ond Division, Sixth Army Corps,
while my right connected with the First Brigade, Third Division.
We advanced half a mile to the edge of the woods, when we were met
by a well-directed fire from the right flank. This fire was returned
with spirit some fifteen minutes, when the troops wavered and fell
back a short distance in some disorder. The Second and Third
Divisions gave way at the same time. The line was speedily reformed
and moved forward and became engaged with the enemy again, each
force occupying a stone wall. Advantage was taken of a wall or
fence running perpendicular to and connecting with that occupied
by the enemy. After the action had continued here about three
quarters of an hour a heavy volley was fired at the enemy from the
transverse wall. A hurried and general retreat of the enemy
immediately followed, and our troops eagerly followed, firing upon
the retreating army as it ran, and giving no opportunity to the
enemy to reform or make a stand.

"Several efforts were made by the enemy during the pursuit to rally,
but the enthusiastic pursuit foiled all such efforts. Our troops
were subject to artillery fire of solid shot, shell, and grape
during the pursuit, and we reached the intrenchments of the Nineteenth
Army Corps (which were captured in the morning) as the sun set.
Here the pursuit by the infantry was discontinued. The first and
second, and probably the third colors planted on the recovered
works of the Nineteenth Army Corps were of regiments composing this
brigade."(21)

General Early tells the effect on his army of penetrating his line
by the small body of our troops:

"A number of bold attempts were made during the subsequent part of
the day, by the enemy's cavalry, to break our line on the right,
but they were invariably repulsed. Late in the afternoon, the
enemy's infantry advanced against Ramseur, Kershaw, and Gordon's
lines, and the attack on Ramseur and Kershaw's front was handsomely
repulsed in my view, and I hoped that the day was finally ours,
but a portion of the enemy had penetrated an interval which was
between Evans' brigade, on the extreme left, and the rest of the
line, when that brigade gave way, and Gordon's other brigades soon
followed. General Gordon made every possible effort to rally his
men and lead them back against the enemy, but without avail. The
information of this affair, with exaggerations, passed rapidly
along Kershaw and Ramseur's lines, and their men