330 Southern Histoi'ical /Society Papers.
such a position, fired shells with a reduced charge of powder, so as to roll them slowly, as a ball in a bowling alley, for some distance right in the rear of our parapet.
About the 5th of June, the enemy planted a battery of rifled guns on a commanding position opposite to the slaughter-pen, and kept up a most annoying fire during the day, and frequently during the night. It was only about four hundred yards from our battery at Bennett's House. The enemy's fire was so destructive to our guns, the cannoneers so much exposed to sharpshooters, and our ammuni- tion so scarce, that our guns were rarely fired except in cases of emergency or necessity. Pits were dug in rear of the platforms, in which the guns were placed from under fire until required for an emergency.
About the loth of June the enemy planted four mortars in position near their battery opposite Bennett's House. These mortars gave us great annoyance; they were fired day and night, to the very great disturbance of our troops ; yet few were killed by these shells.
The enemy rapidly completed a line of rifle pits immediately con- ironting our lines; being in the edge of the woods, gave them great advantage. Their rifl^-pits confronted ours at every point, at dis- tances varying from one hundred to four hundred yards. On the extreme left the nature of the country did not admit of an advance except by one route; this was guarded by the advanced ridge spoken of in Colonel Shelby's report.
The enemy erected a series of rifle-pits, with the view of captur- ing this hill; but, owing to the extreme vigilance and energy dis- played by the troops from Colonel Shelby's regiment, who defended it, no progress was ever made.
On the night of the 12th, the troops were changed, so as to oc- cupy permanent positions for the remainder of the siege. The fol- lowing was the disposition of my command under this arrangement, from right to left :
Fifteenth Arkansas, Colonel Ben. Johnson; First Alabama, Lieu- tenant Colonel Locke; Eighteenth Arkansas, Lieutenant-Colonel Parish; Tenth Arkansas, Lieutenant-Colonel Vaughan ; Wingfield's (or the Company of Ninth Louisiana battalion cavalry, commanded by Lieutenant Daliet); Thirty-ninth Mississippi regiment, Colonel W. B. Shelby.
The artillery consisted of ten pieces — scattered as circumstances demanded— two Blakely 12-pounder rifles, Lieutenant Cook (First Lieutenant artillery; ; six pieces Herrod's battery and two pieces
