Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/83

 The Battle of Belmont. 77

promptly seconded by all the officers of the line, got in a position to front the enemy each way. He again opened a general fire for about an hour, at the expiration of which time the enemy broke and fled, hotly pursued by our troops for about half a mile, when he had them recalled and formed in line; at which time General Polk arrived on the field and ordered him to join General Cheatham in pursuit of the enemy, which pursuit, led by General Polk, was continued, the enemy being constantly fired on by Cheatham's command until they were driven under the batteries of their gunboats, which opened a terrible fire of shot, shell and balls, to which we had no means of reply.

Upon General Cheatham's arrival on the opposite side of the river, the fragments of the Thirteenth regiment Arkansas volunteers, Colonel Tappan ; Second regiment, Tennessee volunteers, Colonel Walker, and Thirteenth regiment, Tennessee. Colonel John V. Wright, were formed and anxious to again confront the enemy. These regi- ments, with others, had already suffered severely in the engagement of the forenoon. In a few minutes these three regiments formed in line, the Thirteenth Arkansas in front, followed by the Second and Thirteenth Tennessee, and moved directly back from the river in the direction of the enemy's transports and gunboats, intending, if pos- sible, to take them in flank. Advancing about half a mile, they sud- denly came upon about fifty mounted men, who were hailed and found to be Illinois cavalry ; and at the same moment, and imme- diately in front, they discovered a large body of troops the Seventh Iowa and Colonel John A. Logan's Illinois regiment drawn up in line of battle. General Cheatham immediately ordered his column forward and formed a line in a small ravine, the Thirteenth Arkansas on the right, flanked by the Second and Thirteenth Tennessee, with some detached companies from other regiments, and at once opened upon the enemy a most terrific fire, and which they promptly re- turned; but under the rapid and galling fire of our columns the enemy soon wavered, and were charged upon with the bayonet and completely routed, and under the continuous fire from our column in pursuit were slaughtered from that point to within a few hnndred yards of their gunboats, lying more than two miles from the posi- tion in which we engaged them.

As early as ten o'clock in the morning, the regiment which I com- manded and Colonel Blythe's Mississippi regiment received orders from Colonel Preston Smith, commanding the brigade, to place our- selves under arms with a full supply of ammunition, and hold our- selves in readiness to move at a moment's notice.