The Louisianans Advance

The Louisianans Advance. "A Tornado of Shot and Shell". , Morning, Even before the first Confederate attempt to seize the Coaling sputtered out, Stonewall Jackson had ordered Gen. Richard Taylor's Louisiana brigade - the "shock troops" of his army - to storm the height. The Louisianans moved to the point of attack in two groups. While Taylor, guided by Jedediah Hotchkiss, led the 6th Louisiana on a swinging advance into the wooded foothills of the mountains to your left, Col. Henry B. Kelly led a larger group - the 8th Louisiana, the 9th Louisiana, and Wheat's Battalion (the "Louisiana Tigers") - on a more direct path through the woods to your front., With no guide, and blind to the surroundings once he was among the trees, Kelly steered his advance by sound, aiming towards the roar of the guns on the Coaling. His march was slowed by thickets and heavy growth, and the Union cannon fired blindly into the forest, unleashing "a tornado of shot and shell in the supposed direction of the advancing column." After a tortuous, winding march, Kelly's men finally approached the Coaling, stopping "within a few paces of the crest of the hill" to your left front, still hidden in the trees., Taylor and the 6th Louisiana had easier going, as Hotchkiss led them on a small cleared path. Close to the Coaling, that path swerved away, so they also plunged into the woods, crossing behind Kelly's regiments and taking position on the left of the line directly across from you., Reunited, the Louisianan regiments were aligned head on with the powerful cannon on the rising ground behind you. Any thoughts of moving to the flank were abandoned due to the plight of the Winder's Confederates on the river plain. "The battle was going disastrously against us in the lowlands," Kelly remembered. When Winder sent a message urging an attack to relieve the pressure on his front, Taylor ordered an immediate assault. With a "mighty shout on the mountain side," the Louisianans surged forward, racing down the slope to your left front., (Captions):, Confederate Gen. Richard Taylor was the son of President Zachary Taylor., Famed mapmaker Jedediah Hotchkiss also frequently served as a guide and scout.