the Fortieth Illinois Infantry, One hundredth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and Forty-sixth Ohio Infantry, while in the center and on the road the section of artillery which had accompanied the brigade took up a position. Having formed line and taken up the position assigned me, I immediately directed my men to build slight barricades of rails to guard as a a precaution against any contigency that might arise, and then to get dinner, previously, however, covering my front with skirmishers to give warning of the approach of the enemy in time to be ready to meet him.

In less than an hour after geeting into position, as above stated, our skirmishers became engaged with the advance of the enemy, who was moving upon us, and it soon became apparent that a heavy battle must ensue, as it was evident the enemy intended to endeavor to drive us from our position, and with that view had formed in heavy force upon our front and opened upon our barricades with four pieces of artillery. Brigadier General Charles C. Walcutt, commanding Second Brigade, First Division, Fifteenth Army Corps, perceiving this, ordered me to take the three right companies of my regiment and support the section of the First Michigan Battery, occupying the center of the line, which order I immediately obeyed. I had no sooner done this than from the maneuvering of the enemy it became apparent that he would endeavor to turn our extreme right flank, and to checkmate him there, General Walcutt ordered me to withdraw three more companies of my regiment from the left flank, and putting them in position on the etreme right flank, take charge of that end of the line, and at all hazards hold the enemy at bay at that point. I accordingly moved Companies A, B, and C of my regiment to the extreme right of the brigade line, and placing Companies A and C on the line, deployed Company B as skirmishers to extend the line to the right, instructing the men to shelter themselves behind trees and to hold their positions at all hazard. Companies I, K, and H, having been placed in the center of the brigade line, and the Forty-sixth Ohio Volunteers Infantry having, by order of General Walcutt, previously moved to the right, I had only Companies D, E, F, and G of my regiment with which to hold what had been the line occupied by the One hundredth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry and the Forty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. These companies I deployed along the works so as to cover the two regimental fronts, and placed them in command of Edwin Goldsmith, lieutenant and adjutant, who managed them admirably during the remainder of the day. The three companies in the center I placed under the immediate command of Captain John W. Headinton, and he continued to manage them during the remainder of the fight with skill and sound discretion. On the right flank my men were much exposed, having no works to shelter themselves; but the ground being rather favorable, I succeeded in checking the enemy so suddenly in his effort to turn our line that he did not afterward attempt seriously to get around our flank, nor did he even have time to discover the strength of our line or number of our forces at that point. In this engagement, which lasted from 1 o'clock until dark, the enemy made some seven district assaults upon our lines, and was handsomely repulsed with heavy loss on his part each time. Toward evening I received an order from Colonel R. F. Catterson, Ninety-seventh Indiana Infantry, who in the meantime had assumed command of the brigade, owing to Brigadier-General Walcutt's having been wounded, to be ready with a heavy sirmish line in my front to charge the enemy at the sound of the bugle, and to bring in such of the enemy as had remained behind in the last repulse and taken shelter under the cover of a ravine which ran along our front. This