y line was just formed in this position when
General Polk ordered me forward to support his line. While moving to the
support of General Polk, an order reached me from General Beauregard to
report to him with my command at his headquarters." Ruggles' division
and Cheatham's division, with one regiment of Clark's, were put on the
Confederate left of Shiloh Church; Wood's brigade and Trabue's brigade
to the right. Russell and A.P. Stewart were first sent to oppose
Crittenden, but were afterward shifted toward the Confederate left, to
McCook's front. The report of Colonel Thompson, Beauregard's
aide-de-camp, to General Beauregard, states: "About 11.30 o'clock it was
apparent that the enemy's main attack was on our left, and our forces
began to yield to the vigor of his attack."

When Rousseau's brigade was formed, his right was in the air. McCook
held it in place till Kirk's brigade arrived from Savannah, and
occupied the time exploring the ground to his front and right. Kirk
having arrived, McCook moved Rousseau's brigade across a ravine to a
rising ground a few hundred yards in advance, and placed Kirk's brigade
in reserve of Rousseau's right, to protect the exposed flank. A company
of regulars (there were three battalions of regulars in Rousseau's
command) was sent into the woods as skirmishers. In less than an hour
the skirmishers were driven back and followed by the Fourth Kentucky
Regiment and Fourth Alabama Battalion belonging to Trabue's brigade.
After a fierce attack for twenty minutes, the assailants fell back
before the rapid and well-directed fire of Rousseau's men and retired
out of sight in the timber. Trabue's regiments rallied and quickly
returned to the assault with greater vigor than before. The steady fire
of Rousseau's men again drove them to retreat; Rousseau advanced into
the timber, passed through it to an open field, when Trabue, who, with
three regiments was engaged with McClernand, united the two portions of
his brigade and charged furiously upon Rousseau. After a desperate
struggle Trabue gave way; Rousseau captured two guns and repossessed
McClernand's headquarters.

This advance drew Rousseau away from Crittenden, while it connected him
with McClernand; exposed his left, while it covered his right. Colonel
Willich, who had arrived with the Thirty-second Indiana, passed around
to the left, and, with regiment in column doubled on the centre, charged
upon the enemy in that quarter, drove him into