while bravely directing the charge, with a frightful
shell wound. He was at once borne to an ambulance. The general sent one
of his staff for the writer of these pages. When he reached the
general's ambulance, the wounded man said: "Doctor, I suppose there is
no hope of recovery." When told that there was none he exclaimed, "Oh,
my poor wife!" Then after a moment he said, "Doctor, see that my record
is right at home. Tell them I died at my post doing my duty." A few
hours of intense suffering and the brave man was relieved by death.

The fall of General Bidwell left Colonel French, of the Seventy-seventh,
in command of the brigade. The line was quickly reformed in the position
from which the charge was made, and again the rebels came on with cheers
and yells. They were as bravely met as before, and a second
counter-charge sent them again in disorder across the creek, leaving the
ground covered with their dead and wounded. The greatest shock of the
second charge of the rebels had fallen upon our Third brigade, and nobly
had it been met. A third time Early's forces came on; this time with
less spirit. His men now knew the troops they had to contend with. They
had been informed that the Sixth corps had been sent to Washington, on
its way to Petersburgh. Now they discovered the mistake, and all of
Early's authority was insufficient to bring them up to a spirited
charge. We had repulsed them three times with terrible damage to their
ranks, as well as sad loss to our own. But now we looked toward the
right, and we saw rebels passing around our flank, and the Third and
First divisions falling back. We were but twelve thousand. They were
thirty thousand, and their line far overlapped ours. When Early could
not drive us he went round us. And now it was necessary to take another
position, which should protect the road to Winchester, and General
Wright directed General Getty to fall back, with his corps, to a more
commanding position, unless he saw good reason for desiring to hold his
present position. So the order was given to take the new position.

_The Sixth corps was not driven back._ It had thrice repulsed the most
desperate charges of the whole rebel army, and now that the rebels were
turning our flank, it was necessary to interpose an organized force, and
there was no organized troops except the cavalry.

Certain erudite historians, who have sent broadcast over our land,
compilations of newspaper paragraphs under the soun