In the river near Pittsburg Landing, where the Federal transports lay,
were two small gunboats, and what they did during the battle of April 6th
makes a separate chapter in the action. In the early morning they were out
of sight, though within sound of the continuous firing. How the battle was
going, however, was evident. The masses of the blue-clad troops appeared
through the trees on the river bank, showing that under the continuous and
fierce assaults they were falling back upon the Landing. The _Tyler_,
commanded by Lieutenant Gwin, and afterward the _Lexington_, commanded by
Lieutenant Shirk, which arrived at four o'clock, strove to keep the
Confederate army from the Landing. After the surrender of Prentiss,
General Withers set his division in motion to the right toward this point.
Chalmers' and Jackson's brigades marched into the ravine of Dill's Branch
and into the range of the Federal gunboats and batteries which silenced
Gage's battery, the only one Withers had, and played havoc with the
Confederate skirmishers. All the rest of the afternoon, until nightfall,
the river sailors kept up their continuous bombardment, and in connection
with the field batteries on the bank checked General Withers' desperate
attempt on the Landing. The dauntless brigade of Chalmers, whose brave
Southerners held their ground near the foot of the ravine and maintained
the conflict after the battle was ended elsewhere, was swept by the
gunboats' fire. When Buell's army, that had been hurrying up to Grant's
assistance, reached the battle-field, Gwin sent a messenger ashore in the
evening to General Nelson, who had just arrived, and asked in what manner
he could now be of service. It was pitch dark; except for the occasional
firing of the pickets the armies were resting after the terrific combat.
In reply to Gwin's inquiry, General Nelson requested that the gunboats
keep on firing during the night, and that every ten minutes an 8-inch
shell should be launched in the direction of the Confederate camp. With
great precision Gwin followed out this course. Through the forest the
shells shrieked and exploded over the exhausted Confederates, showering
branches and limbs upon them where they slept, and tearing great gashes in
the earth. The result was that they got little rest, and rest was
necessary. Slowly a certain demoralization became evident--results that
bore fruit in the action that opened on the morrow. Here we see
pictured--in the lower part of the page--the captain's gig and crew near
the _Lexington_, ready to row their commander out into the stream.
[Illustration: THE _LEXINGTON_]
[Illustration]
[Illustration: FOURTEENTH IOWA VETERANS