In addition to
this he had several horses shot during the day."
During the second day of the battle Gen. Grant, Col. McPherson and
Maj. Hawkins got beyond the left of our troops. There did not appear
to be an enemy in sight, but suddenly a battery opened on them from
the edge of the woods. They made a hasty retreat and when they were
at a safe distance halted to take an account of the damage. In a few
moments Col. McPherson's horse dropped dead, having been shot just
back of the saddle. A ball had passed through Maj. Hawkins' hat and a
ball had struck the metal of Gen. Grant's sword, breaking it nearly
off.
On the first day of the battle about 6,000 fresh recruits who had
never before heard the sound of musketry, fled on the approach of the
enemy. They hid themselves on the river bank behind the bluff, and
neither command nor persuasion could induce them to move. When Gen.
Buell discovered them on his arrival he threatened to fire on them,
but it had no effect. Gen. Grant says that afterward those same men
proved to be some of the best soldiers in the service.
Gen. Grant, in his report, says he was prepared with the
reinforcements of Gen. Lew Wallace's division of 5,000 men to assume
the offensive on the second day of the battle, and thought he could
have driven the rebels back to their fortified position at Corinth
without the aid of Buell's army.
Pages:
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189