Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/316

 310 Southern Historical Society Papers.

passed, and to allow my men to get something to eat and rest for the night." {Ibid, page 593). Here, as we see, were two lines of Con- federate troops, not about to rush upon and capture the enemy, but inert when the order to fall back for the night reached them ! Un- happily, General Breckinridge made no report. But Colonel Trabue, one of his brigade commanders, has given a very full narrative of his most effective operations during the day, Irom which I had occa- sion to quote in the third paper of this series, and from which it is to be seen that, after halting to allow two of his regiments to ex- change their guns for Enfield rifles captured from Prentiss, he moved forward to rejoin Breckinridge, who, with Stratham's and Bowen's brigades, was occupying the front line, being on the crest of the hill (or high land), overlooking the narrow valley of .the Tennessee river, on which and near by was Pittsburg Landing. "Having been halted here for more than an hour," says Trabue, "we endured a most terrific cannonade and shelling from the gunboats. * From this position, when it was nearly dusk, we were ordered to the rear to encamp, which movement was effected in good order Martin, who commanded Breckinridge' s second brigade, after Bowen was wounded, also reports that when within from three hundred to four hundred yards of the river, the enemy opened on " his troops with their gunboats and two batteries in position near the river bank, which sounded terribly and looked ugly and hurt but few. Our men began to discover the fact." (Ibid, page 622)*. He does not say, however, that any order was given by General Bragg either to ad- vance or to prepare to advance, all this time, or that any advance or assault was made. But he goes on to say :
 * * * in darkness of the night." {Ibid, page 616;. Colonel

" Being near night, I fell back, by an order from General Bragg, to the first encampment in the tents furthest from the river, where we stayed all night. * * * Major-General Hardee and General Withers came to our encampment where they remained all night." {Ibid, page 622).

Dunlap, commanding the Ninth Arkansas of the same brigade, thus reports, April I4th, 1862 :

" Continuing to follow the enemy until the position became of ex- treme peril, placed, as we were, between two batteries, both pouring destructive volleys of grape and cannister into our ranks. In this position we received orders to fall back to a safe position and await further orders. By this time night came on."

Colonel Martin withdrew, * * this closed the fighting of the 6th