The Eighteenth Indiana pushed rapidly forward and drove the enemy from this part of the field, and, advancing to the open ground, found three pieces in the hands of the enemy; charged and routed him with a heavy loss from them. The Twenty-second Indiana during this time engaged a large portion of the Arkansas troops and Indians, and after a sharp engagement put them to flight. In the mean time the Second Brigade renewed the engagement, when the enemy fled from the field, leaving behind him many of his killed and wounded. Among the former were Generals McCulloch and McIntosh. At this moment I ordered the cavalry to charge the flying foe, but for some unexplained reason it was not done.

The enemy made an attempt to reform on his former position near the Bentonville road, but was easily driven from it by the action of our batteries. Two regiments of re-enforcements, with two pieces of heavy artillery (12-pounders), arrived at this time from General Sigel's command. These I ordered to take position on the right, so as to be able to move the more readily to the support of Colonel Carr's division, which had been hotly engaged in the vicinity of Elkhorn Tavern for several hours. General Sigel soon arrived himself, and, accompanied by Osterhaus' command, moved in the direction of Carr's left. I at the same time threw forward the Second Brigade to the Bentonville and Elkhorn Tavern road. Finding the enemy gone and night upon us, I ordered the troops to bivouac on the field they had so gloriously won.

After reporting to the general the entire rout of the enemy at Leetown, he directed me to move my division during the night to the support of our position of the previous day at Elkhorn Tavern. The forepart of the night was occupied by the troops in collecting the wounded and dead. Daylight, however, found us in position in front of the enemy at Elkhorn Tavern, where the troops under Colonel Carr has so nobly fought the day before. That gallant officer, though suffering much from a wound, was still upon the ground to assist in disposing of my troops.

The First Brigade was deployed a few hundred yards to the right of the Fayetteville road to support Klauss' battery, which was placed at the edge of an open field intervening between the range of hills at Elkhorn Tavern and the timber protecting our camp. Here the five companies of the Eighth Indiana, under Lieutenant-Colonel Shunk, joined their brigade. These companies had the previous day participated in the engagement with Colonel Carr's forces and had bivouacked on the field during the night. Davidson's battery was placed in a similar position on the left of the road, supported by the Second Brigade. At sunrise the enemy's position was discovered by a few shots being thrown by Davidson's battery, which was at once answered by the rebel batteries. Klauss' battery soon responded, but after a sharp contest of a few rounds was forced to retire by a sudden attack from one of the enemy's heretofore undiscovered batteries, which opened closely upon his flank with grape and canister. This battery, however, soon withdrew upon discovering dispositions being made by the First Brigade to charge it.

The Second Brigade at this time was much exposed to an enfilading fire from the enemy's guns, and I ordered it to fall back and take position under shelter of the timber. By this time the position of the enemy's batteries was well developed, and Davidson's now took a more commanding position in the open field. He was soon joined by Klauss, whom I had ordered to support him, and in a few moments the contest