effects, considering the probability of being hit was about equal to that of being struck by lightning. Our artillery responded to this fire, the gunners doing their work coolly, systematically, and, as it was believed, with effect.

A Rebel brigade finally emerged from the timber and formed in line apparently with the intention of attacking Carlin, who thereupon advanced his skirmishers, conspicuous among which was Capt. Sherer's company, who attacked the enemy with great spirit, and poured a galling fire upon them. The reserves came up to the support of the skirmishers, when the Rebels retired under cover.

Meanwhile Sheridan was being vigorously pressed in front, and had all he could do to maintain his position and beat back the Rebel waves, which, like an ocean current, were surging against him. His right was threatened, and if attacked in flank he was apprehensive of the result, and desired assistance from Mitchell. Col. Carlin was ordered to advance rapidly in Sheridan's support. Pushing through a skirt of timber, across open fields and ascending a range of hills in his front, he discovered a strong force of the enemy marching upon Sheridan's right. This position overlooked much of the field where batteries, brigades and divisions were fiercely contending for the mastery. A thin, drifting veil of smoke rested over the valleys and enveloped the hills and timber belts, and through this misty sheen it was difficult to comprehend the main features of the contest. The country was broken into a series of undulatory elevations, each surmounted with cannon, whose continuous booming was pealing in deafening cadences upon the ear like the roar of ocean surges. The hill sides were fringed with the fire and smoke of musketry, its sharper tones joining in the grand chorus. In front of Sheridan the crash of guns was never silent, and as the awful din of battle

SCATTERING THE REBELS.

271

rolled up to the position occupied by Carlin, he felt that brothers were there who, perhaps, needed his help to throttle the cohorts of treason. He instantly ordered his troops forward on the double quick, and charged their advancing column with such impetuosity as to break it in two, throwing it into confusion and scattering the Rebels to the four winds. Vain were the efforts to rally their discomfitted troops, the gallant Carlin following so closely upon the heels of the retreating foe as to frustrate every attempt at forming a line of sufficient strength to offer serious opposition. The pursuit was vigorously kept up to within a short distance of Perryville, to which the enemy retreated and formed under cover of a range of bluffs just to the right of town, and protected by batteries crowning their crests. A sharp artillery engagement ensued at short range, accompanied by a lively fusilade of musketry between the skirmishers, and terribly earnest were the demonstrations of mutual hostility interchanged between the respective forces.

Before the heavy cannonade which swept the intervening space between the contending armies, searching out every nook and corner of the field, the men were ordered to lie down. The continued whizzing of solid shot and bursting of shell was not calculated to assure one of entire immunity from danger, or cause a relish for these messengers of war. The position of Company B, 36th Cavalry, at the left and rear of the battery, was one of peculiar danger. Shell burst in the midst of the troops, as they lay hugging Mother Earth in a close embrace, filling their eyes with dust and scattering gravel stones like drops of rain. One passed in close proximity to Captain Sherer's head, stunning him for a moment and convincing him that the exposed position which the company occupied was not particularly desirable. By Gen. Carlin's order, they retired a few yards, in rear of an elevation,

L

behind which they were comparatively safe, and where the sound of projectiles winging their way through the air and over their heads was listened to with more satisfaction.

Many in the brigade were struck down and mangled by bursting missiles. The sight of their manly looking forms, stretched

lifeless on the grass, shocked as well as deeply impressed the whole command. With the approach of twilight came a lull, and when darkness finally veiled the scene, by tacit consent the fire of artillery ceased altogether.

Capt. Sherer was ordered to the vicinity of the enemy's picket line, and advanced his company to within a few hundred yards of the town, where every movement in the neighboring camps could be distinctly heard. His exposed situation, so far in advance of any other portion of the army, was one of danger, and at 9 o'clock P. M., by order of Gen. Mitchell, his command was withdrawn a half mile, within easy supporting distance of the brigade.

