Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 14.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

[404] on our right, we could hear the sound of brisk fighting on the left of Bragg's line, and these sounds showed us that our troops under Longstreet were driving back Rosecranz's right. The troops of Thomas had ample opportunity to hear it, too, and doubtless understood it as we did.

The weakening of their right to reinforce their left, which had been so desperately assaulted, placed the Federal right wing in a condition to be more easily handled by General Longstreet's command, and right gallantly did the veterans from the Virginia army, assisted by their western brethren, drive back their right and break their centre. This was doubtless the turning point in the battle. Besides routing their right, Longstreet's success no doubt had a demoralizing effect on Thomas's men, who, while they did not know the extent of the disaster on their right, could not fail to understand from the sounds which reached their ears during the period of waiting at their end of the line, that the Confederates had the best of the fight. But your correspondent's account would appear to give all the credit to General Longstreet, and leave upon the mind of his readers the impression that having broken up the right of Rosecranz's army, Longstreet changed front to the right and drove Thomas from his strong position on the left. This is not distinctly claimed for General Longstreet, but the inference is clearly conveyed to the mind of the reader, not only by what your correspondent states in his account of the battle, but from the language which he quotes as from the mouth of General Longstreet himself. As an eye-witness to the disposition of the troops, and of the final charge which drove Thomas from his defences, I wish to correct that impression and state what did occur on our right. In the new arrangement of the lines on this wing, a portion of Cleburne's command was to the right of the angle in the Federal works-Lucius E. Polk's brigade being placed, if I remember correctly, somewhat to the right of where Helm had made his assault. Preparatory to the assault a heavy artillery fire had been concentrated on the strongest point of Thomas's defences. In replying to our artillery and in repelling minor attacks of our infantry the writer noticed that the Federal artillery used solid shot from their smooth bore guns, and recognizing the significance of this, as an artillery man, he called General Polk's attention to the fact that they had probably exhausted their most effective ammunition. As they also showed a disposition to spare their infantry fire except when forced, we concluded that their supply of ammunition of all kinds was getting short. The ordnance wagons being driven close up in