e as on dress parade, had his corps
well in hand, and ordered Gen. Anderson, who was on his right and
adjoining Sherlin, to receive the enemy and give him the bayonet. There
had been a cessation of fighting for an hour, and the broken troops
had commenced to re-organize and get into line. Biggs, seeing that
postponement would not do, ordered up the division from Murphy's Hill,
and again the battle commenced with renewed vigor. Sherlin was assailed
first by Polkhorn. Gen. Anderson now seeing his chance, moved quickly to
Sherlin's support, and with a dash struck one of Polkhorn's divisions
in flank, and almost annihilated it. One of his brigades, Stephen Lyon
commanding, was ordered to charge against another division. This was
handsomely done, and the rebels fell back rapidly. At this time Biggs
came into the fray, and led back his broken brigades in person, but they
fared the same as before. In this assault Sherlin lost his other two
brigade commanders, and had his troops somewhat demoralized for a time;
but they soon recovered and the attacking commenced on our side. Our
lines were moved forward and the battle was furious; first an advantage
was gained on the one side and then on the other. At last our men became
encouraged and were fighting with a firm conviction that we were gaining
ground and driving the enemy back. During an hour of hard stand-up
hand-to-hand fighting, officers and men fell like the leaves of Autumn
after a bitter frost. Night then closed in, leaving the two armies
facing each other.

"A profound silence prevailed during the night, interrupted only by
the groans and the shrieks of the wounded and dying, after a constant
strife, which had lasted for ten hours. No more sanguinary struggle for
the length of time was ever witnessed. During this day there was not a
single regiment of our troops that had not been more or less engaged.
The enemy's cavalry had crossed the run below our army and captured
and destroyed a great quantity of our provisions, ammunition, etc. That
night no rations were distributed. The poor boys gathered around the
campfires and anxiously inquired about missing comrades, and what of the
day to-morrow. Many of the soldiers thought our army surrounded. Three
of our Generals had fallen during the day, and many thousand poor
soldiers were killed, wounded and captured.

"That night Gens. Anderson and Sherlin met for the first time, and in
talking over the morrow both agreed that they