nemy fought furiously before they gave up the hill; indeed, many
of them rushed upon our bayonets in the most reckless and desperate
manner. Being at last compelled to give way, they took up their station
on the adjoining hills, and in the ravines and valleys below, and their
fire for a time was destructive. As we had now gained the hill, we had
proceeded to the extent of our orders. Here reinforcements poured up to
our assistance, and two six-pounders, which had been sent up immediately
after us, now began to play with grape on the poor and brave fellows who
had sought refuge in the dells below. The havoc was dreadful, for they
still scorned to fly. During our ascent, some shells had been thrown by
our artillery below, from some howitzers in front of our encampment, to
the right of the ridge of the hill, where the enemy, in immense force,
had been observed running down to the assistance of their beaten
comrades. This reinforcement of the enemy brought down, to play upon our
ascent, a small hill-gun, a three-pounder of about a yard long, which
one man could carry. The whole of the ammunition brought by the enemy
for this and other purposes, our shells from below reached and blew up,
and great numbers were killed and wounded by the explosion. When their
ammunition was gone, they rolled the little gun down the hill, where we,
after the action, found it. Our troops having been distributed and
posted along the range of hills, some of our men were killed and wounded
by each other, by their cross-firing at random, where they heard the
sound of muskets, but could not see the object. We frequently sounded
"cease firing," but to no purpose; and, indeed, it was truly tantalizing
to see thousands of the enemy under our very noses, and not to be
allowed to fire at them; but, the woods being thick and high, we were
fearful of again drawing on ourselves the fire of our men on the
opposite hills. Our brave colonel had arrived upon the hill with the
reinforcements which belonged to his brigade, and, fearing the same evil
he sounded repeatedly the "cease firing;" but here and there some shots
were still fired by the native troops. When he came to his light
company, I could see the beam of delight in the veteran's eye; but that
was no time for compliments. He desired us to cut the first man down who
presumed to disobey his oft-repeated order of "cease firing;" and he
told us to lie down, and on no account to attempt to proceed. At this
mom