rd
to the left and rear of us, then another, followed quickly by a
rattling volley of small arms, and at almost the same instant a shell
came crashing through the tree-tops near us, followed by a rapid and
incessant firing from Dodge's Corps. At the first shots every officer
sprang to his feet and called for his horse. The time, I should think,
was ten or fifteen minutes past 12 o'clock.

Then after speaking of the fighting of this Division, comes this, on page
243:

After the _two_ attempts to break the Sixteenth Corps had failed,
General McPherson sent me to General Blair to ascertain the condition
of affairs along his line, and instructed me to say to General Giles
A. Smith to hold his position; that he would order up troops to occupy
the gap between the Seventeenth and Sixteenth Corps; and also saying
as I left him that he would remain with his orderly where he then was
(a commanding position on Dodge's right) until I returned. I rode
rapidly through the woods towards the Seventeenth Corps and found
General Blair with General Giles A. Smith near the extreme left of the
Fourth Division (Hall's Brigade).

This conclusively shows that Blair was not attacked until after two
attacks had been made upon me, although Hall's report gives the attack
upon Blair as at 12 o'clock, that time being before the Sixteenth Corps
was attacked. Fuller gives the time of attack upon him as 12:30. By
reading all of page 243 you will get a full and clear idea of time and
everything. The time was also taken by my staff and record made of it, and
that agrees with Strong. This only shows how far apart officers can get as
to time in a great battle, and on many things, unless correct data is made
of record on the spot.

On page 484, of volume 14 to 16 of Society of the Army of the Tennessee
records, General Leggett says:

Both divisions of the Sixteenth Army Corps immediately became hotly
engaged.... Just at this time I espied General McPherson upon the high
ground in the immediate rear of General Fuller's command, and sent
Captain John B. Raymond of my staff to inquire of General McPherson
the expediency of having General Giles A. Smith and myself change our
line so as to face south, and at the same time I sent Captain George
W. Porter to ascertain whether or not the left of General Smith and
the right of General Fuller were sufficiently near to