upon a rebel picket, a portion of which was captured. The balance retreated, and were pursued at double-quick by the whole column, in order to get into position before the alarm was given, but upon arriving at the edge of the woods which overlooked the enemy's camp the rebels were discovered advancing in line of battle, some 1,000 or 1,500 strong. Lieutenant McDonald immediately deployed the leading company into line by filing to the right. Colonel Jones ordered the main column to deploy forward into line on the left of the leading company, in doing which the whole of the enemy's line opened fire upon them, which was promptly returned, with great effect, and the enemy's line broke in confusion and retreated back among their houses and tents and over their trenches, leaving the ground covered with their dead and wounded; but they were soon rallied, and returned in greater numbers. Here signs of wavering were shown along our line, and a large number, mostly of the Twenty-fifth Ohio Volunteers, and a few of the Thirteenth Indiana and Thirty-second Ohio, broke to the rear in confusion, but Colonel Jones, Captains Charlesworth and Crowell, of the Twenty-fifth Ohio Volunteers, and Captains Myers and Newland, of the Thirteenth Indiana, and Captain Hamilton, of the Thirty-second Ohio Volunteers, with a number of lieutenants, by the most vigorous efforts succeeded in bringing a portion of them back, and restored the line in time to receive the rebels in fine style. The fire for a few minutes was very vigorous on both sides, but the rebels again gave way, and the order being now given to charge our boys dashed gallantly forward and drove them at the point of the bayonet over their trench among their houses and tents. Here the struggle became desperate. Again and again the enemy rallied and were repulsed with great slaughter, but being greatly superior in numbers were still enabled to rally behind their houses, tents, and trenches, and our ranks becoming thinned by the continued skulking away of the timorous, and not hearing anything of the attack on the other side of the camp by our troops under Colonel Moody, as was expected, they at last gave way and fell back to the woods, where they were again rallied in considerate force by their officers and kept up a fire on the rebel camp. The enemy now attempted to outflank us on our right, and threw out a strong column to come up a ravine and out on the top of the ridge on around our right flank, but I ordered up Major Dobbs with the reserve of about fifty men, who came very opportunely and suddenly upon their left flank, and poured in such a deadly and destructive fire upon them and raised such a shout that their column was thrown into confusion and fled precipitately back to their quarters; but recovering from their panic, and seeing the smallness of our force which had pursued them, they soon rallied and returned, and the reserve came near being surrounded by them, but they cut their way through, bringing some twenty prisoners with them. The rebels still kept up Their fire in front and advanced again to dislodge us, but recoiled several times before the galling fire of our soldiers, who fought like veterans. The rebels next attempted, with a strong force, to turn our left flank and get in our rear, but Colonel Jones prhe detachments of the Thirteenth Indiana and Thirty-second Ohio Volunteers to attack and charge on them, which they did with such vigor and effect that they were driven back again among their cabins with considerable loss, but soon rallied again and renewed the fire along our whole front, and also opened upon us with two pieces of artillery, but without doing any hurt.

Our forces were now becoming very much disheartened by continuing the unequal fight without hearing the expected thunder of the