<P> Breckinridge's brigades under Brig . Gens . Benjamin Helm, Marcellus A. Stovall, and Daniel W. Adams moved forward, left to right, in a single line . Helm's Orphan Brigade of Kentuckians was the first to make contact with Thomas's breastworks and Helm (the favorite brother - in - law of Abraham Lincoln) was mortally wounded while attempting to motivate his Kentuckians forward to assault the strong position . Breckinridge's other two brigades made better progress against the brigade of Brig. Gen. John Beatty (Negley's division), which was attempting to defend a line of a width more suitable for a division . As he found the left flank of the Union line, Breckinridge realigned his two brigades to straddle the LaFayette Road to move south, threatening the rear of Thomas's Kelly field salient . Thomas called up reinforcements from Brannan's reserve division and Col. Ferdinand Van Derveer's brigade charged Stovall's men, driving them back . Adams's Brigade was stopped by Col. Timothy Robbins Stanley's brigade of Negley's division . Adams was wounded and left behind as his men retreated to their starting position . </P> <P> Six Armies in Tennessee, Steven E. Woodworth . </P> <P> The other part of Hill's attack also foundered . Cleburne's division met heavy resistance at the breastworks defended by the divisions of Baird, Johnson, Palmer, and Reynolds . Confusing lines of battle, including an overlap with Stewart's division on Cleburne's left, diminished the effectiveness of the Confederate attack . Cheatham's division, waiting in reserve, also could not advance because of Left Wing troops to their front . Hill brought up Gist's Brigade, commanded by Col. Peyton Colquitt, of Walker's Corps to fill the gap between Breckinridge and Cleburne . Colquitt was killed and his brigade suffered severe casualties in their aborted advance . Walker brought the remainder of his division forward to rescue the survivors of Gist's Brigade . On his right flank, Hill sent Col. Daniel Govan's brigade of Liddell's Division to support Breckinridge, but the brigade was forced to retreat along with Stovall's and Adams's men in the face of a Federal counterattack . </P> <P> The attack on the Confederate right flank had petered out by noon, but it caused great commotion throughout Rosecrans's army as Thomas sent staff officers to seek aid from fellow generals along the line . West of the Poe field, Brannan's division was manning the line between Reynolds's division on his left and Wood's on his right . His reserve brigade was marching north to aid Thomas, but at about 10 a.m. he received one of Thomas's staff officers asking for additional assistance . He knew that if his entire division were withdrawn from the line, it would expose the flanks of the neighboring divisions, so he sought Reynolds's advice . Reynolds agreed to the proposed movement, but sent word to Rosecrans warning him of the possibly dangerous situation that would result . However, Brannan remained in his position on the line, apparently wishing for Thomas's request to be approved by Rosecrans . The staff officer continued to think that Brannan was already in motion . Receiving the message on the west end of the Dyer field, Rosecrans, who assumed that Brannan had already left the line, desired Wood to fill the hole that would be created . His chief of staff, James A. Garfield, who would have known that Brannan was staying in line, was busy writing orders for parts of Sheridan's and Van Cleve's divisions to support Thomas . Rosecrans's order was instead written by Frank Bond, his senior aide - de-camp, generally competent but inexperienced at order - writing . As Rosecrans dictated, Bond wrote the following order: "The general commanding directs that you close up on Reynolds as fast as possible, and support him ." This contradictory order was not reviewed by Rosecrans, who by this point was increasingly worn out, and was sent to Wood directly, bypassing his corps commander Crittenden . </P>

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