y rested on the river; then Stewart's corps of
Loring, Walthall, French, from right to left in the order named. On
the left Cheatham's corps, of Cleburne, Brown, Bate, and Walker.
Behind Cheatham marched Johnston's and Clayton's brigade for support,
thirty thousand and more of men, in solid lines, bands playing and
flags fluttering in the afternoon wind.

Nor had the federals been idle. Behind the breastworks lay the second
and third divisions of the 23rd Corps, commanded in person by the
gallant General J. D. Cox. From the railroad on the left to the
Carter's Creek pike on the right, the brigades of these divisions
stood as follows: Henderson's, Casement's, Reilly's, Strickland's,
Moore's. And from the right of the Carter's Creek pike to the river
lay Kimball's first division of the Fourth Corps. In front of the
breastworks, across the Columbia pike, General Wagner, commanding the
second division of the Fourth Corps, had thrown forward the two
brigades of Bradley and Lane to check the first assault of the
confederates, while Opdyck's brigade of the same division was held in
the town as a reserve. Seven splendid batteries growled along the
line of breastworks, and showed their teeth to the advancing foe,
while three more were caged in the fort above and beyond the town.

Never did men march with cooler courage on more formidable lines of
defense. Never did men wait an attack with cooler courage.
Breastworks with abatis in front through which the mouth of cannon
gaped; artillery and infantry on the right to enfilade; siege guns in
the fort high above all, to sweep and annihilate.

Schofield, born general that he was, simply lay in a rock-circled,
earth-circled, water-circled, iron-and-steel-circled cage, bayonet
and flame tipped, proof against the armies of the world!

But Hood's brave army never hesitated, never doubted.

Even in the matter of where to throw up his breastworks, Schofield
never erred. On a beautiful and seemingly level plain like this, a
less able general might have thrown them up anywhere, just so that
they encircled the town and ran from river to river.

But Schofield took no chances. His quick eye detected that even in
apparent level plains there are slight undulations. And so, following
a gentle rise all the way round, just on its top he threw up his
breastworks. So that, besides the ditch and the abatis, there was a
slight depression in his immediate front, open and clear, but so
situated tha