732

WITH PRICE EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

but Grant, having learned that Rosecrans could not reach Iuka till the after-noon, instructed Ord not to attack till he heard Rosecrans’s guns.

There was yet time for Price to obey Bragg’s order and hurry to Nashville .Once across the defiles of Bear Creek, he would have been safe from pursuit,for Grant would hardly have ventured to lay open west Tennessee to theadvance of Van Dorn , who was now waiting for an opportunity to enter it.Price was still undecided what to do in view of this latest order from Bragg,when, during the night of the 18th, one of Van Dorn ’s staff arrived, bringingthe intelligence that Van Dorn had been directed by the President to takecommand of Price and the Army of the West. This staff-officer was alsoauthorized to concert with General Price the movements by which the junction

of the two armies should be effected.This settled the matter. Orders wereissued to load the wagons and get thetroops ready to move the next morn-ing at daybreak toward Baldwyn, onthe Mobile and Ohio railroad.

While preparations for this move-ment were being made, Price learnedabout 2 p. m. (September 19th) that hispickets on the Jacinto road had beendriven in, and that Rosecrans was ad-vancing on that road in force. All ofPrice ’s infantry and artillery was atthat time in front of Ord, from whichdirection Price expected to be at-tacked.

Little was hastily ordered to sendHebert’s brigade to the left, towardRosecrans. It came forward on theinstant, Price himself taking it to thefront. Hamilton’s division of Rosecrans’s corps was by this time withina mile and a half of the center of the town. Seeing that he was greatlyoutnumbered, Price ordered Little to send up another brigade, and Martin’swas quickly on the ground. The fight had already begun and was being-waged with great severity. Price now ordered Little to bring up the restof his division. After starting the men forward, Little himself galloped tothe front and joined General Price in the thickest of the fight. While theywere consulting, a minie-ball, crashing through Little’s forehead, killed himinstantly.

Hamilton was already giving way. Price pushed him the more vigorously,and, capturing 9 of his guns, drove him back about 600 yards. Hamiltonwas now reenforced by Stanley’s division. About the same time the rest ofLittle’s division reached the field,—too late, however, to take part in the battle,for it was already dark. The Confederate division bivouacked upon theground from which Hamilton had been driven.

MAJOR-GENERAL C. S. HAMILTON.FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.