A Terrific Fire From Graveyard Hill

A Terrific Fire From Graveyard Hill. . , You are facing Battery D. One half-mile southeast of here, it was the closest of the fortifications on Crowley's Ridge to Battery C. During the Battle of Helena, Union troops at these batteries aided each other with artillery fire., Battery C Comes to the Aid of Battery D , The Confederate attack on Battery D began long before the attack on Battery C. As a result, Battery C's artillery was free to assist the outnumbered Union troops on Battery D. , Confederate Colonel James P. King described the brutal fire his men endured as they struggled toward Battery D: "Here we were met with a terrific fire not only from the inner lines of the works and an enfilading fire from our left, but from the fort on the hill in front of us near Hindman's house ... and also from the battery on what is known as Graveyard Hill.", Battery D Returns the Favor , By the time the Confederates attacked Battery C, the attack on Battery D was over. The exhausted Confederates could do no more. The Union gunners seized the opportunity provided by the lull in the fighting. They turned Battery D's guns on the Confederates charging Battery C. They showered shell and shot on the attackers but Battery C fell. , The Confederate commander on Battery C ordered the infantry to aid the Confederates stalled at Battery D. They began to climb through a hollow toward Battery D. Suddenly, they were "raked by artillery situated opposite its mouth, and completely enfiladed with rifle-pits in point blank range." Their commander decided that it was madness to continue. His men held their position until they received the order to retreat. , [Photo captions] , 1st Sergeant Albert G. Kessler · Captain Henry H. Knowlton , Kessler and Knowlton served with Company K, 33rd Missouri Infantry (U.S.). Company K acted as sharpshooters, aiding the gunners in defending Battery D when the Confederates attacked Helena.