Arizona republican., 1892-10-28

nected by infantry breastworKs. Inc re-
doubts on the north and northwest were
known as Batteries A and b, and were
located on RICHTER hill. The redoubt on
the west was Battery G., on Graveyard
hill, and one on the southwest, Battery
ID, on Hindman 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 valor. But he went bravely at the
task and laid out plan that would have
delighted beyond measure the professor of
graduating class in a military school.
He assigned to Marmaduke's 5000 cavalry
the capture Of the RICHTER hill redoubts, to
Prices 5000 the Graveyard hill breast
works and redoubt, and to Fagan's 1000
the line on Hindman hill. These positions
the troops We're to carry with a rush at
daylight, turn the captured cannon on 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 all
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
assailants 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
paRies Of the Ihirty-third Missouri infant
ry. The remaining Infantry was divided
up into detachments, so that no regiment
intact, much less q brigade, could be called
together at given point In the emergen-
cies to follow. There were many things in
their favor to counterbalance all the cir
cumstanees, but these the Confederates did
not know, and promptly at daylight on In
dependence Day each of the three col
umRs. Marmaduke's, Prices and FagaA's,
told off in stoTning parties and reserves,
moved against the batteries and intreneh-
ments that lay across their paths,
FagaAs ArkansaRs found themselves
confronted by the rife pits and r7doubt on
HiBdREaR hill, with only their mUskets to
aid them. More than a mile back their ar
tilleFy had beea blocked by DISTRACTED
roads. and ON both sides Of the highway
steep raviRes made the route across lots
impossible for cannon. The officers had
been compelled TO dismount aud leave
their herses behind, and the men, with
free Use Of limb, barely made their way
through the labyrinth in time to meet the
engagement, They We're the first to open
the bail, and as soon as the struggling line
coEld pull itself together moved forward
ia battle order. Here a gorge interviewed,
there q steep hillside loomed before them
and the thieket and trenches in front were
alive with sbarpshooting riflemen. One
by enc, however, the rifle pits and breast
works were yielded to the Arkansans until
they were under the guns of Battery ID on
HiAdrlan hill. But they were likewise
abreast Of Battery c on Graveyard hill,
and the Missouri boys at the guns there
raked the line of the charging column
leRgthwise For Graveyard hill had not
fallen, Price was behindhand in his assault,
aud the plsn 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 Hindman hill were targets for the guns
intact on Graveyard hill.