Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/77

 The Battle of Belmont. 71

advanced the line of battle about four hundred yards from the river, and awaited the onset.

But he had not long to wait. In one hour after his arrival on the ground General Grant struck his little force with two brigades, under McClernand and Dougherty, with cavalry and artillery. The attack was made on both right and left flank almost simultaneously, and was followed up by an assault on the center. The two wings sus- tained the shock most gallantly, but the regiment in the centre, being in an open field and exposed to the concentrated fire of the enemy from the cover of the woods, was compelled to retire.

Before the engagement opened, General Pillow had dispatched to General Polk for additional ammunition and a regiment of infantry and a section of artillery, to be held as a reserve. The ammunition was sent, and Colonel J. Knox Walker's regiment and two companies from Colonel Logwood's cavalry battalion were immediately for- warded. Two field batteries, one under command of Captain W. H. Jackson and the other under command of Captain Marshall T. Polk, were also forwarded. Unfortunately, the steamer transporting these batteries lost her stage-planks, so that the landing could not be effected, and the steamer was compelled to return with the guns.

Referring to the time when General Pillow's line was broken in the center, as above stated, General Polk says in his official report :

" By this time it was obvious that further reinforcements had be- come necessary, and Colonel Carroll's Fifteenth Tennessee and Colo- nel Mark's Eleventh Louisiana regiments, which had- been ordered to the river bank and were held as a reserve, were ordered forward. I directed Colonel Marks to land his regiment higher up the river, with a view to a flank movement which he was ordered to make. Shortly after his landing, he was met by General Pillow, who directed him, with his regiment and that of Colonel Carroll, to move rapidly on the enemy's flank. General Pillow directed Colonel Russell, wilh his brigade, to support that movement, and himself accompanied this command during the execution of the movement under Colonel Marks. Captain Jackson, who had reported to General Pillow that he could not get his battery ashore, was attached to his staff and directed to lead this column. In aiding Lieutenant-Colonel Barrow, who was in immediate command of the Eleventh Louisiana, to bring a portion of the column into line, he fell severely wounded."

We were getting decidedly the worst of it. The situation of affairs at 12 M. is thus reported to General Polk by Major Winslow :

"About 12 M. I was ordered by you to recross the river and ascer-