This not only gave me an additional ground to occupy, but necessarily thinned my lines, as I had no reserves. The line established by Ector's brigade had been located in the darkness of the night, and was, unfortunately, placed back from the brow of the hill, not giving a view and range on the front of more than from five to twenty yards, and the curvature of the hill, as well as the gradual recession of the lines from the angle, forbid any flank fire giving protection to the front of the angle. The works were flimsy, only intended to protect against small-arms, and had no abatis or other obstruction to impede the movements of an assaulting party. From the hour this became a part of my line it was impossible to remedy it. The constant fire of sharpshooters from the neighboring hills made it fatal to attempt a work in front. To advance my line and attack the enemy was the only way to relieve the situation, and to do that was to attack a re-entering angle of breast-works, which, of course, could not be done unless the whole line moved. The enemy opened a most terrific fire of artillery, and kept it up during the day. In the afternoon he planted a battery in the woods in the rear of Mrs. Bradford's house and fired directly across both lines composing the angle; threw shells directly in the back of my left brigade; also placed a battery on a hill diagonally to my left, which took my first brigade in reverse. The batteries on the hill in its front, not more than 300 yards distant, that had borne the concentrated fire of my Whitworth rifles all day, must have suffered heavily, but were not silenced. These rifled guns of the enemy being so close razed the works on the left of the angle for fifty or sixty yards. Ector's brigade was withdrawn from its supporting position in rear of the angle, and left me without any support whatever, at which transfer I remonstrated. The enemy was in two lines in my front, and in the afternoon moved by his right flank from direction of the Granny White turnpike, and massed by advancing a skirmish line at a time under the brow of the hill near the angle. I made this known to General Cheatham by a staff officer (Lieutenant Rogan), and asked for re-enforcement. The general informed me that he had nothing that could possibly be spared, and desired me to extend still farther to the left, as he had to withdraw strength from his front to protect his left, which had been turned. About this time the brigade on the extreme left of our infantry line of battle was driven back, down the hill into the field in my rear, and the balls of the enemy were fired into the backs of (killing and wounding) my men. The lines on the left (as you go into Nashville) of the Granny White pike at this juncture were the three sides of a square, the enemy shooting across the two parallel lines. My men were falling fast. I saw and fully appreciated the emergency, and passed in person along the trenches in the angle built by Ector's brigade, where I had placed troops who I knew to be unsurpassed for gallantry and endurance, and encouraged them to maintain their places. The men saw the brigade on the left of our line of battle give way and the enemy take its place on the hills in my rear, yet they stood firm and received the fire from three directions with coolness and courage. Anticipating a disaster I ordered Captain Beauregard, who commanded my artillery, to move his battalion back to the Franklin turnpike, as the enemy already had the Granny White pike in our rear, which was my channel for escape, as per order in the forenoon. About 4 p. m. the enemy with heavy force assaulted the line near the angle, and carried it at that point where Ector's brigade had built the light works, which were back from the brow of the hill and without obstructions; not, however, until the gallant and obstinate Colonel