62 The Mississippi Valley in the Civil War

had committed; and he knew that at such critical

moments success waits upon a bold initiative. He

ordered Wallace to retake the positions lost in the

morning, while Smith w r as to charge upon the en-

Fergusou trenchments on the left. The veteran Smith

storms Charles Ferguson Smith , one of thetheConfeder- ® .

ate entrench- truest men and finest officers in the

ment, Federal service, led the assault in per-

son, inspiring his raw troops with his own daunt-less courage. “ I was nearly scared to death,”said one of his soldiers afterwards, “ but I saw theold man’s white mustache over his shoulder, andwent on.” Under a withering fire of rifles theyswept up the ridge and encountered the tangledboughs of the abattis. “No flinching now,”shouted the old hero, waving his cap aloft on thepoint of his sword, “ here’s the way, come on ! ”and in a few minutes they had scrambled throughand driven the defenders from their rifle-pits.The ridge was carried, and the right of the Con­ federate line was in our possession.

This achievement at once relieved the pressureupon the Federal right. Buckner brought over awhole division to drive Smith from the ridge he■while Wal- ^ a d taken, but all to no purpose ; helace cuts off could not stir him an inch. Mean-their retreat, Wallace, assaulting the enfee-

* bled forces on his right, pushed them back into