from the field beyond.

Wood's brigade, charging on Rousseau, was knocked to pieces and retired
to the rear, where General Wood with the aid of cavalry gathered up
1,500 stragglers into an ineffective reserve. McCook pushed his line
forward to Sherman's camp. The lines were pressed closer and the fire
was hotter than ever. General Grant called two regiments, and in person
led them in a charge in McCook's front, and broke the enemy's line.
Endurance has its limits. The intense strain of two days was telling.
Beauregard saw his men were beginning to flag; exhausted regiments were
dropping out of line. It was now three o'clock. Two hours before,
General Beauregard had sent word to his extreme right in Nelson's front,
to retire slowly in alternate lines. Breckenridge, put in command of the
movement, had drawn Statham's brigade from Crittenden's front.
Beauregard was fighting to secure his retreat.

Colonel Thompson, aide-de-camp to Beauregard, says in his report: "While
I was engaged in rallying our disorganized troops to the left and rear
of the church, you seized the banners of two different regiments and led
them forward to the assault in face of the fire of the enemy; but from
the feebleness of the response I became convinced that our troops were
too much exhausted to make a vigorous resistance. I rode up to you and
advised that you should expose yourself no further, but should dispose
your troops so as to retire from Shiloh Church in good order." Colonel
Whittlesey, in his report, states: "There being signs of a retreat
farther to the south, Lieutenant Thurber was directed to sweep the
ground in front, which he did with his two howitzers and three
smooth-bores in fine style. Two prisoners captured near there, one of
them an officer of the Creole Guard, state that General Beauregard was
endeavoring to form a line for a final and desperate charge on our right
when Lieutenant Thurber opened upon him, and the result was a disorderly
retreat."

The battle was over. General Beauregard posted a battery and a brigade
on the rising ground south of Oak Creek, commanding the ground about
Shiloh Church, and withdrew his worn troops behind them. General
Beauregard says this was at two o'clock. Cheatham fixes the hour when he
retired at half-past two. The National commanders fix the close of the
contest at about three o'clock. At Woods', about two miles beyond, a
rear-guard took position again. At Mickey's, where Breckenridge had