manding to advance in line of battle. After moving forward 200 or 300 yards he directed me to move by the right flank, and when my right was nearly opposite an old shop near the road, to halt and front and advance in line of battle.

Just here a staff officer from Major-General Walker came to me with orders to move rapidly forward, as Ector's and Wilson's brigades were badly cut up and largely outnumbered by the enemy. Soon the general came in person, and meeting me with my command gave me instructions as to directions, localities, &c. With Colonel Govan's brigade on my left i moved rapidly forward and encountered the enemy, before I had advanced 500 yards, in strong force. The firing indicated that the two brigades had met the enemy along the whole line of both at the same time. After moving forward 100 yards or so my line was checked for a moment by a heavy artillery and musketry fire, but when ordered to advance the whole line moved promptly forward with a shout, breaking the first and then the second line of the enemy, passing over two full batteries and capturing 411 prisoners, of whom 23 were commissioned officers. The prisoners in the main claimed to be from First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Sixteenth U. S. Infantry, and from Company H, Fifth Artillery, and 1 first lieutenant from Fourth Indiana Battery. A large proportion of the artillery horses attached to the batteries over which we passed having been either killed or wounded, it was impossible at the time to retire the pieces as they were gained. Lieutenant-Colonel Reynolds, field officer of the day, with a detail from Thirty-fourth Mississippi Regiment, removed 1 Parrott gun to the rear, which was delivered to Major Palmer, chief of artillery on Major-General Walker's staff. After passing beyond the second line of the enemy, I ascertained that he was turning my right flank, and while making a disposition of my regiment in the effort to prevent it, Lieutenant-Colonel Reynolds, who had been sent to the left of the line to observe the operations there, reported to me that the enemy were already upon the flank of my left regiment. Moving toward the left I discovered a piece of artillery being put in position opposite and within 300 yards of the left of my line, which was already turned. I withdrew my command at once, the engagement having lasted about an hour. The enemy did not pursue, and I took my position, under orders from the brigadier-general commanding, to the right of the position from which Major-General Cheatham's command just then advanced.

In this engagement my command suffered heavily. Lieutenant-Colonel McKelvaine, commanding Twenty-Fourth Mississippi Regiment, and Lieutenant-Colonel Morgan, of Twenty-ninth Mississippi Regiment, were severely wounded. Lieutenant-Colonel McKelvaine remained in command of his regiment after he was wounded till the engagement was over.

In the course of two hours from this time, several immaterial changes having in the meantime been made in my position, Lieutenant-General Polk directed me to move by the right flank in extension of Major-General Cheatham's line, taking my position on the right of Brigadier-General Jackson. This was done under the enemy's fire, whose purpose seemed to be to turn General Cheatham's right flank. Colonel Govan's brigade took position on my right, whereupon the brigadier-general commanding ordered his line to advance. My command moved forward some 300 or 400 yards, the enemy contesting the ground, but falling back until the crest of a

18 R R-VOL XXX, PT II