The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-09-08
nected by infantry breastsorl

nected BY infantry breast wort
doupUs on thP north and noft 44ss,st
known as batteries A and &, aiita II
located on Rlghter hill The redo,lb1 az
the west was Battery c., on Graveyard
hlll, and one OH the southwest. Battery
D, on Hindnlan hill
When the Confederate leader. Gen.
Holmes, learned what was in the way of
his entry to the town, he realized that the
contract was big one, even with the spirit
OF the day to fire his soldiers with Amer
lean yalor But he went bravely at the
task and laid out a plan that would have
delighted beyond measure the professor of
graduating class in military school.
lie assigned to Marmaduke's 5000 cavalry
the capture of the Fighter hill redoubts to
Prices 5000 the Graveyard hill BREAST
works and redoubt, and to Fagan's 1900
the line on Hindman hill These positions
the troops were to carry with rush at
daylight, turn the captured cannon Oh the
large work, Fort Curtis, nearest the town,
lombard and carry that, and all else was at
their mercy. And had Gen Holmes and his
people known the situation in the enemy's
camp they might have been as highly elated
over the prospect before them as they
were with their mastery plan. There were
about 1900 Union soldiers distributed
around Helena but their long line was
exposed to attack about equally at Eli
| points.
| There were six roads from the interior to
the town, and the defenders, being ignorant
OF the particular one or ones by which the
assallants would move to the attack. were
bound to look sharp to them all. For an
other thing there were no trained artillery
men to handle the guns in the works, and
the duty was in the hands of several COM
panles OF the Thirty-third Missouri infant
ry. The remaining infantry was divided
up INTO detachments, SO that no regiment
intact, much less brigade, could be called
together at given point in the emergen-
cles TO follow. There were many things in
their favor to counterbalance all the cir
cumstances, but these the Confederates did
not know, and promptly at daylight on In
dependence Day each of the three col
umns, Marmaduke's, Prices and Fagan's.
told OH IN storming parties and reserves,
moved against the batteries and intrench-
ments that lay across their paths.
fagan's Arkansans found themselves
confronted by the rife pits and redoub Oh
Hlndman hill, with only their muskets to
aid them. More than aYnile back their ar
oliAely H'u peen DlOcke0 by INSTRUCTED
roads. and on both sides of the highway
steep ravines made the route across lots
impossible for cannon. The officers had
been compelled to dismount and leave
their horses behind, and the men, with
free use of limb barely made their way
through the labyrinth in time to meet the
engagement. They were the first to open
the ball, and as soon as the struggling line
could pull itself together moved forward
in battle order. Here gorge interviewed
there steep hillside doomed before them
and the thicket and trenches in front were
alive with sharpshooting rifiemen. One
by one, however, the rife pits and breast
works were yielded to the Arkansans until
they were under the guns of Battery D on
Hindman hill. But they were likewise
abreast of Battery c on Graveyard hill
and the Missouri boysa at the guns there
raked the line of the charging column
lengthwise. For Graveyard hill had not
fallen, Price was behindhand in his assault.
and the plan so mastery in theory was
working admirably the wrong way. The
Union folks could play the hills against
one another, too, and Fagan's Confederates
| on Hlndman hill were targets for the guns
| intact on Graveyard hill.