Hurlbut had been encamped in the edge of a stretch of open fields, backed with heavy timber, which lay nearest the river.
Three times during those long hours the heavy rebel passes on the left charged upon the division, and three times were they repulsed with terrible slaughter. Close, sharp, continuous musketry filled the air with fire and smoke—whole lines belched their furious fire on the rebels, and a leaden storm swept the fields over which they attempted to advance with terrible fury. No troops could have withstood this deadly fire. Rebel discipline gave way under it, though dead bodies left scattered over the field, even on Monday evening, bore ghastly testimony to the daring with which they had been precipitated towards the Federal lines.
The rebel generals handled their forces with a skill that extorted admiration even from their enemies. Repulse was nothing to them; if a rush on the Union lines failed, they took their disordered troops to the rear, and sent up fresh forces, who ignorant of the deadly reception that awaited them, were ready to make a new trial. Hurlbut’s jaded division was compelled to yield at last, and after six hours’ magnificent fighting, it fell back of its camps to a point within half a mile of the landing.
WALLACE’S DIVISION.
Hurlbut’s companion division—that of Brigadier-General W. H. L. Wallace, included the Second and Seventh Iowa, Ninth and Twenty-eighth Illinois, and several of the other regiments composing Major-General Smith’s old division. Wallace had also three excellent batteries—Stone’s, Richardson’s and Weber’s, all from Missouri.
With him, too, the fight began about ten o’clock, as already described. From that time till four in the afternoon his troops bore up manfully. The musketry fire was absolutely continuous; there was scarcely a moment that some part of the line was not pouring in their rattling volleys, and the artillery sent forth its death-thunders with but little intermission through the entire time.
Once or twice the infantry advanced, attempting to drive back the continually increasing enemy; but though they could hold their own ground, their numbers were unequal to the task of conquering more.
Four separate times in turn the rebels attempted to charge on them. Each time the infantry poured in its quickest volleys, the artillery redoubled its exertions, and the rebels retreated with heavy slaughter. The division was eager to remain, even when Hurlbut fell back, and the noble fellows serving the guns were particularly indignant when compelled to silence their own batteries. But their supports were gone on both sides. It was madness to remain in isolated advance. Just as the necessity for retreating was becoming apparent, General Wallace, whose cool, collected bravery had commanded universal admiration, was, as it was believed, mortally wounded, and borne away from the field. At last the division fell back. Its soldiers claim the proud distinction of being the last to yield, in the general breaking up of the lines that gloomy Sunday afternoon.
Captain Stone could not resist the temptation of stopping, as he passed what had been Hurlbut’s headquarters, to try a few parting shots. He did fine execution, but his wheel horses were shot down, and he narrowly escaped losing his guns.
With the first dash of the enemy on the left wing, it became evident that a stupendous effort would be put forth to break through it. For two hours sheets of fire blazed from both columns, and clouds of smoke surged up between them with the rush and stifling effect of a prairie fire. The Mississippi riflemen in the enemy’s ranks fought with terrible valor, which was met with steady heroism by those who stood firmly under their unerring fire. Three different times the enemy seemed on the verge of a victory. They drove the Union forces slowly before them until they came in sight of the river, but up to three o’clock the desperate attempt to break the Federal lines proved unavailing. Having failed to drive in the main columns, they had turned with furious strength on the right wing; baffled there, they made another onset on the left wing, fighting more desperately than ever. But the Union lines were prepared for the assault, fierce as it was, and met it with wonderful steadiness.