The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1863-10-08

| it until after nightfall. But it was so
promptly returned that he sustained
certainly as much injury as he inflicted,
and about six o'clock drew off entirely,
leaving the day clearly our own. is
During the night of Saturday some
change was made in the disposition OF
our forces, and the line was so far with
drawn that it rested along a cross road
trimming northeast and southwest. and
concentrating the Rosville with the La
fayette road. BY this arrangement our
extreme right was made to rest on Mis-
sion Ridge, as it should probably have
done in the first place. The new line
formed was mile shorter than that of
the day before. Gen. Rosecrans' head
quarters were removed from the house
belonging to the widow Glenn, .near
the right of the line, to point some
what nearer the Lafayette road and in
view of the centre, and every prepara
tionawas made that genius, science and
patriotism could make, TO beat back
the avalanches of the enemy, should
they venture upon an attack the next
day. H9u anafe
The changes in the order of the diff
ferent divisions made the new line
stand thus: One brigade of Negley's
division was near the extreme right !;
then came Johnson, then Baird, then
Palmer, then Reynolds, then Brannan,
then Negley's other brigades, then
Van Cleve, then Wood, and then Sheri-
dan. Wilder and Minty, with their
mounted force, held the extreme right
have given only the general order of
our line Brannan and Van Cleve were
really held somewhat in reserve. The
other divisions had reserves detailed
from their own regiments or brigades.
The fight upon the extreme left com
menced by desperate assault of the
enemy upon Gen. John Beatty's brig
ade of Negley's division. The brigade,
as well as its famous leader, stood their
ground nobly /; but being somewhat
isolated from the remainder of the line,
finally retired. 1t will be remembered
that the other brigades of Negley's di-
vision were posted much farther to the
right. A desire to reunite the two
/ portions of his command, induced Gen.
Rosecrans to send Gen. Wood TO take
Gen. Negley's place in line until the
latter should effect the reunion of his
brigade. Wood proceeded immediate
! iy to execute the order, filling up the
gap as Negley retired. The rebels,
understanding this movement of Neg
ley's to be a retreat, Immediately ad-
vanced their skirmishers, not only here,
but all along the left, and the fighting
at once became terrific, as l have de-
scribed. The rebels, however, soon
ceased to attack General Woods front
and for a time appeared to devote their
entire attention 10 Gen. Thomas,
went down to the extreme left of Gen.
Woods position about this time, and
looking thence into some cornfields,
could see the desperate efforts of the
enemy to break the lines of Brannon
and Reynolds. The soldiers of those
two noble divisions were lying behind
rude breastworks of logs and rails con-
structed the night before their artille-
ry in the rear fired over their heads !;
and it really seemed as if that long
line of defenses was some immense
serpent, instinct with hidious life and
breathing continually from his huge
rough sides volumns of smoke and
| flames.
Again and again the rebel lines, ad-
vancing from the cover of the woods
into the open cornfeld, charged with
impetuous fury and terrific yelIs to-
wards the breastworks of logs and rails,
but each time the fiery blasts from our
batteries and battalIions swept over
and around them, and their ranks were
crumbled and swept away as a bank
of loose clay washed by rushing flood.
But as fast as one line fell off another
appeared, rushing stearnly on over the
dead and bleeding bodies of their fal-
len comrades. Long streets corps was
seeking to regain its lost laurels yester-
day. d. III. He'll, at the head of Har.
dee's old corps, was lending them the
assistance of a division, and Buckner's
troops were throwing their weight into
the scale. Thomas fought only with
his forces of Saturday, weakened by
Saturdays heavy losses. 1t was an
unequal contest, and a pang OF agony
shot through my heart as saw our ex-
hausted veterans begin to waver. 10
wayer i'm the face of the charging,
ebontipp laundering host which con-