The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-02
..In the Fm.nace OF Fight.n

Day broke on the Goth to find the hostile
forces astr. The commanders of both armies
were at the front before the gray dawn of the
morning had given way to the brighter light
reflected by the rising sun. Rosecrans rode
his lines to find serious fault with the way
McCook, Wood and some Others had made
their dispositions He gave directions for such
changes to be made as he deemed best, but
there was delay in executing his orders. From
early morning until full meridian the Federal
leader seems to have been kept busy with try
ing to correct the misunderstanding Of the
subordinates, or remedy their cross-purposes.
Bragg was hardly less fortunate than Rose
Grams He had ordered Polk to attack at day
light, and he was himself ready at that hour
to watch the shifting scenes of the fight. But
dull dawn grew into the flush of day, and
yet there was no sign of an assault. Bragg
fretted and fnmed and sent staff officers
again and again 10 know why the attack had
not been made. 1t was not easy to find
Polk. 1t was said that he slept beyond his
lines and could not readily be reached.
Whether this be true or not, the general who
was to begin the attack at dawn did not get
ready to drop his first shots into the Federal
line until some time after o'clock in the
morning What a strange miscarriage of
plans, and how clearly does a study of them
bear evidence to the truth of the saying that
war is a series of experiments; that battles
are won oftener by an accident than by
strategy or the fulfillment of mauured plans.
Bragg's plan of battle depended for success
on his breaking the Federal line on the left,
and he seems to have made no provision for
another movement if this failed. He di-
rected Polk to make a determined attack on
Thomas, and as he turned his position to
wheel to the left. Each division in turn was
to take up the fighting as it followed down
toward the right of the line and as each sue
eeeded in driving the Federals 1t was to
wheel to the left until the Union forces were
swept from the field. Longstreets left at
Lee and Gordon's Mills was to be the pivot
upon which this peculiar swinging move
ment was to be made.
When Polk was finally found and his
breakfast digested he began his assault, in ae-
eerdance with Bragg's plans, He first sent
Breckinridge's division against Thomas's pe-
sition, but he was forced to retire. He then
sent another, and still another, and for two
hours kept pushing brigades and divisions of
the best soldiers in the Confederate army
against Thomass corps, now reinforced by
some of the strongest commands in the Army
of the umberland. Yet tine left was sorely
pushed at times, and doubtless might have
been broken had Polk kept his force well in
hand and sent it to the assault with deter
1nination. But he made a sort of desui-
tory fight. To use captain l1OWell's homely,
bus forcible smile: "Ha fought like a balky
horse pulls at a load" He pushed frag-
ments OF his command in and then with
drew them, instead of massing his force and
throwing it upon the flank he was expected
TO turn, He had some OF the finest soldiers
in the army with which to have made such
an -Breckinridge's Cleburne's Cheat
ham's, Walkers and Liddel's divisions, that
had proved their fighting qualities on many
ii field,
Both noseerans and Bragg had all the
merning been fretting over the miscarriage
of their plans and been laboring to inspire
their subordinate commanders with their
spirit and purposes. Bragg got over his diff
ficulties, however, sooner than Rosecrans,
for the Federal commander was disturbed
about his line for two hours after Polk had
Engaged Thomas. The right and center of
1iosecrans' line seems to have become more
mixed up the more he tried to remedy it,
Wood, who was good soldier and stubborn