easured along the pike. Lane's
brigade, following Conrad's, was posted on Conrad's right, Lane's line
trending backward on the right in general conformation with Cox's line.
When General Hood assaulted, Conrad's five regiments east of the pike
proved to be in the direct pathway of his assault and they were
overwhelmed before the line west of the pike, which was greatly refused as
to that pathway, became fully engaged.

When Opdycke's brigade, the last to withdraw, came up to the position
occupied by Conrad and Lane, Wagner rode forward and ordered Opdycke into
line with them. Colonel Opdycke strenuously objected to this order. He
declared that troops out in front of the breastworks were in a good
position to aid the enemy and nobody else. He also pleaded that his
brigade was worn out, having been marching for several hours during the
morning in line of battle in sight of the enemy, climbing over fences and
passing through woods, thickets, and muddy cornfields, while covering the
rear of our retreating column, and was entitled to a relief. While they
were discussing the matter they rode along the pike together, the brigade
marching in column behind them, until they entered the gap in the
breastworks left for the pike and finding the ground in that vicinity
fully occupied by other troops, they kept along till they came to the
first clear space which was about two hundred yards inside the
breastworks. There Wagner turned away with the final remark, "Well,
Opdycke, fight when and where you damn please; we all know you'll fight."
Colonel Opdycke then had his brigade stack arms on the clear space, and
his persistence in thus marching his brigade inside the breastworks
proved about two hours later to be the salvation of our army.

When Conrad's brigade took up its advanced position we all supposed it
would be only temporary, but soon an orderly came along the line with
instructions for the company commanders and he told me that the orders
were to hold the position to the last man, and to have my sergeants fix
bayonets and to instruct my company that any man, not wounded, who should
attempt to leave the line without orders, would be shot or bayonetted by
the sergeants.

Four of Conrad's regiments, including the Sixty-fourth Ohio, had each
received a large assignment of drafted men so recently that none of these
men had been with their regiments more than a month and many had joined
within a week. The old soldiers all believed