firing by the rear rank for some time, gallantly withstood a vastly superior force of the enemy.

Being her compelled to give way by the enemy passing beyond our right and left flanks and crowding upon us in front, we fell back upon the battery. This having exhausted its ammunition and lost several of its horses, being exposed to a galling fire both from large masses of infantry and two of the enemy's batteries-one placed in position near the meeting-house and the other near the encampment of the Forty-ninth-withdrew, leaving two of its pieces on the field, the efforts of our men to draw them away by hand proving unavailing on the soft and ascending ground. The enemy steadily advancing and the position being very unfavorable for infantry, which here had become united, fell back toward the road leading east and west through the encampment of the First Division. The brigade was rallied by its gallant commander, Colonel Julius Raith, and formed in support of several pieces of Schwartz's battery, here placed in position, and after a short pause the enemy again pressed upon us in vastly superior numbers. Here Major Schwartz was wounded and Colonel Raith received a Minie ball through his right thigh.

The resistance here for some time was desperate, the support to the right of the battery having fallen back and the artillerists being also compelled to abandon their pieces. However, the Forty-third Regiment maintained its position to the left of the battery for some time, till the enemy's fire, flanking from the right, compelled it again to fall back. Here again some of the men assisted Lieutenant Nispel, of Schwartz's battery, in the attempt to take off one of the pieces by hand, but were again defeated by the softness of the soil, after having dragged it a distance of about a quarter of mile, Colonel Raith having been given in charge of 4 men to carry him from the field, suffering intensely, the bone being completely shattered. After being carried a short distance, overcome by pain, he insisted on being left on the field, telling the men that they could be of more service to the regiment in the ranks than carrying off a disabled officer. At his urgent entreaties and commands they left him, and Colonel Raith laid thus exposed through the entire day and stormy night that followed, with no other assistance than was given him by the passing enemy, who on the following morning carried him into a tent, from which some hours afterward, the position having again fallen into our possession, he was removed to the river bank, and on Sunday morning into the steamer Hannibal, where his leg leg was amputated on Wednesday morning; but he was too much exhausted from exposure and loss of blood, and died on Friday evening at 11 o'clock. In him the army lost one of its bravest officers.

Having fallen back through the timber in front of the encampment of the First Division, it again formed in line forward of and to the right of General Oglesby's headquarters. The ammunition of the regiment being almost completely exhausted, I sent one of the officers, with several men, to procure a supply, but before that officer could rejoin us the regiment was ordered forward by Captain Hammond, of General Sherman's staff, and advanced in double-guick past the battery planted in front of General Oglesby's encampment. Being placed in the center of the line of attack, it advanced steadily and fearlessly upon the enemy's batteries, then planted near General McClernand's headquarters. Within a short distance of the enemy the regiments to our right and left came to a halt and opened their fire. The Forty-third still advanced closer upon the enemy, but reduced in numbers, and its supports having come