Phalanx, charging
the enemy's flank, gave renewed courage to the troops, now pouring
deadly volleys into the confederate's faces, and their guns had gained a
position, from which they began to sweep the enemy's lines.

Says the same account:

"Now rose the regular incessant volleys of musketry and
artillery. The lines in many places were not over thirty
paces apart and pistols were freely used. The smoke of
battle almost hid the combatants. The underbrush and dense
black-jack thickets impeded the advance of the dismounted
cavalry as the awful musketry fire blazed and gushed in the
face of these gallant men. Every tree and brush was barked
or cut to the ground by this hail of deadly missiles. It was
here the accomplished and gallant William H. Porter, brother
of Major Thomas K. and Governor James D. Porter, fell
mortally wounded. This promising young officer had not
attained his manhood. He was a cadet in the regular
Confederate States army and had been ordered to report to
General Bell, who assigned him to duty as A. D. C. Captain
J. L. Bell, General Bell's Assistant Inspector-General, had
just been killed from his horse, and almost at the same
moment young Porter lost his own horse and just mounted
Captain Bell's when he received the fatal shot. Lieutenant
Isaac Bell, aide-de-camp of Bell's staff, was severely
wounded. The loss in officers right here was very heavy;
sixteen were killed and sixty-one wounded. Captain Ab Hust,
a mere boy, who commanded Bell's escort, rendered most
efficient service at this critical juncture, and Major Tom
Allison, the fighting Quartermaster of Bell's Brigade, was
constantly by the side of his fearless commander, and in
this terrible loss in staff officers his presence was most
opportune.

"Like a prairie on fire the battle raged and the volleying
thunder can be likened in my mind to nothing else than the
fire of Cleburne's Division at Chickamauga, on that terrible
Saturday at dusk. At length the enemy's lines wavered,
Haller and Mayson pressed their guns by hand to within a
short distance of Brice's house, firing as they advanced.
Bell, Lyon and Rucker now closed in on the cross roads and
the Federals gave way in disorder, abandoning three guns
near Brice's house. General Sturgis, in his official report