Every regiment now coolly but rapidly poured its destructive fire upon the advancing foe, opening at every discharge great gaps in the rebel ranks, and strewing the field with a continuous line of killed and wounded. Under this terrific and well-directed fire, the rebel line was checked, broken, and driven back, the only considerable body remaining together being a mass of some three hundred or four hundred directly opposite the Thirteenth Illinois, which was badly cut up, but held its position without breaking.
Four guns of Nim’s battery were captured, not having horses to drag them from the field.
This movement on the left, however, was simply a ruse on the part of the enemy to induce General Banks to weaken his right wing, and it was successful. At the commencement of the action General Franklin’s divisions were in camp nine miles in the rear, but he hastened forward in advance of his command, and, in conjunction with the commander-in-chief, passed through the midst of the engagement, encouraging by his presence, and leading on the men.
The right now became fiercely engaged, and the centre being pressed, fell back, when the right also gave way. The loss of the Chicago battery and the First Indiana soon followed. General Cameron then advanced to the front with a brigade of Indiana troops of the Thirteenth corps, but was unable to check the superior force of the enemy.
The line continued to fall back slowly until the baggage-trains blocked up the roads in the rear so that the troops could not easily pass, when a panic ensued. The enemy now pursued for three and a half miles, when their advance was checked and driven back by General Emory’s division. Here the conflict ended for the day. Six guns of the Chicago battery, two of Battery G, four of the First Indiana, and six of Nim’s battery were left on the field, with two howitzers of the Sixth Missouri. The loss of General Banks was estimated at two thousand killed, wounded, and missing. His force on the field was about eight thousand. The force of the enemy was much larger. General Mouton was among the badly wounded of the enemy.
As it was now known that General Smith with his force had marched to Pleasant Hill and halted, General Banks determined to withdraw to that place for the sake of concentrating his forces, and of the advantageous position which he could there occupy. The movement commenced at ten o’clock at night, and before daylight the rear of the army was well on the road. The enemy during the night had pressed his pickets down on General Banks’ front, but was not aware of the retreat of the troops until the morning, when a pursuit commenced, the cavalry of the enemy in advance, but General Emory had succeeded in bringing up the rear to Pleasant Hill at seven o’clock on the morning of the 9th, where the new line of battle was formed, the entire Federal force having reached that place.
BATTLE OF PLEASANT HILL, LA.
April 9, 1864.
The battle-ground was an open field on the outside of the town of Pleasant Hill on the Shreveport road. It was open and rolling, and ascended both from the side of the town and from the side on which the enemy were approaching. A belt of timber extended almost entirely around it. The division of General Emory was drawn up in line of battle on the sloping side, with the right resting across the Shreveport road. General McMillen’s brigade formed the extreme right of the line, with his right resting near the woods, which extended along the whole base of the slope and through which the enemy would advance. General Dwight’s brigade was formed next, with his left resting on the road, Colonel Benedict’s brigade formed next, with his right resting on the road and a little in the rear of General Dwight’s left. Two pieces of Taylor’s battery were placed in the rear of General Dwight’s left, on the road, and four pieces were in position on an eminence on the left of the road and in rear of Colonel Benedict. Hibbard’s Vermont battery was in the rear of the division. General Smith’s division, under command of General Mower, was massed in two lines of battle fifty yards apart with artillery in rear of General Emory’s division. The right of the first line rested on the road, and was composed of two brigades, the First brigade on the right, commanded by Colonel Lynch, the Second brigade on the left, commanded by Colonel Shaw. The Third Indiana battery (Crawford’s) was posted in the first line of battle, on the right of the Eighty-ninth Indiana. The Ninth Indiana battery (Brown’s) was in position on the right of the First brigade. The Missouri battery occupied ground on the right of the Eighty-ninth Indiana.
General Smith’s second line of battle was fifty yards in rear of the first, and was composed of two brigades, one on the right of the line, and that on the left commanded by Colonel Hill.
General Mower commanded the Second brigade, and was temporarily in command of the whole force.