Capt. Blair's No. 3 Gun Disabled and Up for Grabs

Just before 8:00 a.m., elements of the US 6th Division came up in support of Rooney's 3rd Division which was assaulting positions held by Garrett's and Gowan's Divisions along Friendship Road. Brig. Gen. Joseph Kitchen's 1st Brigade, 6th Division, Army of the Arkansas came up on the left of Rooney, but was stopped by McElhanan's  (under Col. James Sinclair) 1st Brigade, 6th Division Department of the Eastern Frontier. Kitchen was killed and the attack stalled, causing Casey's 3rd Brigade to come up and join the attack.

Col. Noyles' Brigade (2nd Brigade, 6th Division) had moved from a position in support of artillery in South Younger Field and marched south down Friendship Road to support Rooney's attack. It launched an attack into Col. Sinclair's right flank, routing the 68th Tennessee and also overrunning the left of Capt. Alfred Blair's Alabama Battery (which was facing north). Noyles was severely wounded. At 8:00 a.m., his men are still fighting on the right of Sinclair's Brigade and among Blair's guns, as Gregg's Brigade is starting a counter-attack from the east side of Blair's battery.

The 139th United States Colored Troops captured Blair's No. 3 gun, but was unable to carry the gun off the field. (I did not see it happen and can't see where it was assigned in the Federal Batteries, so it must have been routed soon after.) Blair's No. 1 gun is also reported as captured, but it was routed and then captured by a distant unit and then routed again. Guns that are routed and captured by chance are not counted as captured guns in sims and it will be recorded as routed.

The captured No. 3 gun (3 inch ordnance) is officially declared disabled next to the Friendship Road in the contested area. It cannot be easily hauled off the field and cannot be used again on July 4th. The army that possesses the area when it is no longer contested will take possession of the gun and it will be assigned to a battery in WIA4.

In WIA2, Hudson's 6th Iowa Battery was attacked by Matheny's Brigade and they hauled off a gun. In WIA3, Captain Hudson has a 5-gun battery and Lieutenant Nixon's Georgia Battery is a 7-gun battery as a result. Will Blair's No. 3 gun end up with the Federal or Confederate Army in WIA4? The position is still hotly contested and there is no way to tell.