nd
Thirty-first Illinois,--the two regiments on the left of Oglesby's
brigade. Colonel John A. Logan commands the Thirty-first. He told the
Southern conspirators in Congress, when they were about to secede from
the Union, that the men of the Northwest would hew their way to the Gulf
of Mexico with their swords, if they attempted to close the Mississippi.
He is not disposed to yield his ground. He encourages his men, and they
remain immovable before the Rebel brigades. Instead of falling back, he
swings his regiment towards the Rebels, and stands confronting them.

But while this is going on, the Rebel cavalry have moved round to the
rear of McArthur. They dash down a ravine, through the bushes, over the
fallen trees, and charge up the hill upon the Ninth and Eighteenth
regiments of McArthur's brigade. They are sent back in confusion, but
the onset has been so fierce and the charge so far in the rear, that
McArthur is compelled to fall back and form a new line. The Rebels have
begun to open the door which General Grant had closed against them. The
brigades in front of Oglesby are pouring murderous volleys upon the
Eighth and Twenty-ninth. The falling back of McArthur to meet the attack
on his rear has enabled the enemy to come up behind these regiments, and
they are also compelled to fall back.

The Rebels in front are elated. They move nearer, working their way
along a ravine, sheltered by a ridge of land. They load their muskets,
rush up to the crest of the hill, deliver their fire, and step back to
reload; but as often as they appear, McAllister and Dresser and Taylor
give them grape and canister.

The Eleventh and Twentieth Illinois, on the right of Wallace's brigade,
join in the conflict, supporting the brave Logan. Colonel Wallace swings
the Forty-eighth, Forty-fifth, and half of the Forty-ninth round towards
Pillow's brigades, leaving the other half of the Forty-ninth and the
Seventeenth to hold the line towards the Fort Henry road. If you study
the diagram carefully, you will see that this manoeuvre was a change
of front. At the beginning the line of battle faced northeast, but now
it faces south.

There is a ridge between Wallace's brigade and the Rebels. As often as
the Rebels advance to the ridge, Taylor and McAllister with the infantry
drive them back. It is an obstinate and bloody contest. The snow becomes
crimson. There are pools of clotted blood where the brave men lie down
upon the ground. There are b