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water's edge; but in attempting to mount the last ridge we were met by a fire from a whole line of batteries, protected by infantry and assisted by shells from the gunboats.
Our men struggled vainly to ascend the hill, which was very steep, making charge after charge without success; but continued the fight until night closed the hostilities on both sides.
During this engagement, Gage's battery was brought up to our assistance, but suffered so severely that it was soon compelled to retire.
This was the sixth fight in which we had been engaged during the day, and my men were too much exhausted to storm the batteries on the hill; but they were brought off in good order, formed in line of battle, and slept on the battle-field, where I remained with them/.
Brigadier-General Jackson gives this account:
My brigade was ordered to change direction again, face toward Pittsburg, where the enemy appeared to have made his last stand, and to advance upon him, General Chalmers's brigade being again on my right, and extending to the swamp of the Tennessee River.
Without ammunition, and with only their bayonets to rely on, steadily my men advanced, under a heavy fire from light batteries, siege-pieces, and gunboats.
Passing through the ravine, they arrived near the crest of the opposite hill, upon which the enemy's batteries were, but could not be urged further without support.
Sheltering themselves against the precipitous sides of the ravine, they remained under this fire for some time.
Finding an advance without support impracticable, remaining there under fire useless, and believing that any further forward movement should be made simultaneously along our whole line, I proceeded to obtain orders from General Withers; but, before seeing him, was ordered by a staff officer to retire.
This order was announced to me as coming from General Beauregard, and was promptly communicated to my command.
General Buell had reached
Pittsburg Landing about one o'clock; or, as
Badeau states (page 82), “midway in the afternoon.”
He says:
I found Grant on his boat, with two or more of his staff, in the ladies' cabin.
I proposed we should go ashore, and his horses were accordingly taken ashore.
Buell also arranged with
Grant to send steamers to
Savannah, to bring up
Crittenden's division.
General Buell, in his official report of April 15, 1862, gives the following account of the condition of things at
Pittsburg, and of the part taken by himself and his command in the battle of the 6th:
The impression existed at Savannah that the firing was only an affair of outposts, the same thing having occurred for the two or three previous days; but, as it continued, I determined to go to the scene of action, and accordingly started with my chief of staff, Colonel Fry, on a steamer which I had ordered to get under steam.
As we proceeded up the river, groups of soldiers were seen upon the west bank, and it soon became evident that they were stragglers from the army that was engaged.
The groups increased in size and frequency until, as
