the troops already formed in my camp to move to the place specified. On arriving upon the ground, under your direction the men were formed in line of battle about 2,500 strong, and after contending with an unequal and overpowering force of the enemy for about thirty minutes our whole line was broken and repulsed and the men retreated in the greatest confusion. I regret to say that in this battle Colonel Link, of the Twelfth Indiana, was dangerously wounded, and Colonel McMillen, of the Ninety-fifth Ohio, was shot in the hand.

After passing through Richmond, by your permission I organized a rear guard of the scattered men of most all regiments that had been in the several battles, and took command myself, for the purpose of covering our rear on the retreat. The rear guard behaved well, keeping back the enemy's advance until we had retreated 2 miles on the turnpike road to Lexington, when the scattered troops in advance came to a halt. I left the rear guard in charge of Major Morrison, of the Sixty-sixth Indiana, and pressed forward myself to ascertain the cause of the halt. On arriving in front I found a small squad of the rebel cavalry formed in the road. I attempted to form an advance guard, but owing to the fact that the troops had been defeated in three engagements they were so perfectly demoralized that I found it impossible to rally more than 100 men. This small guard cleared the road in a few moments and continued steadily to advance, driving the rebels from three different stand-points. After passing a little over 4 miles from Richmond we discovered the enemy in heavy force concealed in a corn field on the left side of the road. In attempting to drive them my little band was completely cut to pieces, having 17 killed and 25 wounded. Lieutenant-Colonel Wolfe fell at this point while cheering forward the men. Lieutenant Osborn, my aide-de-camp, was severely wounded. Lieutenant Kercheval, quartermaster Seventy-first Indiana Volunteers, received a severe wound in the left arm, which rendered amputation necessary. The enemy killed and crippled a large number of horses here, which entirely blocked up the road.

It being now about 7 o'clock in the evening, and having no men to make any further resistance with, I attempted to make my escape, accompanied by Colonel Lucas, Captain Baird, and several other officers. We rode through the enemy's lines and proceeded in a westerly direction for half a mile, when we came upon a squadron of the enemy's cavalry, who commanded us to halt, and at the same time fired upon us. My horse was killed and fell upon me, injuring me severely in the breast, and a short time afterward I was arrested by the enemy's cavalry and made a prisoner.

I cannot say with certainly the extent of our loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners, not having received any reports from the officers who commanded on the field, except Colonel Mahan, of the Fifty-fifth Indiana. I do not think, after an examination of the field, that our loss will exceed 200 in killed, 700 wounded, and 2,000 prisoners.* I understand the enemy took quite a number of the men of my command prisoners after they had escaped as far as Lexington. The enemy informed me that the had only captured 24 of our wagons and teams, nine pieces of artillery, and a small amount of camp equipage.

I deem it proper here to state that the troops which I found at Richmond when I arrived there three days before the battle had only been in the service from ten to twenty-five days. Some of the regiments never had a battalion drill and knew not what a line of battle was.

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*See revised statement, p.909.

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