remained in camp. For this reason the attack, was not made until
after Beatty's brigade had reached Baird's left. While this was
too weak to successfully resist the attack, still with this command
rallied after it was driven back and aided by the troops sent to
its support, Thomas was able to repulse Breckinridge's first charge
of the morning. The delay from six o'clock until after nine was
of great service to the Army of the Cumberland. Negley's delay in
reporting at an early hour with his entire division was owing to
Wood's failure to relieve him. Sheridan had at an earlier hour been
ordered to Negley's position on his front, but Thomas representing
the urgency of the movement, Crittenden was ordered to send Wood,
who was only a short distance from Negley. Wood, on receiving his
orders to relieve Negley, simply moved forward and occupied the
position that had been vacated by Negley's reserve brigade, already
started for Thomas's left. On Rosecrans's return from the extreme
right, he found that Negley had not yet reported to Thomas,
although more than an hour had elapsed since he was so ordered and
then discovered that Wood had failed to relieve him on the front.
Repeating his orders in such plain English that there could be no
further misapprehension of them, Rosecrans moved Wood's division
into position, relieved Negley at once, and started him in all haste
to Thomas. Negley did not reach the left until after ten o'clock.
Rosecrans, impatient at the delay that occurred in the execution
of his order, expressed himself very forcibly to Wood, much to the
dissatisfaction of the latter. After seeing Negley was at last en
route to Thomas, Rosecrans then went to the right and was watching
the movements of the troops when the word reached him of the supposed
gap to the right of Reynolds, on the left of Wood. Rosecrans's
plan of battle being to keep his line well closed up on the left,
he directed an aid to send Wood an order to close up on Reynolds,