been but
recently and hastily thrown up, after it became known to Taylor
that Banks was crossing to attack him. In the wood, about five
hundred yards in advance of the breastworks, Mouton had posted
Bagby's 3d Texas regiment. The Texans held their ground so stiffly
that Gooding found it necessary to send his own regiment, the 31st
Massachusetts, to the support of Sharpe. Mouton supported Bagby
with the left wing of the 18th Louisiana and part of Fournet's and
Waller's battalions. Gooding's men carried the rifle-pits in the
wood by a spirited charge, in which they took two officers and
eighty-four men prisoners. His main line in the open ground between
the wood and the bayou was formed by the 38th Massachusetts, deployed
as skirmishers, covering the front and followed, at a distance of
about one hundred and fifty yards, by the 53d Massachusetts, in
like order. Behind the 53d, two sections of the 1st Maine battery
were posted to command two parallel plantation roads leading up
the bayou, while the third section was held in reserve. After the
31st Massachusetts had gone to the support of the right, the main
line here was composed of the 175th New York. Shortly after five
o'clock the 53d Massachusetts relieved the 38th, which had expended
its ammunition, and was falling back under orders to replenish.
When this was done, the 38th once more advanced and formed in
support of the skirmish line.

Meanwhile on the left of the Teche the main body moved forward in
two lines of battalions deployed, Paine on the right and Weitzel
on the left, while Ingraham, in column of companies, formed the
reserve for both. Paine's first line on the right, nearest the
bayou, was composed of the 4th Wisconsin and 8th New Hampshire,
his second line of the 133d New York and the 173d New York. Mack's
20-pounders commanded the bayou road, and Duryea went into battery
in advance of the centre, between Paine and Weitzel.

Weitzel's front line was composed of the 8th Vermont and 114th New
York, with the 12th Connecticut, 160th New York, and 75th New York
in the second line. The guns of Bainbridge and Carruth went into
battery near the left flank, and working slowly kept down the fire
of the Confederate artillery in their front. When the fire of
musketry became hot, Weitzel sent the 75th New York to try to gain
the canebrake on the left, in advance of the enemy's works, with
a view of turning that flank. Of this movement Taylor says in hi