Buell's divisions, taking the Federal left wing, opened tho day's work, soon after five o'clock, when Nelson's division moved forward upon the enemy's pickets, driving them in. The rebel artillery opened at six o'clock on Nelson's lines.

Grant gave the right Federal wing to General Lew Wallace's fine division of fresh men, which had arrived at eight o'clock on the evening of Sunday. Sherman's broken brigades again assumed the field, taking position next to Wallace. On the right the attack commenced early after daybreak, by Thomp son's artillery, which opened on a rebel battery occupying a bluff to the front and right of Wallace's First brigade.

The battle soon became general. The enemy, during the night, had been reenforced to the utmost extent consistent with the safety of his defenses at Corinth, and was, therefore, prepared for a desperate conflict. It was evident, from his fighting that, if victory was won by the Union army, it must be at a fearful loss of life. But, the Federals-officers and men-were resolved upon victory even at a sacrifice of half their numbers, and they went into the fight with astonishing alacrity.

Wallace's position on the extreme right was one of great responsibility. But, he was the right man in the right place. He had for his coadjutor the really unconquerable Sherman, whose skeleton of a division was then as ready for the fray as if over one half of its numbers was not able to answer the roll call. Observing that his right was well protected by an impassable swamp formed by a creek, (Snake,) and discovering that the rebel left was open for a demonstration, Wallace determined to press it, if possible turn it. For that purpose, he stated in his report: "It became necessary for me to change front by a left half-wheel of the whole division. While the movement was in progress, across a road through the woods at the southern end of the field we were resting by, I discovered a heavy column of rebels going rapidly to reen force their left, which was still retiring, covered by skirmishers, with whom mine were engaged. Thompson's battery was ordered up and shelled the passing column with excellent

effect, but while so engaged he was opened on by a full bat tery planted in the field just beyond the strip of woods on the right. He promptly turned his guns at the new enemy. A fine artillery duel ensued, very honorable to Thompson and his company. His ammunition giving out in the midst of it, I ordered him to retire, and Lieutenant Thurber to take his place. Thurber obeyed with such alacrity, that there was scarcely an intermission in the fire, which continued so long and with such warmth as to provoke the attempt on the part of the rebels to charge the position. Discovering the inten tion, the First brigade was brought across the field to occupy the strip of woods in front of Thurber. The cavalry made the first dash at the battery, but the skirmishers of the Ninth Missouri poured an unexpected fire into them, and they retired pell-mell. Next the infantry attempted a charge; the First brigade easily repelled them. All this time my whole division was under a furious cannonade, but being well masked behind the bluff, or resting in the hollows of the woods, the regiments suffered but little."

This affair only stayed the advance for a brief period. The cleared field in front was intersected by a willow-fringed stream. Over this the First and Second brigades now pressed. The skirmishers in action all the way cleared the rise, and grouped themselves behind the ground-swells within seventyfive yards of the rebel lines. As the regiments approached them, suddenly a sheet of musketry blazed from the woods, and a battery opened upon them. About the same instant, ́ the regiments supporting his left fell hastily back. To save his flank a halt was ordered. The wavering battalions soon recovered, when the two brigades pressed on with fixed bayonets. The rebels fell back into the woods, thus abandoning their first positions, which the Federals now held.

Fortune, however, wavered for a moment on the left of Wallace's well won position. Sherman advanced under cover of the three guns of the Chicago Light artillery, (Company A, Lieutenant P. P. Wood commanding,) until the line of McClernand's old camp was gained, on the Corinth road. There he

first met Buell's column of veterans-such troops as only a military commander of the truest instincts can produce. Their steadiness and precision inspired the new recruits of Sherman's brigades with great confidence and enthusiasm. Willich's famous regiment advanced upon the enemy lurking, in heavy force, in a thicket of water-oaks. The reception by the enemy compelled even the invincible Indiana Thirty-second to retire before it. The fire of musketry was perfectly astounding, and Colonel Willich came from the wood with sadly riddled ranks. It was evident that there was to be the great struggle of the day. Into the thicket, to support Buell's forces, Sherman now led his men. He says: "The enemy had one battery close to Shiloh, and another near the Hamburg road, both pouring grape and canister upon my column of troops that advanced upon the green point of water-oaks. Willich's regiment had been repulsed, but a whole brigade of McCook's division advanced beautifully, deployed and entered this dreaded wood. I ordered my Second brigade, then com manded by Colonel T. Kilby Smith, (Colonel Stuart being wounded,) to form on its right, and my Fourth brigade, Colonel Buckland, on its left, all to advance abreast, with the Kentucky brigade before mentioned, (Rosseau's.) I gave personal direction to the twenty-four-pounder guns, whose fire soon silenced the enemy's guns to the left, and at the Shiloh meeting House. Rosseau's brigade moved in splendid order steadily to the front, sweeping everything before it, and at four P. M. stood upon the ground of our original front line. The enemy was then in full retreat."

