192

THE MARCH TO THE SEA.

tieth Corps artillery was put in position as it came up.Robinson connected with Fearing’s left, and Carlin’s brigadeswere rallied upon this line, still farther to the left. Acountry road ran along this point, and Bate attacked the lineagain and again, now advancing, now driven back, untilHardee withdrew him some distance in consequence of therout of the troops in the centre.

The rest of Morgan’s division had not been idle whileFearing’s brigade had been so sharply engaged. Their firstassault upon Hoke’s division had been a vigorous one, andBragg, who commanded that wing, had called for reinforce-ments. Hardee was just coming on the field, and Johnstonordered McLaws ’ division to the support of Hoke, whileTalliaferro took the position in rear of Bate already indi-cated . 1 Morgan had not been able to break through theenemy’s left, and had resumed his own line and strength-ened it during the lull which followed the severe checkgiven to Stewart’s advance in the centre.

Coggswell’s brigade, of "Williams’s corps, came up aboutfour o’clock, and formed on Fearing’s right, though the linewas still too short to reach to Mitchell, whose left w'as a lit-tle refused, so as not to present an uncovered flank. Soonafter five a general attack on our lines was again made, andwas persistently kept up till night. Hoke’s division chargedupon Morgan’s works, but was again repulsed, and Vande-ver’s brigade made a return charge, capturing the colors ofthe Fortieth North Carolina Regiment. But the Confeder­ ates had found the gap between Morgan and the rest of theline, and pushed fiercely upon Coggswell, who stoutly heldhis ground; but some of them, passing through the interval,

1 Johnston says that he yielded “very injudiciously 11 to Bragg’s call for help.

The effect of strengthening Hardee’s right by another division might well havebeen fatal to Slocum’s defence under the circumstances.