on the left and center by the continuous and persistent assault of the enemy, and knowing if our left was turned our position was lost and a total rout of the army corps would follow, I felt the importance of my presence there, and could not look after the interests of the Seventeenth Brigade; but the whole division fought under the eye of Major-General McCook, commanding First Army Corps, Army of the Ohio, and I felt no fear that anything necessary for its safety would be neglected; and, besides, Lieut. F. J. Jones, my assistant adjutant-general, was often sent to learn it condition, and reported to me, although severely assailed, it had triumphantly repulsed the enemy in several attacks, and that Colonel Lytle felt that he could easily maintain his position; but late in the afternoon an immense force of fresh troops of the enemy, moving around to his right, concealed by the undulation of the ground, turned his right flank and fell upon the right and rear of his brigade, and drove it and forced it to retire, which it did under the orders of Colonel Lytle, who was at the same moment wounded, as he thought, fatally, and, refusing to be taken the field, was taken prisoner by the enemy.

Hearing of this condition of things I galloped over toward the right, and found the brigade formed in line of battle, the right [the Fifteenth Kentucky Volunteers, Colonel Pope] resting on the hill at Clark's house, with Loomis' battery immediately in the rear on an eminence, the Tenth Ohio, Lieutenant-Colonel Burke, and the Third Ohio, Colonel Beatty, on the left of the road. These regiments had, without support, struggled hard to hold their line of battle for several hours, and were only forced to retire after immense loss and the movements of the enemy above referred to.

While near the Fifteenth Kentucky I saw a heavy force of the enemy advancing upon our right, the same that had turned Lytle's right flank. It was moving steadily up, in full view of where General Gilbert's army corps had been during the day, the left flank of which was not more than 400 yards from it. On approaching the Fifteenth Kentucky [though broken and shattered] it rose to its feet and cheered, and as one man moved to the top of the hill, where it could see the enemy, and I ordered it to lie down.

I then rode up to Loomis' battery and directed him to open the enemy. He replied that he was ordered by General McCook to reserve what ammunition he had for close work. Pointing to the enemy advancing, I said it was close enough, and would be closer in a moment. He at once opened fire with alacrity and with fearful effect upon the ranks of the enemy. It was admirably done; but the enemy moved straight ahead, his ranks now raked by the battery and terribly thinned by the musketry of the Seventeenth Brigade, but he scarcely faltered; and finally hearing that re-enforcements were approaching, the brigade was ordered to retire and give place to them, which it did in good order, as did also Captain Loomis.

The re-enforcements were from Mitchell's division, as I understood, and were Pea Ridge men. I wish I knew who commanded the brigade, that I might do him justice. I can only say the brigade moved directly into the fight like true soldiers, opened a terrific fire, and drove back the enemy. It was a gallant body of men.

After repulsing the enemy they retired a few hundred yards to a piece of woods, to encamp, and during the night the enemy advanced his pickets in the woods on our left front and captured a good many of our men, who went there believing we still held the woods.

It was in this way that my assistant adjutant-general, Lieut. F. J.