uccor, had not
time to march troops from Taylor's and Stansbury's to Barksdale's aid."
(Hotchkiss and Allan.)

The Confederates were now cut in two: Wilcox and Hays were left north of
the plank road, but Hays retreated round the head of Sedgwick's column,
and rejoined Early. Wilcox, who, on hearing of Sedgwick's manoeuvres
Sunday morning, had hurried with a portion of his force to Barksdale's
assistance at Taylor's, but had arrived too late to participate in the
action, on ascertaining Sedgwick's purpose, retired slowly down the
plank road, and skirmished with the latter's head of column. And he made
so determined a stand near Guest's, that considerable time was consumed
in brushing it away before Sedgwick could hold on his course.

Early appears to deem the carrying of the Fredericksburg heights
to require an excuse on his part. He says in his report about our
preliminary assaults: "All his efforts to attack the left of my line
were thwarted, and one attack on Marye's hill was repulsed. The enemy,
however, sent a flag of truce to Col. Griffin, of the Eighteenth
Mississippi Regiment, who occupied the works at the foot of Marye's
hill with his own and the Twenty-first Mississippi Regiment, which was
received by him imperfectly; and it had barely returned before heavy
columns were advanced against the position, and the trenches were
carried, and the hill taken." "After this the artillery on Lee's hill,
and the rest of Barksdale's infantry, with one of Hays's regiments, fell
back on the Telegraph road; Hays with the remainder being compelled to
fall back upon the plank road as he was on the left." Later, "a line was
formed across the Telegraph road, at Cox's house, about two miles back
of Lee's hill."

Barksdale says, "With several batteries under the command of Gen.
Pendleton, and a single brigade of infantry, I had a front of not less
than three miles to defend, extending from Taylor's hill on the left, to
the foot of the hills in the rear of the Howison house."

Gen. Wilcox, he goes on to state, from Banks's Ford, had come up with
three regiments as far as Taylor's, and Gen. Hays was also in that
vicinity; but "the distance from town to the points assailed was so
short, the attack so suddenly made, and the difficulty of removing
troops from one part of the line to another was so great, that it was
utterly impossible for either Gen. Wilcox or Gen. Hays to reach the
scene of action in time to afford any assistance wha