This states a splendid achievement in very modest terms. It was one of the most severe and hotly contested sections of the field, where Beauregard commanded in person and was supported by the divisions of Bragg, Polk and Breckenridge.

Thus far for the fortunes of the Federal right. The center, under McClernand's command, was engaged from the first moment with great obstinacy. Finding Buell gaining ground on the left, while the right was slowly advancing, the enemy threw his greatest strength in several assaults upon the center,

hoping to force it and thus retrieve the day. But McCler nand's men were invincible. Hurlburt's somewhat thinned, but still resolute ranks moved up to his support, taking his left. There the obstinacy of the fight, at times, was not paral leled on the field. The two contestants seemed equally resolved not to yield a rood of ground. One who was present, on this portion of the field, wrote:

"It now became evident that the rebels were avoiding the extreme of the left wing, and endeavoring to find some weak point in the lines by which to turn our force, and thus create an irrevocable confusion. It is wonderful with what perseverance and determination they adhered to this purpose. They left one point but to return to it immediately, and then as suddenly would, by some masterly stroke of generalship, direct a most vigorous assault upon some division where they fancied they would not be expected. The fire of our lines was steady as clockwork, and it soon became evident that the enemy almost considered the task they had undertaken a hopeless one. Notwithstanding the continued rebuff of the rebels wherever they had made their assaults, up to two o'clock they had given no evidence of retiring from the field Their firing had been as rapid and vigorous at times as during the most terrible hours of the previous day, yet not so well confined to one point of attack."

Hurlburt's forces, Second and Third brigades, were also doing great service in another part of the field, on the left, where, by their undaunted bravery, they contributed to the complete success of the day. Hurlburt thus chronicled the doings of his brigades:

"The Second brigade led the charge ordered by General Grant until recalled by Major-General Buell. The Third brigade was deeply and fiercely engaged on the right of General McClernand, successfully stopping a movement to flank his right, and holding their ground until the firing ceased. About one o'clock of that day, (Monday,) General McCook having closed up with General McClernand, and the enemy demonstrating in great force on the left, I went, by the request of General McClernand, to the rear of his line to bring up fresh troops, and was engaged in pressing them forward until the steady advance of General Buell on the extreme left, the firmness of the center, and the closing in from the right of Generals Sherman and Wallace determined the success of the day, when I called in my exhausted brigades, and led them to their camps. The ground was such on Sunday that I was unable to use cavalry. Colonel Taylor's Fifth Ohio cavalry was drawn

up in order of battle until near one o'clock in the hope that some opening might offer for the use of this arm. None appearing, I ordered the command to be withdrawn from the reach of shot."

Wallace, after having forced the rebels back into their centre, pushed in upon them again by an oblique movement. This exposed his right flank, temporarily, when the Confederates suddenly threw their cavalry upon the right. The Twentythird Indiana and one company of the First Nebraska, kept the enemy at bay until reserves came up, when a most obstinate conflict followed, and the rebels, bringing six or seven regiments immediately forward-their aim being to cut Wallace off from the army line, and thus "bag him,” as Prentiss was bagged the day previous. As an evidence of fighting done there, we may recur to the words of the General:

"Pending this struggle, Colonel Thayer pushed on his command, and entered the woods, assaulting the enemy simultaneously with Colonel Smith. Here the Fifty-eighth Ohio and Twenty-third Indiana proved themselves fit comrades in battle with the noble Nebraska First. Here also the Seventy-sixth Ohio won a brilliant fame. The First Nebraska fired away its last cartridge in the action. At a word the Seventy-sixth Ohio rushed in and took its place. Off to the right, in the meanwhile, arose the music of the Twentieth and Seventy-eighth Ohio, fighting gallantly in support of Thurber, to whom the sound of rebel cannon seemed a challenge no sooner heard than accepted.

"From the time the wood was entered, forward was the only order. And step by step, from tree to tree, position to position, the rebel lines went back, never stopping again-infantry, horse and artillery, all went back. The firing was grand and terrible. Before us was the Crescent regiment of New Orleans; shelling us on the right was the Washington Artillery, of Manassas renown, whose last stand was in front of Colonel Whittlesey's command. To and fro, now in my front, then in Sherman's, rode General Beauregard, inciting his troops, and fighting for his fading prestige of invincibility. The desperation of the struggle may be easily imagined.

"While this was in progress, far along the lines to the left the contest was raging with equal obstinacy. As indicated by the sounds, however, the enemy seemed retiring everywhere. Cheer after cheer rung through the woods. Each man felt the day was ours.

“About four o'clock, the enemy to my front broke into rout, and ran through the camps occupied by General Sherman on Sunday morning. Their own camp had been established about two miles beyond. There,