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south sides of the fort, and the shells which went over the works fell among our own men. I now saw that I could complete the investment of the work, and storm and take the city.
I ordered
Major Ross, commanding Sixth Texas, to move up a wooded ravine and attack the north side.
I ordered
Colonel Hawkins, commanding First Texas Legion, to move on the jagged slope of the bluffs, clear it of the enemy, swing on his left, and extend the arc of a circle, formed by
Major Ross, to the north and west.
I ordered
Colonel Thomas Logwood, commanding the Fifteenth Tennessee cavalry, to move through the upper edge of the city, and
Major John Thurmond, commanding Fourteenth Tennessee cavalry (
Colonel Neeley's right), to move centrally through the city.
These officers, and their commands, promptly and gallantly executed these orders, and in twenty minutes we had completed the circle around the main redoubt, and swept the heights above the city, except the main redoubt, and had taken the city by storm, except the tier of buildings fronting the river, under the immediate cover of their two gunboats, in which a number of the enemy had posted themselves, and were firing from the windows of the houses.
In driving the enemy from one of these houses, the gallant and accomplished gentleman and soldier,
Major J. G. Thurmond, fell dead, shot through the head, leading his regiment, the gallant Fourteenth Tennessee cavalry.
He is dead.
His deeds place him in the ranks of that honored few whom we delight to recognize as the
bravest of the
brave.
Two gunboats now opened their batteries upon us in the city and rained down showers of balls from exploding shrapnells.
Captain Thrall now placed in position, on one of the streets, in fifty yards of a brick house occupied by the enemy, his piece, and opened upon it with terrible effect.
I held the city for three hours, destroying quartermaster's stores and cotton, not without, however, a continuous struggle with the enemy's sharp-shooters, posted in houses and his gunboats, until the latter were silenced.
Colonel Logwood having driven the enemy from the upper part of the city, by gallant and impetuous charges, had wheeled his regiment upon its left and closed the circle of investment, and commanded the sally post of the main central redoubt.
About four o'clock in the evening General Ross reported to me, in the city, the progress made against the central redoubt, and the refusal of the enemy to surrender the main redoubt.
We concluded that to carry the work by storm would sacrifice too many valuable lives, and was not worth the price.
Two boats of re-inforcements were approaching the city; our ammunition was nearly exhausted; we had felt the
