threw my skirmishers 1,000 yards to the front, far enough to keep my main line from being annoyed, and ordered my men to lay down on the crest of the hill, well covered by it. By this time Barnett's battery had arrived. I put four guns into position on the left of the road, commanding the open country and valley, upon which part of General Rousseau's division subsequently formed; two guns I put off to the right of the road, commanding another open plain stretching off toward Perryville.

By this time it had got daylight. I dispatched staff officers to General Buell and to General Sheridan, informing them that I had carried the position and would await further orders. I hardly had the right section in position when the rebels came down the Springfield road from Perryville with a battery and what seemed to be two brigades of infantry. They put their battery in position on the hill at the back of the Bottom house and began shelling the woods. As soon as I saw them go into position, I ordered the right of wing of the Eighty-fifth Illinois onto the crest of the hill to the right of the section of the battery, as a support to it, which I had before ordered to the right of the road. I then ordered my men to lay down. The rebels shelled the woods for an hour and a quarter. Supposing from the quietness which I required my men to keep that they had run us out of the woods they deployed in the open ground to attack us. I restrained the impatience of the men till they got within 200 yards of me, and they only waited for one volley, which was delivered by the Eighty-fifth Illinois and the right wing of the One hundred and twenty-fifth Illinois and the section of artillery.

About this time two regiments of rebel cavalry showed themselves on the left of my position on the Mackville road, their infantry pickets being scattered through the field. The cavalry was heading from Perryville out toward Mackville. I opened on that cavalry with the two James guns which I had left on the left of the road and drove it back. About this time I became apprehensive from clouds of dust which I saw on my right hand and dust also which I saw to my extreme left along the bottom of Chaplin Creek that they were turning my position and surrounding me, and sent back to General Sheridan or General Gilbert, I do not remember which, for re-enforcements. General Gilbert came out, preceded a few minutes by General Sheridan, and examined my position, and told me not to advance any farther and that he would go back and report to General Buell. That was about 6 o'clock in the morning. Two brigades of General Sheridan's division were immediately dispatched to my assistance.

About this time there seemed to be a lull in the firing; occasionally a sharpshooter would annoy the line; my skirmishers would reply. Immediately on the left of the Springfield road was a grove of timber. Buckner came up with two brigades, slipping along the dry bed of Doctor's Fork, and got into those woods about 250 yards in my front. As soon as this was discovered the Second Missouri, supported by the Forty-fourth Illinois, with a section of artillery, was ordered to dislodge them. A few minutes before Captain Gay came out with his cavalry. He desired me to throw forward my skirmishers and clear the wood, which I declined to do. He then reported to General Gilbert, from whom I received a note telling me to hold my position-not to advance. This was between 6 and 7 o'clock in the morning. Captain Gay started his cavalry into the woods, and they came back very rapidly; then he dismounted a portion of his command, and the Second Missouri and Forty-fourth Illinois, with Gay's cavalry dismounted, drove the rebels from that piece of woods, which movement was hastened by General Fry opportunely ordering forward the Eighty-sixth Illinois Regiment, which was on picket, to charge the left of the piece of woods over the open fields. The Second Missouri followed up their advantage, following the rebels over the open-country clearing beyond Sam. Bottom's house up through his orchard, and seized the line of heights, over which they could see Chaplin River very plainly, being the same line of heights and the same orchard occupied at a later period of the day by eighteen guns of the enemy. By some person's orders this regiment was ordered to fall back to the wood from which we had cleared the rebels. About this time all firing and appearance of the enemy ceased in our front. This happened between 7 and 8 o'clock.

Between 9 and 10 o'clock I received a note from General Gilbert informing me that General McCook was coming up immediately to my left, and that I must not be alarmed at any appearance of forces in that direction. About 10 o'clock I saw the head of Rousseau's column coming up to the Russell house on the Mackville and Perryville road; they went beyond the house a short distance and seemed to be halted there awaiting orders. Between 11 and 12 o'clock the same day General Gilbert, I think, ordered forward Hescock's battery and Sheridan's division to occupy the same woods from which he had driven General Buckner. We went into those woods and formed a line of battle, our right resting over the Springfield pike. About this time Captain Gay, finding that he could not get down the Springfield road to Perryville, made a detour off to the left, and went down through the open fields to the left of Peters' Hill, and an artillery fire opened. A short time after this the rebels began to make their appearance with their artillery on Bottom's Hill and in the mouth of Doctor's Fork with their masses of infantry. Captain Hescock, whenever he saw