velling
nearly west all the while, and you come to McClernand's division, which
is encamped in a long line on both sides of the road. Here you see
Dresser's, Taylor's, Schwartz's, and McAllister's batteries, and all
those regiments which fought so determinedly at Donelson. They face
northwest. Their line is a little east of the church.

Passing over to the church, you see that a number of roads centre
there,--one coming in from the northwest, which will take you to Purdy;
one from the northeast, which will carry you to Crump's Landing; the
road up which you have travelled from Pittsburg Landing; one from the
southeast, which will take you to Hamburg; and one from the southwest,
which is the lower road to Corinth.

You see, close by the church, on both sides of this lower road to
Corinth, General Sherman's division, not facing northwest, but nearly
south. McClernand's left and Sherman's left are close together. They
form the two sides of a triangle, the angle being at the left wings.
They are in a very bad position to be attacked.

Take the Hamburg road now, and go southeast two miles and you come to
the crossing of the Ridge road to Corinth, where you will find General
Prentiss's division, before mentioned. Keeping on, you come to Lick
Creek. It has high, steep banks. It is fordable at this point, and
Colonel Stuart's brigade of Sherman's division is there, guarding the
crossing. The brook which gurgles past the church empties into the
creek. You see that Prentiss's entire division, and the left wing of
McClernand's, is between Stuart's brigade and the rest of Sherman's
division. There are detached regiments encamped in the woods near the
Landing, which have just arrived, and have not been brigaded. There are
also two regiments of cavalry in rear of these lines. There are several
pieces of siege artillery on the top of the hill near the Landing, but
there are no artillerists or gunners to serve them.

You see that the army does not expect to be attacked. The cavalry ought
to be out six or eight miles on picket; but they are here, the horses
quietly eating their oats. The infantry pickets ought to be out three or
four miles, but they are not a mile and a half advanced from the camp.
The army is in a bad position to resist a sudden attack from a superior
force. McClernand ought not to be at right angles with Sherman, Stuart
ought not to be separated from his division by Prentiss, and General
Lewis Wallace is too far a