[CHAP. XLII.

in line of battle, with its left touching the road, and ascertain whether the enemy were in force in the dense woods in that direction. Having made the dispositions indicated, and massed our front and right flank with skirmishers, we moved forward until our line had passed that of the First Brigade, Colonel Buschbeck, with whom I was ordered to connect. Here I halted the battalion while the skirmishers went forward to the banks of Lookout Creek, where they communicated with the skirmishers of the First Brigade, and assured themselves that the enemy was not in force in that immediate vicinity, yet a running fire of skirmishers and an attempt to burn the railroad bridge across the creek evidenced the intention of the enemy to dispute our advance in that direction.

In the meantime, the enemy's batteries on the mountain were vigorously engaged in shelling our position, which, however, resulted to us in no casualties, save the slight wounding of 1 man. After remaining in this position about half an hour, I was ordered to withdraw the regiment and rejoin the brigade, which order I at once obeyed. On the morning of the 29th, while the Second Brigade, with the Seventy-third Ohio in the advance, was moving to the support of General Geary, at about 2 o'clock in the morning, I was ordered to form line of battle on the left of the road and sweep through the woods on the west side of a range of hills that ran parallel with the road on which we had been advancing. I immediately sent forward Captain Buchwalter, with instructions to deploy his company (A) as skirmishers and move in the direction indicated for the battalion. We then moved forward in line as rapidly as possible, considering the irregularities of the ground, the dense growth of underbrush, and the fallen timber. We had advanced, however, only a few hundred yards when the enemy's skirmishers opened fire upon us from the hill-tops on our left and from our front. I was ordered to wheel the battalion to the left and charge the hill, and was informed that the Thirty-third Massachusetts would connect with me on the left and move up the hill in the same line of battle. I instructed Captain Buchwalter to move his skirmishers by the left into our new front and advanced in that direction, in executing which order his line received a heavy volley from an unseen force of the enemy on our right, and the gallant captain fell mortally wounded.

We moved up the hill (steep and difficult though it was) for a hundred paces, receiving an irregular fire from the enemy in our front. Then we lay down and rested fora minute. The enemy's fire now indicated their position and the direction of their line of battle. We had yet another hundred paces to climb before we could use our bayonets, and we rose up and moved forward again to the charge, cheering as we went, and driving in the enemy's skirmishers. The heavily increasing fire of the enemy provoked an occasional shot from our own lines in answer. Our skirmishers had been constantly engaged and now their line opened right and left, and we were confronted by the enemy's whole line of battle, sheltered behind formidable breastworks on the crest of the hill. As we came in sight of them in the clear moonlight they lowered their guns and poured into our ranks a most deadly fire. Our boys began to fall rapidly, but the ranks were instantly closed, and steadily, in the face of death, our little battalion kept shouting and charging forward. The firing in our front became so rapid and effective that I commanded the regiment to answer it, which they did handsomely, still, however, continuing to advance.

When we had approached within 2 or 3 rods of the enemy's breast-