Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 28.djvu/335

 Gen. P. (i. T. I},urr</r,l. . n ,i

In front of Hagood and Bushrod Johnson the fighting was stub- born and prolonged. The enemy slowly retired from Johnson's right, and took a strong position on the ridge in front of Proctor's creek, massing near the turnpike, and occupying advantageous ground at the house and grove of Charles Friend. At last Johnson, having brushed the enemy from his right flank in the woods, with some assistance from the Washington Artillery, and cleared his front, rested his troops in the shelter of the exterior works. One of the captured pieces having opened on the enemy's masses, he finally fell back behind the woods and ridge at Proctor's creek, though his skirmish line continued the engagement some hours longer.

Further movement was here suspended to wait communications from Whiting or the sound of his approach, and to reorganize the troops, which had become more or less disorganized. * * * At 4 P. M. all hope of Whiting's approach was gone, and I reluc- tantly abandoned so much of my plan as contemplated more than a vigorous pursuit of Butler, and driving him back to his fortified base. tation of the left wing, and the premature halt of the Walthall col- umn before obstacles in neither case sufficient to have deterred from the execution of the movements prescribed.
 * # # The more glorious results anticipated were lost by the hesi-

RANSOM NOW ASSISTED HAGOOD.

An incident mentioned in the foregoing report requires comment. It is stated that information from Ransom's division was received that about 7 A. M., after some preliminary effort by the right regi- ment of Lewis' brigade, the reserve brigade arrived, charged the enemy, and drove him back from in front of Hoke's left, over and along the works to the turnpike. This movement at the time stated and in its consequence is simply a myth. The writer avers most distinctly that no part of Ransom's division ever came to the assist- ance of Hagood's brigade in the assault it made, or afterward. Late in the afternoon, when the enemy had retired upon Proctor's Creek, that division moved along the line of the enemy's abandoned works in Hagood's front to and beyond the turnpike. One of Hagood's regiments was thrown out to make the right in this march. General Hoke, who was in person upon his line of battle during the whole day, says officially: "* * * I cannot refrain from calling the attention of the commanding general to the fact that his desire to relieve my command of the necessity of a front attack by the flank