these two regiments maintained their ground, completely checking the advance of the enemy's column. Here the Thirty-eighth Indiana lost their brave captain, J. E. Fouts, besides nearly one-third number in killed and wounded.

Lieut. Col. D. F. Griffin and Major Glover both had their horses shot under them, and their clothing perforated by balls. The Tenth Wisconsin nobly vied with their comrades on the right, and I am convinced that both regiments would have suffered extermination rather than have yielded their ground without orders. But the order came, and we fell back, and formed on the pike fronting the woods, but the enemy did not venture to follow us farther than the skirts of the timber.

Having reformed my brigade, I soon after advanced my right to the woods from which we had just emerged, deploying skirmishers from the Ninety-fourth Ohio through the neck of the timber, with my left resting on the pike. Here we remained the rest of the day under the fire of the enemy's sharpshooters, and ever and anon the shot and shell from their batteries on our left fell among us. A ball from the former struck Colonel Frizell on the shoulder, so wounding him that he was borne from the field on which he had nobly performed his duty.

At 4 o'clock on the morning of January 1, your ordered me to take my command back to a point on the pike, near the place we occupied before the battle, in order that they might build fires, and warm themselves, and get something to eat.

Upon receiving your caution to protect myself from an attack on the left, and from your allusion to a ford in that direction, I ordered Lieutenant Alexander Martin, assistant inspector-general on my staff, and Lieutenant M. Allen, topographical engineers, to reconnoiter the position. Upon their reporting the feasibility of the crossing, I ordered Lieutenant Martin to conduct the Second Ohio, Major McCook, to the position. Soon after, firing was heard in this direction, and a stampede occurred among the wagons and hospitals. I ordered the Tenth Wisconsin to support the Second Ohio, and placed them behind the embankment of the railroad. These dispositions had scarcely been made when your order came for me to hurry to the front again with my command. Having obeyed this order, and after some maneuvering, we were placed in position, the Thirty-third Ohio extending across the neck of woods into which my right threw out skirmishers the evening before, with a battery on the right and left, commanding the fields on either side of the woods. On the right of the Thirty-third Ohio came the Ninety-fourth Ohio and Thirty-eighth Indiana in the edge of the undergrowth on the crest of the slope from the field west of the Nashville pike. On the right of the Thirty-eighth Indiana was another battery. The Tenth Wisconsin and Second Ohio were held in reserve, in order to re-enforce any part of the line that was menaced. This position was maintained without material change during the subsequent days of the fight. Our skirmishers were kept out during the time, and employed in discovering and dislodging the sharpshooters, who, during the hours of daylight, almost continually annoyed us. I cannot too highly praise Captain Ellis, commanding Thirty-third Ohio, for the vigilance of himself and men in their exposed position in the woods. At times the enemy from the woods below would essay to advance, when every man would be at his post, and often the batteries would open upon them. While here Captain Ellis had his horse shot under him. Breastworks of logs and rocks had been constructed to protect the line; also a few rifle-pits dug.

On the evening of the 2nd, when the enemy so vigorously attacked our left, the moving of their forces in that direction could be seen from any position, which fact was promptly reported. I caused my skirmishers