General's apparent indifference had, undoubtedly, a good influence on
the men. They saw him undisturbed, and felt assured that the worst was
over, and the attack had spent its force. This must have been soon
after he reached the field; for, upon hearing the roar of battle in the
morning at Savannah he went aboard a steamer, came up the river eight
or nine miles, and did not reach the scene of action much, if any,
before 10 o'clock. By that time, Sherman, McClernand and Prentiss had
been driven more than a mile beyond their camps, and with such of their
command as they could hold together had formed on the flanks of the two
reserve divisions of Hurlbut and W. H. L. Wallace, who had moved
forward beyond their own camps to meet them.

While General Johnston and his adjutants were reorganizing their
command after their first great triumph, to complete the conquest so
well begun, Grant and his generals were attempting to organize
resistance out of defeat, to establish their lines, to connect the
divisions with each other, and improve the situation of the different
commands by seizing the most favorable ground. Sherman and McClernand,
with what remained of their divisions, were on the extreme right;
W. H. L. Wallace, whose division had not yet come into action, on their
left, and on the left center of our army; Prentiss on his left. Then
came Hurlbut; then a small force under Stuart, on the extreme left of
our line.

Fortunately for us, General Johnston's plan was to attack our left. If,
when he was ready to renew the battle, he had assailed our right, where
were Sherman's and McClernand's divisions, who had already done almost
as much as flesh and blood could stand, nothing would have stopped him,
and by two o'clock we should have been where we were at dark--that is,
huddled about the landing. Then there would have been nothing to do but
to surrender. Happily, most happily, when he renewed the assaults upon
our lines, it was upon those portions manned by reserve divisions,
troops that had not been seriously engaged, and had had time to steady
their nerves, and to select favorable positions.

As for myself and comrades, we had become accustomed to the situation
somewhat. The lull in the fighting in our immediate vicinity, and the
reports which reached us that matters were now progressing favorably on
the rest of the field, reassured us. We were becoming quite easy in
mind. I had always made it a rule to keep a supply of sug