His  troops  moved  iufour  columns,  commanded
respectively  by  Generals  Morgan,  A.  J.  Smith,
Morgan  L.  Smith,  and  F.  Steele.  They  moved
ou  Dec.  27,  bivouacked  without  fire  that  night,
and  proceeded  to  the  attack  the  next  morn-
ing. The  Nationals  drove  the  Confederate
pickets  across  the  bayou,  and  everywhere  the
ground  was  so  soft  that  causeways  of  logs
had  to  be  built  for  the  x>assage  of  troops  and
artillery.  The  Nationals  were  seriously  enfi-
laded by  the  Confederate  batteries  and  sharp-
shooters. The  right  of  the  Union  troops  was
commanded  by  General  F.  P.  Blair,  who  led  the
way  across  the  bayou  over  a  bridge  his  men
had  built,  captured  two  lines  of  rifle-pits,  and
fought  desperately  to  gain  the  crest  of  the  hill
before  him.  Others  followed,  and  a  severe  bat-
tle ensued.  Pembertou,  the  Confederate  chief,,
had  arrived,  and  so  active  were  the  Confeder-
ates on  the  bluffs  that  the  Nationals  were  re-
pulsed with  heavy  loss.  Blair  lost  one  third
of  his  brigade.  Darkness  closed  the  struggle,
when  Sherman  had  lost  about  two  thousand
men,  and  his  antagonists  only  two  hundred
and  seven.
