The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-07-10

that the forces under them at the time the pre-
| cautionary order was received TO withdraw out
! of the immediate fire Of the gunboats, would
1 have been able, before the darkness Of night
set in, to carry the ridge occupied by Webster's
| fifty odd guns, supported Ivy Ammen's brigade
| Of Bueips army, as also by the
TTe~nainsr Of w. HHarl6'urt's' stgaTts and
certain other fragmentary commands that had
been organized at the river side by Grant out
OF the best material Of his broken regiments.
Upon this point Ammen's personal diary
dated on the 9Th Of April, is much more
| specific and full than his official report, that
must be excused for quoting at length from my
former West Point professor, as follows:
| General Nelson went over in the first boat with
| the Thirty Sixth Indiana, Colonel Grose; General
Mellon orlered me to remain and see my brigade
| some buildings found the Thirty Sixth Indiana
! party formed in line, Here too were Gener
al Grant, Buell. and Nelson, General
TO 100 yards to the left Of the road, which done
as soon the line could be formed, probably
| three or four minutes. Generals Buell. and Nelson
| assisting the Thirty sixth Indiana, and part Of the
Sixth OHIO Volunteers Infantry, were placed in
terry the left protected by deep parallel to
| the river aud having water in it.
General Buell. himself, who had reached
! PittsbuTg Landing ahead of Ammen with his
chief Of staff, Colonel Fry, reports on the 18th
| Of a pril, 1862:
1t iAmmens brgade) was Immediately posted to
meet the attack etthat point and, with battery OF
artillery which happened To be on the ground and
| was brought into action, opened tire upon the
| my and repulsed him. The action of the gunboas
also contributed very much to that result. The at
| tack upon that point was not renewed, night hay
| ing come on. and the fire ceased on both sides"
The rightabout three hundred yards from Ireland
| ing General Buell. selected the pOsition and was
With us when the rebels reached the crest of the
hill, received our fire. shaken, fell back, adj
vanced again. etc. The assaults of the enemy were
met by troops and successfully resisted. About
five minutes after we were in position the rebels
made the first attack, and kept on quarter to half
only one man killed We were down the slope Of
the hill, and, the enemy firing before they
over our heads our ''3 men in p the hurry
fired the same way, the ball followed the slope Of
the ground and were destructive. (Reb recs. vol
x, part ], page $3.50.
The hour that Ammen's brigade marched up
the hill from Pttsburg landing and the late
ness OF the repulse is thus reported by General
Nelson as early as April 10th:
Ats p. m the head Of my column marched up
the bank at Pittsburg landing and took up its posi-
ton in the road under fire of the rebel artillery,
close had they approached the landing. l found
semicircle of artillery, totally unsupported by in
fantry whose Gre was the only check to the auda-
Gious approach OF the enemy. The sixth Ohio and
ThiTtysixth Indiana had scarcely deployed, when
the left Of the artillery was completely turned by
the enemy and the eunners fled from their pieces.
The gallantry OF the ThirtysiXth Indiana, support
ed by the Sixth Ohio, under the able conduct of
Colonel Ammen drove back the enemy and restored
the line of battle This WAS at $50 p IN. and soon
after the enemy withdrew owing l suppose, to the
darkness. Ibid p. 32l.
report, fixes the hour when he surrendered
after ono of the most resolute, obstinate de-
lenses of an untrcnched position that was
made during the whole war. namely, at 5 80 p.
m, while Colonel Gedde, Of the Eighth Iowa,
did not surrender his forces at this point until
6 p. IN. Colonel Grose, of the Thirty-Sixth
Indiana, also reports, on the 8th of April, that
"the firing continued until near DUSK Ibid
p. 1870 while Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas l..
Anderson, Sixth Ohio, reports that his regi-
ment was disembarked at about o'clock
the evening of the 9th (of ApriD and marched
up the hill as quietly as possible, land that
under Ammen's orders 1t was placed in sup
port of a battery" Qbid p. $500. Further,
Colonel f. G. Jones reports that 1.-THE Twenty
fourth Ohio was landed at 80 p. m and
formed in line of battle on the river hill"
| Qbid p. $500.
General Hurlbut's report april 12) likewise
serves 20 throw light upon the federal and con-
federate situation after the capture of Prentiss
| and he was forced back to the river: ION
reaching the 2i-pounder siege guns in battery"
| he states, II again succeeded in forming line
of battle iIA rear Of the guns, and by direction
| of Major General Grant, I'assumed command
| OF all the troops that come up. Broken regi-
| ments and dsordered battalions came into line
| gradually upon my division. Major Lavender
| posted six Of his 20-pounder pieces on my
| right, and sent my aid to establish the light
artillery, all that could be found on my left,
many gallant soldiers and brave off
GERS rallied steadily on the new line. y n In
short time the enemy appeared on the crest
of the ridge led by the Eighteenth Louisiana
but were cut to pieces by the murderous and
steady fire of our artillery DIR. Cornyn again
took charge OF one OF the heavy 24-pounderS
and the fire of that gun was the one on which
the fire OF the other pieces concentrated
Captain GWin, United States navy had called
on me by one of his officers to mark the place
the gunhoats might open fire. | advised him
to take position on the left of my camp
ground and open fire rs soon as our fire was
within that line. He did so. And
his fire was most effective in stopping the adj
vance of the enemy on Sunday afternoon and
night. About dusk the firing ceased" Qbid
page 205) All the sub-reports of the officers
of his division confirm this statement that the
contest only ceased at about dusk and that not
until night come on did the enemy (confeder-
ates) withdraw.
If more evidence be necessary to She the
absolute groundlessness of General Bragg's
averment in effect that he would have car
ried the Webster position Notwithstanding the
heavy battery Of fifty odd guns that garnished
II and the gunboats whose fire swept all the
approaches thereto, certainly further credulity
must now cease before the words of his staff
surgeon, the eminent DIR. j. &. Mott, OF Mo-
| bile. written as early as November 9th, 1867.
| After saying that he had ridden 10y the side of
| General Bragg through the greater part OF the
| day; had been with him at the close of the
| battle and rode away with him after the battle
| was oN er, Dr. Mott added that, when beside
| Bragg on horseback at the close of the day,
| he heard him give orders to withdraw the
| troops from the field and also for their dispose
ton for the night, and that this impression at
| the tmc was that General Bragg gave the order
| of his own responsibility" "Our
| men," explains DIR. Mott, Immediately in
| front of whom we We're standing, were too
| much demoralized and indsposed to advance
! in the face of the shells (lrom the gunboatsl,
! which were bursting over us in every direction,
| and my impression was (thiS was also the con
| clusion of General liraggl that our troops had
! done all that they would do, and had better be
| withdrawn. The scene in front Of General
| Bragg and myself was one of considerable con-
| fusion. II he had received and dis
approved such an order to retire., it is proba-
Die that something would have been said
| about it," military operations of General
| Beauregard by Colonel Roman, y. 535.) Cap.
tain Clifton III. Smith, who carried to Bragg
| tho order that General Beauregard really did
! give. states that il was in these words:
Ride to the front and instruct General
| Bragg 10 arrest tho conflict and reform the
| lines" Smith also writes that he found Bragg
| ain slight raVine in rear OF RuggleS division
| accompanied 10y his staff ami escort"
| He had evidently but just retired from some
| portion Of his line Of battle, General Ruggles
| himself WAS Immediately at Naud