ken position upon the pike, from which they were soon driven by
Lieutenant Lawrence, who was in command of my battery. Our pieces were
served with the greatest precision and coolness, and the men stood by
their guns like veterans. Although they had but few men in the fight,
the casualties were two killed and eighteen wounded, showing the
determination with which they held their position. Too much praise can
not be awarded to Lieutenant Lawrence. Three times the enemy had to
change the position of their battery, and were silenced until reinforced
by additional guns. While this artillery duel was progressing, my men
were moving to the front and were about dismounting, when Captain Quirk
was driven from the rear by a large force of the enemy which had just
arrived in time to save the force in our front. I immediately ordered my
entire command to fall back to Milton, and from thence to Liberty. The
enemy did not follow."

General Morgan expressed his perfect satisfaction with the conduct of
the officers and men in this fight, and complimented his brigade
commanders and his personal staff.

One reason of the want of success in the first onset was the fatigue of
men and horses by the long and rapid ride to Auburn, and thence to the
position taken by the enemy. In the stretching gallop down the road,
which General Morgan ordered in his impatience to overtake the enemy,
and apprehensive lest they should get away, the column necessarily
became prolonged, the men scattered, and many (their horses falling)
dropped out entirely. But few men, consequently, were available when the
attack commenced. As the detached portions of regiments, divided by this
speedy march, came up, there was, necessarily, some confusion, and some
difficulty in putting them, at once, promptly and smoothly into the
fight.

For these reasons, and on account of the usual details for horse
holders, perhaps not more than one thousand men were engaged on our
side, and these (as has been just explained) could not be handled as
effectively as was necessary to force a strong position, held by
superior numbers. Colonel Ward's regiment is frequently alluded to in
General Morgan's report, but it should be stated that the bulk of that
regiment was absent, only sixty men (one of its companies), under
Captain Cates, were present. The scanty supply of ammunition, however,
and its failure at the critical moment, was the principal cause of the
repulse, or rather withdrawal