could drive McClernand back
upon General Wallace. General Buckner, with the other half of the army,
was to push out from the northwest angle of the fort at the same time,
attack General Wallace, and force him back upon General McClernand,
which would throw the Union troops into confusion. By adopting this plan
he hoped to win a victory, or if not that, he could open a way of escape
to the whole army. The plan was agreed to by the other officers, and
preparations were made for the attack. The soldiers received extra
rations and a large quantity of ammunition. The caissons of the
artillery were filled up, and the regiments placed in position to move
early in the morning.

SATURDAY.

General B. R. Johnson led the Rebel column, and Colonel Baldwin's
brigade the advance. It was composed of the First and Fourteenth
Mississippi and the Twenty-sixth Tennessee regiments. The next brigade
was Colonel Wharton's. It was composed of the Fiftieth and Fifty-first
Virginia. McCousland's brigade was composed of the Thirty-sixth and
Fifty-sixth Virginia; Davidson's brigade was composed of the Seventh
Texas, Eighth Kentucky, and Third Mississippi; Colonel Drake's brigade
was composed of the Fourth and Twentieth Mississippi, Garven's battalion
of riflemen, Fifteenth Arkansas, and a Tennessee regiment. Hieman's
brigade was composed of the Tenth, Thirtieth, and Forty-eighth
Tennessee, and the Twenty-seventh Alabama. There were about thirty
pieces of artillery, and twelve thousand men in this column.

McArthur's brigade of McClernand's division was on the extreme right,
and a short distance in rear of Oglesby. The Rebels moved down the Union
Ferry road, which leads southwest towards Clarksville, which brought
them nearly south of Oglesby and McArthur. Oglesby's regiments stood,
the Eighth Illinois on the right, then the Twenty-ninth, Thirtieth, and
Thirty-first, counting towards the left. Schwartz's battery was on the
right and Dresser's on the left. Wallace's brigade was formed with the
Thirty-first Illinois on the right, close to Oglesby's left flank
regiment, then the Twentieth, Forty-eighth, Forty-fifth, Forty-ninth,
and Seventeenth Illinois. McAllister's battery was between the Eleventh
and Twentieth, and Taylor's between the Seventeenth and Forty-ninth.
Colonel Dickey's cavalry was in rear, his horses picketed in the woods
and eating corn. North of the Fort Henry road was Colonel Cruft's
brigade of General Lewis Wallace's division