the Second Division, and the Fifteenth Michigan and the Seventeenth Wisconsin of McKean's division, were formed in line of battle across the Chewalla road, facing west. The main body of the Confederates having penetrated beyond this line of battle, Colonel Babcock changed front to the rear on the tenth company, facing north. The Seventh McArthur that the enemy were crossing the Chewalla road between him and town. He ordered a movement of all the five regiments and artillery by the left flank toward Corinth about half a mile. Before any fighting commenced on Generals Oglesby's and Heckleman's front a retrograde movement was ordered to be made by them 800 yards back to the junction of the Columbus and Chewalla roads, with the same view and the same effect as their previous movement, and the formation of the third line of battle.

Again I sent for re-enforcements and determined to make my final stand at the white house, 950 yards back of the forks and 725 yards in front of Fort Robinett. General McArthur, on the left, ordered a line of battle on his second retrograde movement, facing the north with four regiments-the Seventeenth's Wisconsin on the right, Fifty-seventh Illinois on its left, next the Seventh Illinois, and then the Fiftieth Illinois on the left. Skirmishers were thrown out in front and a scattering fire kept up for about three-quarters of an hour. General McArthur then ordered a charge, and the four regiments went forward in fine style, driving in the enemy's pickets to the main body and driving the main body back to their reserves, and it was believed the enemy's center was broken. Here brisk firing continued for some time, when the enemy sent a force against McArtur's left flank, and two regiments of General McKean's division being brought up at the same moment fired into the rear of the line, breaking the regiments, which fell to the rear. They soon rallied again, opened fire upon the enemy, steadily falling back to their original position. This ended the day's engagement on my extreme left, and the Third Brigade of my division fell back upon General McKean across the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, and were ordered to report to me in Corinth, which they did about dark. All these movements were of the greatest service to my command, by checking the advance of the enemy and giving ample time to form at the final stand and more time to hope for re-enforcements. I, however, lost the valuable services of the Third Brigade for the day. If General McArthur's movement with these troops had been assisted by the whole of McKean's division on the left and Hamilton's on the right, by attacking the enemy's flanks and rear while Oglesby and Hackleman had attacked them in front, the probabilities are that we should bagged a large portion of Price's and Van Dorn's army. General Hamilton informed me the reason why his division did not make a substantial attack was that General Buford took a wrong and threw his brigade from instead of toward the enemy. This line at the forks of the road was not completed when a retrograde movement was ordered, to form the fourth line of battle at the white house, 725 yards in front of Fort Robinett. This position was selected as the only one from the Confederate Breastworks where the small force under my command had any hope of meeting the enemy with success. At all other points it could have been flanked and surrounded by the host in the field before as. Here, in the edge of the woods, the men could lay partially concealed from view, with an open field in their front. The right flank was measurably protected by a swamp and the left by Forts Robinett and Williams, at an easy range of from 800 to 1,000 yards. The artillery, too,