The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-02-28
SAVING THE NATION.
SUNDAY MORNING.
j Confined from list PAGE. ]


General Beauregard is second in command,
but he is regarded as hero and a great gen.
eral by the Confederate soldiers, because he
captured Fort Sumter, and he has received the
honor of the victory at Bull Run.
If you were to ride in front of my lines"
says General Hardee, land show yourself to
the men, it viii greatly encourage them"
The men must not cheer me, for we are so
near that the enemy viii hear them," Beau
regard replies.
Officers ride in advance to inform the men
that Beauregard is coming, but that they must
not cheer. He rides along the entire line.
The men behold him with admiration, and
want TO swing their hats and huzza, but do
not.
FIVE O'Clock.
1t is fourteen minutes past five. General
Johnston is eating his breakfast. Suddenly
there is rafting fire of muskets. 1t is not
the Confederate troops advancing. but three
companies of the 25th Missouri, under Colonel
Moore sent out by General Prentiss on a re-
connaissance. They started at half-past three
and have come upon Hardee's pickets-the
Sd Mississippi-und Major Hardcastle. So
the battle was not begun by the advance of the
Confederates, but by General Prentiss' troops,
only that the Union troops did not dream that
they were opening one of the most terrible
battles of the war.
For an hour the fight goes on between the
three companies and the Confederates. Major
Hardcastle says: I'VE fought the enemy an
hour or more without gaining an inch At
about 6:30 a m. ] saw brigade formed in my
rear and fell back"
Colonel Moore brought FIVE companies of the
25th Missouri, and met brigade of Hardee's
corps advancing, and fought half an hour be-
fore he was driven.
/ write these facts because some writers have
said that the Union army was completely sur
prised, which is not true The soldiers were
not asleep in their tents, but eating their break
fasts, when the three companies of the 25th
Missouri encountered the Confederate pickets.
i doubt il any of the officers in General Grants
army expected to be attacked by the whole
Confederate force that morning, but they knew
there was a force in front of them.
sHERMAN's DIVISION.
General auckland, of Sherman's division, is
awake early, for he is 10 go out on a reconnais-
sance. He is eating breakfast when the rattle
of mnsketry falls upon his ear.
Beat the long-roll," he shouts TO the drum
mer, and in q moment his brigade is in line
He leaps into his saddle, gallops to General
Sherman's headquarters and informs him that
the Confederates are advancing in force.
In few moments all of Sherman's brigades
are in line. He has three Observation-Disclosures
houses, Taylor's and Behrs. Sherman rides
to the front and sees the Confederate troops
advancing upon his left east of the church.
SUPPORT my left, is his word to McCler-
nand
THE enemy is upon you in force' is his
message to Prentiss. No need Of sending that,
for Prentiss has discovered it.
support Prentiss" is the word to Hurlbut,
in rear of Prentiss.
While Sherman is at the front along the edge
of rsvine, by the SD Ohio, General Johnston
! is on the other side of the rayne putting
Thomas brigade in position, and Thomas
skirmishers kill Sherman's orderly. Johnston
I puts Woods brigade in position, and then
I brings Cleburne's brigade up in front Of Buck
/ land
The 53d6hio pours two volleys into Woods
/ brigade, which holds it in check; but the
colonel commanding the SD loses his self
control and orders the regiment to fall back.
1t is a terrible mistake. for it retreats in con-
fusion At s o'clock, all along the line in front
of Sherman and Prentiss, the cannon are thun-
dering.
On the Confederate side, General Anderson,
with Hodgsons battery of the Washington
artillery, come up from Johnston's second line
and Ill gap between Hindman and Cleburne
! but Taylors battery and the 57th and 10Th
Ohio held them in check.
Cleburne, who holds the extreme left of
I Hardee's line southwest of the church, comes
with six regiments and two batteries to attack
auckland, who has posted his men along the
edge of a ravine. The rayine is boggy, and
/ when Ceburne attempts TO cross il his troops
sink into the mire and suffer terrible slaughter.
The 9Th Mississippi comes into the battle with
as men. but in short time 800 are killed or
wounded. Clebune loses one-thrd of his men.
ATTACK OK PRENTIss' DIVISION.
General Johnston, with twelve Confederate
regiments of Bragg's corps and two batteries,
fell upon Prentiss' TANKS. Prentiss' men held
their ground awhile, but broke at last and fed
in confusion from their camp. The Confed-
crates ran for the tents to secure plunder, seiZ-
ing knapsacks, blankets, and finishing the
breakfasts. which they had captured. They
danced and sang. They had captured three
hundred prisoners and thought the victory
won.
sherman tried to hold his position by the
church. The battle was raging fearfully along
his lines east of the church His horse was
shot and he mounted another; that was killed,
and he took third. His clothes were riddled
with bullets. He encouraged his men, but the
giving way of Prentiss had exposed his left
flank and he must fall back. He held his
ground till 10 o'clock and then retreated, leav-
ing his camp in the hands Of the Confederates.
Other Coniederates were forming line half a
mile in his rear towards Pittsburg Landing.
The drivers and gunners of BehT's battery
became frightened and rode off with the Gals
sons leaving five cannon to fall into the hands
Of the C0nfederates.
GENERAL GRANT.
On Saturday night, General Grant had gone
TO Savannah, ten miles down the river, TO meet
General Buell. The thunder of the cannonade
rolled along the valley. He understood its
meaning. He sent messengers to Buell. TO
hasten with his troops and then started for the
battle. 1t was 8 o'clock when he arrived. Up
to that hour there was no commander-in-chiei
! upon the field. Each commander had been
doing his best TO roll back the advancing tide
Johnston was driving his troops like wedge
upon the Union center, and the point OF the
wedge had already reached Hurlbuts division
and had struck also upon McClernand's and w
II. L. Wallace's divisions.
AFTERNOON.
II would make this account much too long
and ] fear it would be unintelligible, were ]
: TO narrate all the movements that took place
but from morning till o'clock in the after
noon the battle ragged, the Confederates forcing
the Union troops back nearly two miles, but
unable to drive them any farther for several