Woodscrew Armies Campaign - A Deadly Reckoning (3)

The view from 37th Brigade's position on 'Big Hill'

Isolated upon the heights forming the right flank of the Union line, Brigadier-General Isaac Bidwell eyed the developing situation below, on the far side of the road and across the stream. He saw the first assaults go in, the scrimmage over the earthworks, and the repulse, with huge losses, of two Chinese columns. Having nothing to face where he stood, on his own initiative - he didn't trouble to wait for or request orders, he gathered his troops and his machine guns, determined upon a counter action. As joining the defence seemed too distant a prospect, Bidwell hoped by direct action along the line of the stream to engage the interest of the Chinese army.

Heavy assaults going in.  On the escarpment line fewer than 8000
Union soldiers would face some 30,000 assailants in successive waves

Meanwhile, three of his formations broken, T'ai Kun Wu had five more about to assault the Union escarpment line.  Of the two Conscript formations held up by wire, the 15th - the sole formation remaining in action of East Column - skirted the wire to attack the much weakened right flank of 17th Brigade.  Third Regulars struck the other end of that Brigade's line.  Such blows, coming so shortly after the stiff struggle to throw back the initial attacks, were too much for the 17th. The defence crumpled quickly, the gun line overrun. In attempting to rally his reeling command, Brigadier-General Early was felled by a poleaxe as the Chinese hordes swarmed over the while east end of the line. Only a pitiful remnant survived death, wounds or capture to flee to the rear.

(I use the singular 'remnant' advisedly: but one figure of the whole command survived, more or less under command, to flee behind the Union reserve line; though several more stragglers were rounded up subsequently.)

First attack upon 39th Brigade's position

By now the flanking move was developing into an assault upon the 39th Brigade's scattered line. Having marched farthest, the 17th Conscript formation bypassed the wire in front of the Brigade's centre left, where the redoubt was garrisoned by half the Brigade riflemen. Helped by the machine guns to their immediate left, the magazine rifles simply mowed down the conscripts, the formation shredding away before they even contacted the earthworks.  

The demise of Prince Zeng Seng-Bao.

Thus encouraged, the right-hand half-Brigade, with artillery support, opened up upon the approaching Regular formation - the 5th - not so far advanced as their broken comrades had reached. A lucky shell-burst struck Prince Zeng Seng-Bao a mortal wound. But, far from stopping the regulars, this seemed to add to their determination to close.

Between the East and North Column attacks, the heaviest blows fell upon 19th Brigade - three West Column formations, one regular and two conscript, surging up to and over the earthworks. The regulars rather tended to envelop the left end of the line, where the battalions weakened by the earlier attacks from a North Column formation found themselves gradually overwhelmed by a more numerous enemy. Though more protracted than the swift collapse of 17th brigade, this fight - some 10,000 Chinese against rather fewer than the 4000 troops with which 19th Brigade began the battle. The artillery support and machine guns were insufficient help, as the Chinese, an unstemmable tide, stepped over their dead and wounded in overwhelming numbers forced their way into the Union lines.  

Owing to the casual placement of the wire, the Brigade's machine guns and the heavy gun battery were somewhat protected from direct attack. As the infantry lines were being forced back and broken through, both batteries won clear, and fled into the plateau behind. The Brigade artillery, by some good fortune (a 50-50 die-roll call), also broke out from the surrounding enemies. Having farthest to go, the machine gunners hauled out their weapons just barely ahead of the oncoming hordes.  For all that, the whole of the escarpment position had fallen. None too many riflemen accompanied the rearward exodus of the guns.

Retaining his usual phlegmatic demeanour upon observing this disaster, Major-General T. J. Jackson  deployed where they stood the reserves immediately under his hand.  Facing west to begin with, he wheeled the line half right, 38th Brigade's infantry flanking organic artillery on both sides, and the second battery 110th Heavy Artillery slightly refused upon the Brigade's left flank.  Such was the greeting that the Chinese 15th Conscript and 3rd Regular formations were to receive upon carrying 17th Brigade's position.

Will Bidwell's command achieve anything
worthwhile?

And 37th Brigade?  As the good Brigadier Biswell led his men down the hill and along the river line, past the bridge and across the road into the plain, he began to wonder if all he would strike was air. The critical action seemed to have disappeared beyond the skyline to the southwest, although the sounds of battle, albeit muffled by the intervening high ground, continued with little abatement. Would his advance make a lick of difference?

 

General situation: main Union position overrun;
38th Brigade deploying where it stands;
Bidwell's advancing into the Chinese rear.