Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/79

 The Battle of Belmont. 73

battery and put him in motion for his gunboats. On his line of retreat he was struck first by Colonel Marks and afterward by Gen- eral Cheatham on his flank. These conflicts were severe, but the enemy was driven in with great loss.

By this time Cheatham's command had arrived at the landing on the Columbus side. It consisted of Blythe's Mississippi regiment and the One Hundred and Fifty-fourth senior regiment of Tennessee volunteers, of which I was lieutenant-colonel and in command. Gen- eral Polk took command of these regiments, together with Captain White's company, of Colonel T. H. Logwood's battalion of cavalry, and crossed the river. He ordered two regiments of General McCown's division to follow. General McCown dispatched Colonel Neely's Fourth Tennessee and Colonel Scott's Twelfth Louisiana regiments, but they arrived too late to participate in the action.

On landing, General Polk was met by Generals Pillow and Cheat- ham, whom he directed, with the regiments of General Cheatham and portions of others, to press the enemy to his boats. His order was executed with alacrity and in double-quick time. The route over which the troops passed was strewn with the dead and wounded of the conflicts of Colonel Marks and General Cheatham, and with arms, knapsacks, overcoats, etc.

On arriving at the point where his transports lay, General Polk ordered the column headed by the One Hundred and Fifty fourth senior regiment of Tennessee volunteers, under cover of a field thickly set with corn, to be deployed along the river bank within easy range of the boats. This being accomplished, a heavy fire was opened upon them, riddling them with balls.

Under this galling fire, he cut his lines and retreated from the shore, some of his soldiers being driven overboard by the rush of those behind them. Our fire was returned by the heaviest cannonade from his gunboats, which discharged upon our lines showers of grape, canister and shell as they retired with their convoy in the direction of Cairo. It being now sunset, and being left in possession of the field, the troops were ordered to retire.

There is no doubt that General Pillow was unfortunate in his selec- tion of a position for his line of battle.

Colonel Bell occupied the extreme right, his left resting on Colonel Tappan's Arkansas regiment; Freeman and Pickett occupied the centre, then Beltzhoover's battery, and last, Colonel J. V. Wright on the extreme left.

With the exception of Bell's regiment and a portion of Tappan's,