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Narrative of the western theatre in the American Civil War, 1880s

20_Narrative Page 20

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{newspaper clipping} In vain the grim cannon sent their angry glut among them, and the withering infantry fire blazed in their faces. Their dead covered every step of the way, but they never paused or faltered. Right to the crest they went, wrested it from the foe, and that hard day's work was virtually done." The center of the Union line, weakened by successive storms of shot and shell, was now pierced for the first time. Breckinridge's tardy brigades, inspired by the presence of the commanding general and by the simultaneous advance of the line on their left, met Hurlbut's division in a death grapple, overlapping it on its left, and forced it back. At this juncture General Johnston fell, mortally wounded. At this time W.H.L. Wallace was mortally wounded. Prentiss was cut off and at 5:30 P.M was compeled to surrender a portion of his division and of Wallace. Colonel F. E. Whitfield of the 9" Miss to whome Prentiss surrendered in his official report says 5:45 P.M. {newspaper clipping} The regiments and detachments surrendered with General Prentiss were the 8th Iowa, 379; the 12th Iowa, 429; 14th Iowa, 236; 58th Illinois, 223,-- of Wallace's division; 18th Missouri, 147; 23d Missouri, 496; 18th Wisconsin, 280; 12th Michigan, 109,-- of Prentiss' division. Total 2,299. These regiments had lost in the day's fight 626 in killed and wounded. At the death of Johnston as might have been expected there was a calm until it was settled on whome of the four confederate generals the command would fall
 
Civil War Diaries and Letters