The battle's first day is presented as a fighting withdrawal rather than a simple collapse. Prentiss and other Union formations yielded ground under pressure while buying time for a new line to form near Pittsburgh Landing. Roughly 50 field guns concentrated on the three-mile defensive front as additional troops crossed the Tennessee River. USS Lexington and USS Tyler added naval fire support, showing how the landing and its river access converted the final Union position into a much harder objective for the Confederate attack.
Chapter · 57:50-59:27
The Union fallback line and gunboat fire
As the Union line fell back, reinforcements crossed the river and the gunboats Lexington and Tyler reinforced a formidable final position.