d to crush Hindman
and Cleburn who were crossing below Hildebrand.

Upon the south side of the brook there was a field and a crazy old
farm-house. Ruggles came into the field, halted, and began to form for a
rapid descent to the brook. His troops were in full view from the
church.

"Pay your respects to those fellows over there," said Major Taylor to
the officer commanding his own battery. Taylor was chief of artillery in
Sherman's division, and was not in immediate command of his own battery.
When he first saw them come into the field he thought they were not
Rebels, but some of Prentiss's men, who had been out on the front. He
hesitated to open fire till it was ascertained who they were. He rode
down to Waterhouse, and told him to fire into the field. He galloped up
to McDowell's brigade, where Barrett's battery was stationed, and told
the officer commanding to do the same. In a moment the field was smoking
hot, shells bursting in the air, crashing through Ruggles's ranks, and
boring holes in the walls of the dilapidated old cabin. The Rebels could
not face in the open field so severe a fire. Instead of advancing
directly against the church, they moved into the woods east of the
field, and became reinforcements to the brigades already well advanced
into the gap between Sherman and Prentiss.

They came up on Hildebrand's left flank. The thick growth of hazel and
alders along the brook concealed their movements. They advanced till
they were not more than three hundred feet from the Fifty-third and
Fifty-seventh Ohio before they began their fire. They yelled like
demons, screeching and howling to frighten the handful of men supporting
Waterhouse. Taylor saw that they intended an attack upon Waterhouse. He
rode to the spot. "Give them grape and canister!" he shouted. It was
done. The iron hail swept through the bushes. The yelling suddenly
ceased. There were groans and moans instead. The advance in that
direction was instantly checked.

But all the while the centre brigades of Hardee were pushing into the
gap, and, without serious opposition, were gaining Sherman's left flank.
Waterhouse began to limber up his guns for a retreat. Taylor feared a
sudden panic.

"Contest every inch of ground. Keep cool. Give them grape. Let them have
all they want," said Taylor.

Waterhouse unlimbered his guns again, wheeled them a little more to the
east, almost northeast, and opened a fire which raked the long lines and
again held