aking distance of our guns.

"Lyon coming up opportunely at this moment formed his
brigade on our right, and springing forward with loud
cheers, hurled them back with so stormful an onset that
their entire line gave way in utter rout and confusion.
Lieutenant Brown's horse was shot under him. The gallant
young soldier, Henry King, of Rice's Battery, fell with his
rammer staff in hand, mortally wounded. His grave now marks
the spot where he fell. Several members of the artillery
were wounded and a great many battery horses were killed.
The reason for this desperate stand was soon discovered. The
road was filled with their wagons, ambulances and many
caissons, the dying and wounded. Cast-away arms,
accoutrements, baggage, dead animals and other evidences of
a routed army were conspicuous on every side. The sun had
set, but the weary and over-spent Confederates maintained
the pursuit for some five or six miles beyond and until it
became quite too dark to go further. A temporary halt was
ordered, when a section from each battery was directed to be
equipped with ammunition and the best horses from their
respective batteries and be ready to continue the pursuit at
daylight."

The rout was all the enemy could desire, the Federals fought with a
valor creditable to any troops, but were badly worsted, through the
incompetency of Sturgis. They were driven back to Ripley, in a most
disastrously confused state, leaving behind their trains, artillery,
dead and wounded. But for the gallantry of the Phalanx, the enemy would
have captured the entire force.

The same writer describes the rout:

"Johnson, pressing his brigade forward upon the enemy's
position at Brice's Quarter, with Lyon supporting the
artillery in the road below Brice's house, the position was
soon captured with many prisoners and three pieces of
artillery. Hallers and Mayson's sections were moved up at a
gallop and established on the hill at Brice's Quarter and
opened a destructive fire with double-shotted cannister upon
the enemy's fleeing columns and wagon trains. The bridge
over Tishamingo creek, still standing, was blocked up with
wagons, some of whose teams had been killed. Finding the
bridge thus obstructed the enemy rushed wildly into the
creek, and as they emerged from the water on the opposi