The New York herald., 1862-04-16

Sabbath eventually success TO the attacking PARTY
gians.
Let me return-prsmisng that have thus brought
Tie reader INTO the the close OF the nrs ac 10
our Sundays tragedy-to the preliminaries and the
opening Of the assault.
TopoGRApmoAI POSITION or ouR TROOPS.
And FIRST, Of positions Let the reader understand
that the Pittsburg Landing s simply narrow ravine,
high bluffs either side There is no town at ALL Two
log hnts comprise all the improvements visible
Back from the river rolling country, cut up with
numerous ravines, partially under cultivation but per-
haps the greater part thicky wooded with some under
brush The soil cayey, and the roads Sunday morn
ing good From the Landing road leads direct to
Corinth twenty miles distant mile or two out this
road forks one branch is tho lower Cornb read the
other the ridge Cornth road short distance out, ano
ther road takes on TO the left Lack creek and
leads back to the river at Hamburg miles further
up On the right two separate roads lead of 70 Pnrdy,
and another, new one, across Snake creek to Cumps
Landing on the river below. Besides these the whole
country inside our lines is cut up with roads leading TO
extricable maze Of roads, ntersscng everything
and leading everywhere, in which il my III for
tune TO become ontanged.
On and between these roads at distances OF from two
10 lour or nve miles from Pttsburg Landing lay five dv
SONS or Major General Grants army that Sunday morn
ing The advance line was formed by three divisions
Brgadier General Shermans Brgader General Prents'
and Major General McCernand's. Between these and
,he Landing lay the two Brgader General Harl
Dnrts and Major General Smiths, commanded, IN The
absence (rom sickness) OF that admirable OdIeer by
brigadier General W. II. L. Wallace.
Our a0VaDce beginning At tho 0xtreme left, Wo8
thus formedOn the Hamburg road Just this side The
crossing OF Lick creek and under bluffs on the opposite
oank that commanded the position, lay Colonel Suarts
brigade OF General Shermans division. Some three or
four miles distant from this brigade the lower Cornth
road and between that and tho to Purdy lay the
remaining brGades Of Sherman's division, MeDowels
forming tho extreme right Of whole advance line,
Hildebrand's coming next TO it, and Buckands next
Next TO Buckands brigade, though rather behind por-
tion Of Shermans lay Major General McClernands divi
s0n and between it and Stuars brigade, already men,
toned forming extreme left lay Bgader General
Prentiss division, completing the line.
Back OF this line, within a mile of the landing, lay
Hurlburts DIVISION stretching the Cornth road
and W H. j.. Walace's to his right Such was the posi-
ton Of our troops at Ptsburg Landing at daybreak on
Sunday morning. Major General Lew Wallaces division
lay At Cumps Landing, some miles below, and was not
ordered up till about half past O'Clock that day
is idle to crtcisc arrangements nowit is so easy
70 be wise after matter is ovsrbut the reader Will
hardly fail TO observe the essential defects Of such ar.
rangemens Nearly four miles ntervened between the
different parts Of Sherman's division. or course, 10
command the one he must neglect the other. McCler-
nand lay partially behind Sherman and therefore, not
af 70 the WAS aid
speedily to find. Our extreme left commanded by
unguarded heights, easily approachabe from Corinth,
justed.
rHB REBEL PLAN ATTACK.
During Friday and Saturday the rebels had marched
out Of Cornth about seventy thousand strong In three
great divisions. Sidney Johnston had general command
Of the whole army, and particularly OF the centre
Braxton Bragg and Beauregard had the wings Hardee,
Polk, Breckinrdge, Cheatham and others held subord
nate commands. On Thursday Johnston issued pro-
clamation to the army announcing TO them in grandio
quent terms that he about TO lead them against the
invaders and that they would celebrate tho great,
decisive victory Of the in which they had repeled
the invading column redeemed Tennessee and preserved
the Southern confcderacy.
Their general plan Of attack is said by prisoners to
have been TO strike centre first (compossd the
reader will remember, OF Prentss' and McClernands g
dvisons), pierce the CENTRE and then ponr in their
troops attack each side the wings into which they
would thus cut army.
To accomplish this they should have struck the left Of
the three brgadcs OF Sherman's division which lay
right, and the left OF McCernand's which to the
front on Sherman's left. BY some mistake, however
they struck Shcrmans left alone, that but few
moments before portion Of their right wing swept up
against Prentiss
TRoors FIRST ATTACKED.
The troops thus attacked by six O'Clock before II
foll0wsThe left OF Shermans brigadcs that Of
Colonel Buckland composed OF the Seventy second
Ohio, Lieutenant Colonel Can1ed, commandihg Forty.
eighth Ohio Colonel Sullivan; Seventeen Ohio, Colonel
Cockerel, and Fifty third Ohio, Colonel Appler
To the right Of this Colonel Hidsbrand's brigade
Seventy seventh Ohio Lieutenant Colonel commanding
Fifty ninth Ohio, Colonel Pfy1s, and the Fifty third iii
nois. And on the extreme right, Colonel McDowell's
brigade, Sixth Iowa Colonel Acknowledgements Colo
mel commandng) Fortieth Illinois Colonel Hicks Forty
sixth Ohio, Colonel Thomas Worthington
General Prentss division composed Of the Twelfth
Michigan Sixteenth Wisconsin, Eighteenth Wisconsin
Eighteenth Missouri Twenty third Missouri Twenty. .ftf
Missouri, and Sixty -nrst Illinois