THE BATTLE OF CORINTH.

751

smoke filled the air and obscured the sun. I witnessed the first charge ofthe enemy on this part of the line before I went over to Hamilton. The firstrepulse I did not see because the contestants were clouded in smoke. It w T asan assault in column. There were three or four assaulting columns of regi-ments, probably a hundred yards apart. The enemy’s left-hand column hadtried to make its way down into the low ground to the right of Ho hi nett, butdid not make much progress. The other two assaulting columns fared better,because they were on the ridge where the fallen timber was scarcer. I orderedthe ‘27th Ohio and 11th Missouri to kneel in rear of the right of Robinett, so asto get out of range of the enemy’s fire, and the moment he had exhausted him-self to charge with the bayonet [see p. 759]. The third assault was made justas I was seeing Sullivan into the fight. I saw the enemy come upon the ridgewhile Battery Robinett was belching its fire at them. After the charge hadfailed I saw the 27th Ohio and the 11th Missouri chasing them with bayonets.

The head of the enemy’s main column reached within a few feet of BatteryRobinett, and Colonel Rogers, who was leading it, colors in hand, dismounted,planted a flag-staff on the bank of the ditch, and fell there, shot by one of ourdrummer-boys, who, with a pistol, was helping to defend Robinett. I was toldthat Colonel Rogers was the fifth standard-bearer who had fallen in that lastdesperate charge. It was about as good fighting on the part of the Confederatesas I ever saw. The columns were plowed through and through by our shot,but they steadily closed up and moved forward until they were forced back.

Just after this last assault I heard for the first time the word “ranch.”Passing over the field on our left, among the dead and dying, 1 saw leaningagainst the root of a tree a wounded lieutenant of an Arkansas regimentwho had been shot through the foot. As I offered him some water hesaid, “ Thank you, General; one of your men just gave me some.” I said,

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THE GROUND IN FRONT OF BATTERY ROBINETT. FROM A PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN AFTER THE BATTLE.