on rising ground with a clear
field of fire and a magnificent view.

The new defensive line of which we had just formed a part, presented a
concave front to Van Dorn's army. Our elevated position enabled the
batterymen to see both lines of battle. Being at the Federal right flank
we became one of the horns of the dilemma which confronted Van Dorn's
hosts the next day.

Van Dorn's magnificent series of assaults against our line began about
9:30 the next morning. The masses of the enemy first attacked our left
flank and were repulsed. Then they assailed our center, penetrated it,
but were at length driven back into the cross fire of our artillery.

By 2 P. M. the attacks against the left and center had exhausted
themselves and the peril of a broken center was narrowly averted. Then
the rebels, having concentrated for another supreme effort, bore down
upon Hamilton's division on the right. This was good tactics, because
our right had been weakened by sending troops to the imperilled center.

The now familiar sight of masses of rebels, screaming the familiar yell,
appeared in our front. As the mass approached I recognized them and
called to the men: "Boys, there are the same troops that fought us at
Iuka; are you going to let them touch our guns today?" The yell of rage
that went up was more ominous than a rebel yell ever tried to be.

At six hundred yards the Eleventh opened with shell. The men worked like
tigers in their desperate resolve that their beloved guns would never
again feel the insult of a rebel touch.

Three times they charged and three times they were repulsed. Each time
they came so close that we resorted to double charges of canister and
never a rebel reached the muzzles of our guns. By four o'clock the
Confederates were staggering back or surrendering in squads.

From some prisoners taken at Corinth it was learned that they were still
unnerved from the moral effect of their assaults at Iuka. Those
prisoners stated that, as they went into the assault, they recognized
the bark of the guns of the Eleventh Ohio. Before these guns they had
seen hundreds of their comrades fall like wheat before the harvester.
They felt that they could not again silence the guns of the Eleventh.
It had taken five assaults to do so when the odds were many to one.

At daylight of October 5th, after a night spent in convoying prisoners
and caring for the wounded, we started in pursuit of the remains of
Price's and Van Dorn'