left, Emory himself rode up to Kinsey, and together they led forward
the 161st New York and deployed the regiment widely as skirmishers
across the whole front of the division, in the very teeth of the
Confederate line of battle, rapidly advancing with wild yells and
firing heavily as they came. Not a man of the division, not one
of the 161st, but felt as well as Emory the imposing duty laid on
that splendid regiment and the hard sacrifice expected of it; yet
they stood their ground so well and so long that not only had the
whole division time to deploy, but, when at last the Confederate
line of battle refused any longer to be held back by a fringe of
skirmishers, it became a serious question whether friend and foe
might not enter the Union lines together. Then, when Emory saw
that his line was formed, he gave to word to Kinsey to retire.
For some seconds his skirmishers masked fire of their own lines,
but, as the Confederates followed with great impetuosity, Dwight's
whole line, kneeling, waiting, and ready, opened a fierce fire at
point-blank range and soon threw off the attack with heavy loss to
their assailants. The brunt of the attack was borne by the 28th
Maine, holding the centre and the road. An attempt followed to
turn Emory's right flank; in this Dwight's right was pressed so
heavily that Emory was obliged to deploy McMillan nearly at right
angles to the main front, and thus the onset was easily checked.
About the same time the Confederates, whose line was longer than
Emory's, made a like attempt to turn the left, but Benedict held
on firmly, and although his position was a bad one, soon drove off
his assailants. The whole fight was over in twenty minutes, but
while it lasted it was sharp. It rolled back the pursuit and
changed the fortunes of the evil day.

In no other battle of the war was so little use made of artillery.
In Ransom's fight only a few guns could be brought into action on
either side, though these indeed were served with vigor. As for
Emory, he left his batteries and his baggage to the safekeeping of
the 153d New York and swept to the front with all the rest of his
infantry, while the same jam of wagons that entrapped the guns of
Lee and Ransom likewise held back the guns of Taylor. Thus Emory's
fight was fought by infantry alone against infantry and dismounted
cavalry, and no roar of cannon was heard to break the rattle and
the wail of the musketry.

So great a change had these few