Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-23

know what has happened?
81 answered No" and asked him what
he meant.
HE replied, I'VE have been fighting all
the morning and have been driven back
from the upper bridge. that If you go
that way you will lead your men right into
the midst of the rebel army"
" L thought very intensely for minute
or two. and then saw that my only plan
was to countermarch my column until l
came to cross road by which | could
reacn the lower or river road. The country
was flooded and the roads speedily became
Quagmires under the passage of TIE troops.
My progress was exasperatingly slow.
Meeting With Col Rawlins.
about the middle of the afternoon
Colonel Rawlins, General Grants chef-of-
staff. and Lieut. Col. Mcpherson, and one
of his aids, came up. They were anxious
to get my division on the battlefield and
naturally so. A. the time they reached me
I was sitting alone on log. having sent
off all my aids and orderlies, and Colonel
Rawlins afterward reported my appear
ance and actions as Indifferent. L was
really intensely occupied in watching my
troops struggle through the mud and In
devising ways to hurry on. Col Rawllns
urged me to hurry on to the battlefield,
but / replied that I was pushing ahead
as fast as l could. Probably something in
his tone nettled me and did not answer
him as satisfactorily as l might nave
done. l repeated to him that l was dong
all that was possible to get my troops for
ward but that he could see that the mud
was SO deep that the hubs of the cannon
wheels dragged along the top of the roads,
leaving their mark.
Colonel Rawlins told me to leave my ar
tilery and come ahead with the infantry,
but / said that General Grant had ordered
me to bring my division on to the field,
and the artillery was part of my
division l would not go without it. Raw
Inns and Mcpherson drew apart and con-
suited. / afterwards understood that Raw
Inns wanted to relieve me of command and
put my division under another, but NC
Pherson dissuaded him from it.
- L pushed on as rapidly as 1 could and
reached the lower bridge toward evening,
crossed my division and came upon the
battlefield after dark. L found absolutely
no one there to give me directions, or to
tell me where the enemy was or what dis
positions l should make. Finally L came
across an old dragon sergeant whom
had known in Mexico. and he told me that
the rebels were on the opposite side of the
ravne in front He and l went down
together into the ravine and looking up
against the dark sky l could see them up
there and see a battery in their center
formed my division on the other side of
the ravine and brought up my batteries
opposite the rebel battery, giving them
orders that at daybreak they should open
upon the rebel battery and crush It,
"As soon as it was light in the morning
my ba tteries opened upon the rebel battery
and speedily drove it off
Gen. Grant Appeared.
Soon General Grant appeared probably
attracted by the noise made by the battery
l can see his calm imperturbable face and
his full, rudy beard. He met me as pleas
antly and coolly as if on ordinary duty.
There was not word about my not get
ting up earlier nor about the terrible battle
which had been fought the day before, nor
of the arrival of General Buell's army. He
said simply, Good morning, General Wal
lace glad to see you. And 1 replied that
was glad to see him and glad to be there
and sorry L had not gotten in earlier, end
ing by asking, What are your orders gen.
eraI?'
- He replied with a short sweep Of his
left hand.
Move over in that direction and
gage anything you find" 1 said. wishing
for more explicit instructions Anything
else, general?" But he responded with the
same sweep of his left hand, NO. just move
over in that direction and engage anything
you find Good morning, general" [
saluted and he rode Off He had gone but
short distance when a field officer came
galloping back, evidently scared out of the
fight and running away. When somewhere
between General Grant and myself a shell
from the rebel battery struck In front of
him and scared his horse so that he threw
his rider into the mud. General Grant
looked back at me with laugh ripping
his rudy Deard, ana then rOde on. II was
the last saw of him that day.
Il pushed my division forward, driving
the confederates in front of me for such
distance that l began to be alarmed, for my
flank was getting out into the air very bad
ly. 1 halted my division to reform its line
and to get an idea of where / was and
what was going on around me. AS did so
l looked over to the left, where the battle
was raging fiercely l saw a regiment ad-
vance from the cover of the woods into
plowed field to attack the rebels on the
other side of the field 1t was met with
such heavy fire that the regiment broke
and began to fall back I saw a colonel
ride out in front of the regiment halt it
sharply, order the men back to their places
and put them through the manual of arms
under fire to steady them. 1t was such an
exhilarating sight that I sent my orderly
my staff officers all being gone, with my
compliments to the commanding officer to
ask his name The orderly presently re-
turned with the information that the col
onel was August Which, commanding the
32d Indiana. which belonged to the Army Of
the Ohio. General Buelrs. This was the
first intimation that had gotten Of the ar
rival of General Buelrs army upon the
field"
Splendid Work tho Second Day.
General Wallace's division did splendid
work the second day. rolling up the rebel
left flank and recapturing the camps Of
Sherman and McClernands divisions, which
the rebels had taken tho day haf do