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3 Cooper to Steele, August 12, 1863, Official Records, i, XXII, Pt. 1, p. 461. 4 Ibid, p. 448. 5 Ibid, p. 450. |
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11:34 A.M. The regiment advanced within 40 paces of where the rebels had "massed their heaviest force,"4 stopped, and formed its firing lines. With raised sword, Col. Williams ordered a volley fired at partially concealed rebel positions. A return volley from the Texans, fired at the same instant, killed Williams' horse and struck him in the "breast, face, and hands."5 The horse's carcass pinned Williams underneath it when it fell to the ground. Sgt. Newton Bassett, Co. B, sent Pvts. James Biggerstaff and Edward Adams out to pull their commander back to safety. Under relentless fire from the Twentieth Texas, the men struggled to free Williams from beneath his mount. Within seconds, Biggerstaff caught a minnie ball in his chest and Adams took a bullet above his right knee. Bassett then ordered Corporals Jack Caston and David Fisher out to retrieve the men. Meanwhile, the regiment's left side poured rapid-fire into the Twentieth Texas that slowed its attackers and provided cover. Immediately, ten men rushed out, freed Williams, and dragged the wounded men behind their firing lines. |
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11:30 A.M. Smith's battery ceased fire. Immediately, black troops dressed ranks and moved forward to capture the rebel guns. Artillerymen standing nearby shouted encouragement as the regiment advanced past their guns. Corporal Charles Smith, Co. E., First Kansas color bearer, led the black troops across the prairie in two long lines. The second line followed the first line in good order while officers advanced on horseback. |
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When Cooper saw black troops heading toward his guns, he sent a messenger to Col. Bass, Twentieth Texas commander. He ordered the Fifth and Twenty-Ninth Texas to attack the First Kansas' right flank as they advanced "upon the battery at the center."3 He wanted the Twentieth Texas to kill Col. Williams on the left flank and finish the black troops off at the edge of the prairie. |
