gned position in the dark, about 7
P.M., and "encamped for the night, without instructions and without
adequate knowledge of the nature of the ground in front and on the
right." The troops, without shelter and without fires, suffered another
night of cold and wind and snow and sleet, after a day without food.

In the night, General Floyd, in council with General Pillow, General
Buckner, and Colonel Gilmer, determined to make a sortie in the morning,
and, if practicable, cut a way out, and retreat by the Wynn's Ferry road
to Charlotte. Pillow was to begin with an attack on McClernand's right,
assisted by the cavalry. When he should succeed in pushing back the
right, Buckner was to issue from the works and strike the division near
its centre. When the whole of the division should be rolled back onto
Lewis Wallace, leaving a cleared way out into the country over the road,
Pillow's division was to lead, and Buckner to hold the National forces
back and afterward serve as rear-guard on the retreat to Charlotte. The
brigade commanders were sent for and received instructions. No
instructions were given to them, nor was anything said in the council,
as to what supplies the troops should carry, and some regiments took
neither knapsacks nor rations. Before dawn, Saturday, the 15th, Pillow's
division began assembling, as on the previous day, on open ground in
rear of the extreme left of the intrenchments. Colonel Baldwin, who was
posted with two of his regiments, the Twenty-sixth Tennessee and
Twenty-sixth Mississippi, in Pillow's portion of the intrenchments,
while the rest of his brigade was west of Indian Creek, under Buckner,
held the advance, the Twentieth Mississippi being added to his command,
giving him a temporary brigade of three regiments. Colonel Heiman, with
his brigade and Maney's battery, strengthened by the Forty-second
Tennessee, were to remain in position and thence aid the attack while it
was going on. The Thirtieth Tennessee was to occupy the trenches vacated
by Buckner, while the Forty-ninth and Fiftieth Tennessee were to act as
garrison to the main work--the fort.

Commodore Foote wrote to General Grant desiring an interview with him,
and asking, as he was disabled by wounds, to be excused from going to
see Grant, requested that the interview be held on the flag-ship. The
Twentieth Ohio, which had arrived on transports the evening before and
was ordered to report to General Lewis Wallace the day before, while