regimental flag in his hand, rallied
his brigade three times in succession while retiring, and checked the
advance of the Confederate line by volleys of musketry. The pursuit of
Beatty's three brigades led the Confederate columns to the right of Grose,
and as soon as it could be done with safety Livingston opened upon the
advance with his artillery, but in obedience to an order from General
Rosecrans crossed the river and reopened from the opposite shore.

The space between the river bank and the ridge occupied by Grose's Brigade
was now a scene of the wildest disorder. Instances of the most exalted
courage were displayed. It was here that Corporal Hochersmith, color guard
of the Twenty-first Kentucky, and Sergeant Gunn, of the same regiment, won
the gold medals voted them by the legislature of their native State. When
confronted by a squad of Lewis' skirmishers, who demanded his flag, the
brave corporal said: "You can take me but not my colors," and threw the
flag over their heads into the river, where it was seized by Sergeant Gunn
and borne in safety through a shower of balls to the opposite shore, where
the regiment immediately rallied around it.

It may well be understood that General Crittenden, under whose observation
his old division had been driven from its position back across the river,
was by no means an uninterested spectator of the scene. It had all passed
so rapidly as to afford no time to reinforce the line when first
assaulted, and when it had commenced falling back the west side of the
river was evidently the best position to reform and reinforce it. His men
had no sooner gained the low ground near the river than, turning to his
chief of artillery, he said: "Now, Mendenhall, you must cover my men with
your cannon." Never was a more tremendous response to so simple a request.
In his report, Captain Mendenhall says: "Captain Swallow had already
opened with his battery. I ordered Lieutenant Parsons to move a little
forward and open with his guns, then rode back to bring up Lieutenant
Estepp with his Eighth Indiana Battery. Meeting Captain Morton, with his
brigade of Pioneers, he asked for advice, and I told him to move briskly
forward with his brigade and send his battery to the crest of the hill
near the batteries already engaged. The Eighth Indiana Battery took
position on the right of Lieutenant Parsons. Seeing that Lieutenant
Osborne was in position between Parsons and Estepp, I rode to Lieutenant
Ste