第39章

On the withdrawal of Post's brigade, Carlin's right was left exposed to the enemy, who with renewed vigor pressed forward in overwhelming numbers on converging lines, massing as they advanced.Circling around on their right the rebels swept down on the remaining brigades of Davis's division in dense columns.In the previous charge the attack had been so heavy upon the angle formed by Woodruff's left and Sill's right, that in the new formation--after the second repulse--the line at this point was somewhat broken, and after Sill's death the right of the brigade was reformed somewhat to the rear of the former line, the better to support the battery attached to it.In the heavy fighting of the morning the position of all the brigades had been more or less changed, and in several instances the commanding officer of each brigade considered his command as being without support on either flank.On the third assault both Carlin and Woodruff thought this to be the case with their commands, and in the attack then made upon their brigades they became almost surrounded.Carlin stubbornly resisted every effort to drive him from his position until by his remaining longer the loss of his entire brigade became imminent.His regiment on the left gave way and he then retreated across open fields in the rear to the edge of the woods, where Davis was attempting to reform his line, having placed Hotchkiss's battery just within the timber.Woodruff then fell back, but being closely pressed, turned and with a determined charge sent the enemy beyond his original position.Being unsupported he was compelled to retire into the cedars.Before Woodruff reached the new lines that Davis was trying to form, Carlin's troops opened fire on the advancing enemy, when he was informed that Davis had ordered a farther withdrawal.He then fell back across the Wilkinson pike, where he rallied his men, who however, on the advance of the enemy, fired one volley and broke to the rear without orders.

Carlin then went with them through the lines of reserves, halting at the railroad, where he reformed his command.After reaching the cedars Woodruff charged a second time, and compelled the enemy to fall back, but his ammunition giving out, his troops passed to the rear, resisting every effort to rally them until they reached the Murfreesboro pike.

Davis's division had up to this time protected Sheridan's right, and these divisions unitedly had resisted two assaults.After the charge of the enemy that broke Davis's division and sent it through the cedars, Sheridan was compelled to change his line and to protect the right flank of his command from the enemy, now pressing that part of his position, as well as his front, in increasing numbers, as the line became shortened.Hastily withdrawing Sill's brigade, with the reserves sent it as support, he directed Roberts, with the left brigade, which had changed front and formed in columns of regiments, to charge the enemy in the cedars from which he had withdrawn Sill's brigade and the reserves.This charge was at once made by Roberts, and the enemy's advance checked sufficiently to give Sheridan time to form his troops on the new line, which he at once did by placing Sill's and Shafer's brigades on a line at right angles to his first one, and ordered Roberts to return and form his command on this same line.Sheridan now attempted to form the broken troops of the other division on the right of his new line, but in this he was not successful.After making a gallant fight with his division, finding the right of his new line turned, Sheridan was directed by McCook to advance to the front and reform his troops to the right of Negley's division of the Centre under Thomas.Throwing forward his left to join Negley's right, he placed Roberts's brigade in position at right angles to Negley's line, facing south, and then placed his two other brigades in the rear, and at right angles to Roberts, so as to face westward and to cover the rear of Negley's lines.In the angle of these lines on the right of Negley, he placed his artillery.Here he was again fiercely assaulted by the enemy, and one of the fiercest and most sanguinary contests of the day ensued.Massing the four divisions of Hardee's and Polk's corps--each of four brigades--Bragg hurled them against the divisions of Sheridan and Negley, and at the same time the enemy opened fire from the intrenchments in the direction of Murfreesboro.Here the fighting was terrific.Five batteries were posted with these two divisions, the artillery range of the respective forces being not to exceed two hundred yards.Three times in dense masses the enemy charged on these divisions, and three times were they repulsed.Here Colonel Roberts was killed.

Sheridan's troops having now exhausted their ammunition--Shafer's brigade being entirely out and nearly all his horses killed--then gave way, after over four hours of some of the hottest fighting of the day.Sheridan lost in falling back from this position eight guns.Nearly all the remainder of his artillery was drawn by his men through the cedars.On arriving at the Murfreesboro pike, Sheridan reformed his command in an open space near the right of Palmer.