiments, on the left of this brigade, claims to have held its advanced position until Johnson's brigade fell back under the flank movement of the enemy on its left. In retiring, this regiment had six men captured.

As my line fell back, our artillery opened with canister, and was gallantly served under fire of the enemy's infantry until the troops, rallying in line at the batteries, repulsed the charge of the foe. I now gave orders to hold the hill and await the reinforcements from Hindman's division, momentarily expected. Soon Manigault's bri- gade was seen advancing in line of battle through Villetoe's cornfield, in the cove in our rear. As it came up on the left of my line, Briga- dier-General Deas reported in person, having with his brigade swept the ridge west of the Crawfish road. Having sent a staff officer to place these two brigades in line on my left, I rode towards the right, and met General Hindman, who directed me to take command of the left wing and wheel to the right, making the right of my division the pivot. McNair's brigade, under Colonel Coleman, now came up and formed a line in rear of the left of my division. I also de- tailed ten men from Johnson's brigade to assist in working the guns of Dent's battery. Our line, from left to right, was formed of bri- gades in the following order, viz: Deas's, Manigault's, Johnson's, Gregg's and Anderson's, with McNair's brigade in rear of Johnson's. Deas's brigade occupied the brow of the steep spur which forms the north side of the gorge, through which the Crawfish road passes Missionary Ridge. Manigault's stretched, across the ravine and ex- tended up the side of the adjacent spur to the right, on which John- son's and McNair's brigades, with seven pieces of artillery, were posted. Gregg's was formed on a spur of some greater length, extending more towards the east, and separated in part from the main ridge by a hollow, with a piece of table-land at its head to the west. Anderson's brigade was formed in two lines on the right, the front line extending up to the slope of the spur on which Gregg's brigade was formed, on the left and across the hollow on the right. The section of Dent's artillery with Gregg's brigade in the last attack was now moved to the hollow on the right, ready to be ru. up by hand on the main ridge as soon as it should be carried. K