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Sergeant William S. Morris
31st Illinois Infantry
Passing rapidly to the right of the line, the brigade came to a front,
looking across the Champion Hill farm house and the high ground where
field batteries were in position to defend the extreme left of the
Confederate line of infantry drawn up in double column. They crowned the
hill, that with its abrupt northeastern face covered with timber,
presented a formidable barrier to any force that might assail it. Behind
the brigade was an open field; far off to the right the flat bottoms of
Baker's Creek. The men here slung their knapsacks and lay flat upon the
ground in line. Major Stahlbrand pushed his twenty-four pound Howitzers
several yards in front of our position and opened at close range with
shell and shrapnel, cutting his shell at a second and a half. The guns on
the hill added their music and sent their missiles tearing across the
narrow valley at Stahlbrand's guns. The Major observed from his position
at the guns a line of infantry moving down the hill. He turned round and
riding up to Gen. J. E. Smith, commanding the brigade, said: "Sheneral
Schmidt dey are sharging you mitt doubled column. By damn it they vant
mine guns." Smith looked to the right and left of his line and
replied grimly. "Let'em come, we're ready to receive them." He
commanded, "Attention brigade," and the line stood upon
its feet. Again he looked steadily up and down the line and bawled out "Fix
bayonets." The bayonets flashed from the scabbards and the jingle
of the steel rattled along the line. Logan and McPherson dashed up. The
corps commander smilingly rode along the line, saying: "Give them
Jesse boys, give them Jesse." Logan straightened himself in his
stirrups and said: "We are about to fight the battle for
Vicksburg." Appealing to his old regiment he cried out: "Thirty
onesters remember the blood of your mammas. We must whip them here or all
go under the sod together. Give'em hell."
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