The prompt movements of Gen. Carlin, and vigorous pursuit of the enemy, after having broken their column, diverted an attack and prevented reinforcements from joining those with whom he was already engaged, assisting materially in the repulse of the forces that so fiercely and persistently assaulted him. In the rapid advance upon Perryville, the enemy's ordnance-train was overtaken and captured, with its guard of one hundred and

thirty-eight men and three officers. Capt. Sherer's company

shared in the honors of the achievement.

To Gen. McCook's appeal for aid, Gen. Mitchell responded by sending Col. Gooding's brigade to the left. His command consisted of three regiments of infantry and a battery, numbering in all fifteen hundred men that were brought into action. McCook's right had been gradually pressed back, first to Russel's house, and then to a position three-fourths of a mile in rear of

THE LINE RESTORED.

the first, and nearly at right angles with it.

273

Gooding's brigade

was unused to service, but coming fresh upon the field, advanced bravely to the encounter. The fragments of Rousseau's and Jackson's depleted and somewhat despondent divisions rallied to Gooding's support, and, notwithstanding the preponderance of numbers against him he attacked vigorously; his officers, with revolvers in hand, taking the lead, fearlessly exposing their persons, and animating the men with their dauntless courage. At once the engagement became general and severe. The little brigade of fifteen hundred men never faltered, but courageously beat back every attempt to overwhelm it by the rebel force of ten or twelve thousand, concentrated in its front. Men fell thick and fast, but unabated raged the storm. The sun sank behind the western horizon and it was nearly dark when Gooding succeeded in wresting the position at Russell's house from the enemy and restoring the line. This had been accomplished at an immense sacrifice of life. Many of his best men had fallen, and at the close of the brief but sanguinary encounter, five hundred heroes out of fifteen hundred lay stretched upon the field, either killed or wounded. Col. Gooding was taken prisoner, but the left wing had been saved.

Just at dark, a brigade from Gilbert's division came up, and thus strengthened, McCook no longer doubted his ability to hold the position. The troops bivouacked upon the field, in the midst of dead and wounded comrades, whose cries of anguish ascended from every part of the blood-stained battle-ground. The casualties of the day in Rousseau's and Jackson's divisions numbered nearly five thousand. The confederate commander, by concentrating two-thirds of his strength and bringing it to bear upon Rousseau and Jackson in detail, had overwhelmed and nearly swept them from the field. Gen. Buell was miles away, and not

aware until nearly night that an engagement was in progress. Had Crittenden's corps and the reserves been brought up early in the day, or had the troops already there been judiciously arranged, and a vigorous and united effort made, Bragg's army would never have left the field, except as prisoners of war.

The 36th (Greusel's) Brigade was under fire most of the day, generally from artillery at long range; but for two hours in the afternoon at close quarters. Every charge of the enemy was handsomely repulsed. Again and again did they advance impetuously to the assault, only to be hurled back, completely broken and discomfitted, being finally driven in a disorderly rout, leaving three hundred and eighty of their dead laying within a quarter of a mile of our position.

As an advance in the darkness to unknown localities would have been the height of folly, the regiments, nearly exhausted from the hard fighting, bivouacked upon their arms. Despite the excitements of the day-despite the dead, sleeping their last long sleep, some laying within a few feet of living sleepers-exhausted nature exerted its sway, and the solemn reflections born of the hour could not keep them long awake. Except the faithful sentinels, keeping watch over their companions, all were soon soundly sleeping. The chirping of crickets, or some new and unwonted sound, would cause those on guard to hold their breath and listen intently for movements indicative of a night attack. Occasionally their nerves were put in a quiver of horror as they stumbled in the darkness over the cold body of some dead brave.

On the 9th, Col. Greusel's brigade moved to Good-Night spring, a half mile northeast of Perryville, and camped, the enemy having withdrawn in the direction of Harrodsburg. The engagement was not renewed, except desultory skirmishing between Carlin's advance and the rebel rear guard. The 38th Brigade