. A personal history of Ulysses S. Grant, and sketch of Schuyler Colfax. fear mortally. A moment after he fell from his horse, and died in thearms of his friend. Beauregard succeeded to the command. Our troops re-coiled before the charge, which was still pressed, though withless vigor. In that dense wood, Prentiss1 division, failingto learn that the rest of the line had fallen back, was sur-rounded, and the general and twenty-two hundred men—allthat were left—captured. At the same time, W. H. L. Wal-lace, one of our ablest officers, fell mortally wounded, onthe front of his bleeding and shatte
. A personal history of Ulysses S. Grant, and sketch of Schuyler Colfax. fear mortally. A moment after he fell from his horse, and died in thearms of his friend. Beauregard succeeded to the command. Our troops re-coiled before the charge, which was still pressed, though withless vigor. In that dense wood, Prentiss1 division, failingto learn that the rest of the line had fallen back, was sur-rounded, and the general and twenty-two hundred men—allthat were left—captured. At the same time, W. H. L. Wal-lace, one of our ablest officers, fell mortally wounded, onthe front of his bleeding and shattered division. This was the gloomiest moment of the day. All Grantssubordinates were depressed and anxious. On the right,Sherman still clung to Snake Creek, though farther backthan in the morning, but the rest of the line, shortenedmore than one-half, had swung around until its left restedon the river, two miles in the rear of its first position. Justin front a ravine now afforded admirable ground for de-fense, and here Webster had opportunely planted sixty field-. r. a y 1362] Union Troops make a Final Stand. 251 pieces and siege guns. The enemy, flushed with victory,came charging forward. But he had now approachedwithin easy range of the gun-boats, and they opened furi-ously upon him. Our infantry, also, made vigorous resist-ance, and Webster, riding along behind the artillery,shouted encouragingly :— Stand firm, boys ; they can never carry this line in theworld. The boys did stand firm, and though neither the land norgun-boat cannons did much damage, the worn-out rebels hesi-tated. This was extremely significant, and the chief, hithertounmoved, showed his satisfaction by a sigh of relief and afaint smile. Then he went over to the cheerful Sherman,to whom he said :— We will hold on for the rest of the day, and Buell willbe up very soon. Both agreed that the enemy had expended his fury ; andGrant remarked that during a similar period of hesitancy onboth sides, at Donels
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