although new and but a few weeks in the service, it behaved most gallantly, under the steady lead of its brave Colonel Frizell.

Colonel Harris' whole brigade, Simonson's battery on its right, was repeatedly assailed by overwhelming numbers, but gallantly held its position. The Thirty-eighth Indiana and Second Ohio, after exhausting their ammunition and that taken from the boxes of the dead and wounded on the field, still held their positions, as did also, I believe, the Tenth Wisconsin and Thirty-third Ohio. For this gallant conduct these brave men are entitled to the gratitude of the country, and I thank them here, as I did on the field of battle.

After the Twenty-fourth Illinois went into action I saw the undisciplined troops of General Jackson in front, in support of Parson's battery, of Jackson's division, yielding the field in great confusion under a most terrific fire of the enemy, who was moving in the direction of my extreme left. General Jackson was killed. The support to Parson's battery giving way, the guns were captured. but the gallant captain brought off his horses and company.

Seeing the enemy moving toward our left in great force with the apparent view of turning it, driving some broken and disordered regiments before them, I galloped around to Colonel Starkweather, on the left, and directed him to open his batteries [Stone's and Bush's] on the enemy. The order was promptly and effectually executed. The firing was admirable, and the heavy musketry of the advancing enemy was received by the gallant First Wisconsin with shouts of defiance, placing their caps on their bayonets. I ordered the regiment to lie down under cover and await the nearer approach of the enemy, but the artillery repulsed the enemy again and again, and held him in check for several hours, until finally a fresh and overwhelming force moved straight forward toward the guns.

I should have stated that the Twenty-first Wisconsin, Colonel Sweet, was to the front of these batteries, in a corn field, lying down, awaiting the approach of the enemy, and when he approached with his overwhelming force this new regiment poured into his ranks a most withering fire. The steady advance and heavy fire of the enemy caused a portion of this regiment to break in confusion, but the most of it, under its gallant officers, stood manfully to its work till forced to retire, which it did in pretty good order. The enemy were then in reach of the First Wisconsin and Seventy-ninth Pennsylvania. I had great confidence in the gallantry of these two regiments, and was not disappointed when this time of trial came. They drove back the enemy several times with great loss, and when their ammunition was exhausted bravely maintained their position, and then quietly [not under fire] retired under orders to the line of battle originally selected by General McCook and myself, where they got a supply of ammunition and were again ready for action. Their loss is very heavy.

The fire of musketry on them and the batteries was terrific, Captain Bush at that place losing 35 horses; but he and Stone, taking all their pieces, fell back with their supports, and at once renewed the conflict and continued it until after dark. At the time this retrograde movement was ordered I sent an order to Colonel Harris to fall back also. The right, Colonel Lytle's brigade, had an hour before been drawn in, thus contracting and rendering more compact the line so thin and depleted by our loss in killed and wounded.

Before this final struggle on the left I had heard that Lytle's brigade had been outflanked on the right by an overwhelming force of the enemy and was falling back. During the day I was so hard pressed