had fallen back in some confusion. I held my position waiting for Lieutenant-Colonel Linton to rally and come forward. Here I again received an order from Colonel Mulligan to be in readiness and advance with the Second Brigade, but very soon afterward received an order from him to fall back, and saw that the brigade on my left was falling back in disorder, and was hard pressed by the enemy's advancing line. I fell back in good order to my old position, from which I opened a brisk fire on the enemy's now rapidly advancing line, and was here joined by Colonel Mulligan, who commended me in the warmest terms for the good order in which I had gotten my command back and the spirit with which it was holding its position, but we were hindered by the colonel from inflicting punishment upon the enemy to the full extent of our ability, twice ceasing our fire for a short interval by his command on account of uncertainty in his mind, as I understood it, as to the character of the line advancing in front of the right of my command, most of the men being dressed in the Federal uniform. Being finally assured they were enemies, he ordered the firing to be recommenced, and then giving me a charge to look well to my right, rode away toward the left, where a few moments afterward he fell while heroically inciting the men of his own old regiment (the Twenty-third Illinois) to deeds of valor. I very soon after this found the enemy coming rapidly up on my right flank, our line on my right having retired, but without my knowledge, as it was hidden from me by the shape of the ground and by some farm buildings. About the same time also the enemy began to enfilade my left, and I was thus compelled to withdraw without an order to do so, as my brigade was now all that was all that was left of our line and was being rapidly turned on both flanks. I gave the order to fall back and used all the efforts in my power to preserve my line in doing so, but as we were very closely pursued by the enemy, before whose destructive fire we had to ascend a rather steep hill for 200 yards, my line was at once broken and the men became scattered and passed quickly from under the control of their officers. Having become separated from my horse in our last advance, I was unable to keep pace with the larger portion of my command or to make myself heard by them, and it was not until after we had retreated more than a mile that I was able to rally a couple of hundred men around the flag of the Tenth. I had the pleasure, however, to find here all the officers of my command that had been in the engagement who had escaped casualties, and that in the men present all the companies of the regiment were represented. The Twenty-third Illinois became separated from me and fell in with Lieutenant-Colonel Linton's command. It was not found by me until the following day at Martinsburg. Having rallied and formed the Tenth to the extent indicated, I led it in retreat in an orderly manner, making occasional stands to resist the enemy's pursuit until almost dark, and having received directions from the commanding general through a member of his staff to march in a direction parallel to the Martinsburg road I pursued my course on the left of said road, and about 9 p. m. joined a column under Colonel Thoburn, but shortly afterward became separated from him while passing through a dense woods in the darkness of the night, and upon emerging from the woods into open ground, I found upon riding to the head of the column that it was being led by Colonel Ely, of the Eighteenth Connecticut, commanding Second Brigade, First Division,