Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1862-03-26

/ doubt whatever that their whole wall
! able force on the western waters could
J and would be concentrated here if 1t was
/ deemed necessary TO reduce Our position.
! l had already seen the impossibility of
| holding out any length of time with our
| inadequate number and indefcnsiblc P0-
/ sition. There was no place within our
! intrenehmentS but could be reached by
the cnemy's artillery from their boats or
! their batteries 1t was but fair TO infer
| that, while they kept up sufficient fire
upon our intrcnchments TO keep our men
! from sleep and prevent repose, their OBJ
I iect was merely 10 give time 10 pass
| column above us on the river, both on the
right and on tire left banks, and thus 10
| cut off all Onr communications and to
/ prevent the possibility of egress. l thus
! saw clearly that but one course was left
| by which rational hope could be enter
! tanned of saving the garrison, or part OF
! it. That was to dislOdge the enemy from
| his position on our left, and thus TO pass
| our people into the open country, lying
southwark towards Nashville. l called
tor :, cenl - {? ion Of the officers of diyi-
t-szo1sz. dI1d bi1gades, to take place after
| dark, when this plan was laid before
them, approved and adopted, and at
which it was determined to move from
the trenches at an early hour on the next
morning, and attack the enemy in his
position.
It was agreed that the attack should
commence upon our extreme left, and this
duty was assigned Brigadier-General
Pillow, assisted by Brigadier-tieneral
johnson. having also under his command
commanders of brigades, Colonel Bald
win, commanding Mississippi and Ten
neSsee troops, and Colonel Wharton and
Colonel Clausland, commanding Nirgini-
ans. To Brigadier- General Buckner was
assi.ncd the duty Of making the attack
from near the center of our lines upon the
enemy's forces upon The Wynn's Ferry
road. The attack on the left was delayed
longer than l expected, and consequently
the enemy was found in position when
our troops advanced. The attack, how
ever, on our part was extremely spirited,
and although the resistance of the enemy
was obstinate, and their numbers far eX-
ceeded ours. our people succeeded in
driving them discOmfitted and terribly
cut to pieces from the entire left. The
Kentucky troops, under Brigadier-Gen-
-crai Buckner, advanced from their nOsi-
WYun's Ferry road, but not until the
enemy had been driven in a great meas
ure from the position he occupied in the
morning.
| had ordered on the night before the
two regiments stationed in Fort DOnei-
SON to occupy the trenches vacated by
Brigadicr- Gen. Buckner's forces, which,
together with the men whom he marched
10 assist in this purpose, l thought sulii-
cicnt to hold them.
Nv intention was to hold. with Brig
Gen. Buckner's command, the "ynn's
Ferry road, and thus to prevent the enc
nv, during the night, from occupying
the position on our left, which he Occu-
pied in the morning. / gave him orders
upon the field TO that effect. Leaving
him in position, started for the right Of
our command to see that all was secure
there, my intention being, if things could
be held in the condition they then were
to move the whole army, if possible, to
the open country lying sOuthward be-
yond the Randolph Forges. During my
absence, and from some cmisapprehensiOn,
| presume, Of the previous order given,
Brighton. Pillow ordered Brig Gen.
Buckner 10 leave his position on the
'Wynn's Ferry road and to resume his
place in his trenches on the right. This
movement was nearly executed before |
was aware Of it. As the enemy were
pressing upon the trenches, l deemed
shat the eNecutiOn of this last order was
all that was left to be done. The enc
my, in fact, succeeded in occupying an
angle Of the trenches on the extreme right
of Brighten. BUckneT's command; and
as the fresh forces of the enemy had be
gun already to move toward our left to
occupy the position they held in the
morning. and as we had no force ade-
quate TO oppose their progress, we had TO
submit TO the modification of seeing the
ground which we had won by such
severe conflict in the morning occupied
by the enemy before midnight. The
enemy had been landing reinforcemcnts
throughout the day. His numbers had
been augmented 10 eighty-threc regi-
ments.
Oar troops were completely exhausted
by four days and nights Of continued
conflict To renew 1t with any hope OF
successful result was obviously vain. and
such | understood TO be the unanimous
opinion Of all the officers present at the
council called 10 consider what was best
TO be done. | thought, and so announced.
that desperate onset on the right Of the
enemy's forces on the ground where we
had attacked them in the morning might
result in the cXtricatiOn of considerable
proportion Of the command from the po-
sitiOn we were il, and this opinion | I'M
derstOod TO be cOncurred in by all who
were present. But it was likewise agreed