into confusion by
our murderous volley and fled.

Their places were filled by a fresh Regiment, and Colonel Dodge,
finding that the enemy were outflanking him on the right and that his
force was too weak to permit an extension of his line, sent for and
soon received a reinforcement of five companies of the Eighth Indiana,
which were posted on the right. The firing now became terrific. The
enemy annoyed us severely by placing a battery on our left, which
completely enfiladed our line. The Fourth Iowa now getting short of
ammunition, and the Thirty-fifth Illinois having been forced to give
way on the left, it was at this critical time that Lieutenant-Colonel
Challenor was ordered to rally his men, who were hurled on the enemy,
driving his left back a short distance. Having advanced too far, the
Lieutenant-Colonel was surrounded and captured with forty of his men.
Our ammunition, as before stated, having given out, we fell back to
the open field, maintaining our line of battle in splendid order. The
enemy rushed forward with their batteries and entire force. The Fourth
Iowa halted, turned on them, and checked for a time their advance
until the last round of ammunition was exhausted. General Curtis
coming up about this stage of the action, was received with a round of
cheers from our boys. The General learning that the ammunition had
given out, ordered the Fourth Iowa to fix bayonets and charge on the
enemy. The men did so briskly, across the field, but found no enemy.

On Colonel Vandever's front the enemy now commenced swarming up the
road and along the gorge, and out of the brush in front of us. Our
troops fought them bravely, the officers exposing their persons in
leading in front of their men; but we were overwhelmed at this time by
superior numbers. We retreated across the field, but rallied again
along the fence behind our original position. Upon retiring as above
mentioned, reinforcements were seen coming up under General Asboth. In
a gallant attempt to resist the advancing column of the enemy, General
Asboth received a severe wound in the arm. After the terrible conflict
of the day our gallant troops bivouacked in front of the enemy,
awaiting the reopening of the conflict in the morning.

Colonel Vandever fought Little's Division. Colonel Dodge's Brigade
contended in the morni