1
402 Southern Historical Society Papers.
port to General Polk for staff duty. From this time until the arrival of our army at Missionar}' Ridge I served on General Leonidas Polk's staff I found staff duty by no means the sinecure so many of us had been disposed to consider it, and being kept actively mov- ing here and there with orders, I was an eye-witness to much of the movement and fighting on the right wing of our army. Our right bevond Cheatham was formed in a single line throughout, I think. At least I can remember no point on a large extent of this wing, along which I repeatedly rode with orders, where a second line in reserve was seen. The distance covered by the right wing, from Longstreet's right to the point where Polk was to overlap and flank Thomas's left was probably too great to admit of doubling the lines, but I remember that it seemed to me, young soldier as I was, that in such formation we would hardly be able to drive an equal or su- perior force from a chosen position behind breastworks. The Fed- eral left wing had built strong field works of trees cut down during the night, and from their extreme left this line of works extended back at almost a right angle from the front, so as to protect their flank. Our troops advanced with spirit and did not make the attack in detachments as intimated by your correspondent. The works were first struck by the left of Breckenridge's division, and immedi- ately afterward by the right of Cleburne's division. Breckenridge's right brigades swung around the angle of the works, where, with the efficient support of Forrest's cavalry on their right, they made a bold dash at the enemy's flank and rear, but large numbers of troops were thrown against them, checking their advance and finally driving them back. Behind their works the Federals seemed to have men enough to keep the front line of pieces always loaded, as a continu- ous stream of fire met our men at every charge. As our brigades were driven back they were rallied to the charge again, and thus the fight soon assumed that shape not inaptly described by Captain Howell: illustrative of the falling of a baulky team. The strongest part of the field works were afterwards found to be at and near the angle on the Federal left, and here the fire of small arms and artillery was so constant and deardly that it seemed a hopeless task to carry it by assault with a single line. The gallant Kentuckians under Helm, and Lucius E. Polk's brigade on their left, made desperate assaults upon this strong position, and stubbornly held their ground for some time in tHe face of a fire of artillery and musketry, before which it seemed impossible for a man to live. But they were forced back with heavy loss. General Helm being among the killed.
