We entered upon the task with all our might.  Some fired at the line lying in our front on the edge of the ridge before described; others kept down the enemy lodged in the traverses on the right.  At one or two places Confederates and Federals were only separated by the works, and the latter not a few times reached their guns over and fired right down upon the heads of the former.  So continued the painfully unvarying battle for more than two hours.  At the end of that time a rumor arose that the enemy was desirous to come in and surrender.  Colonel Brown gives the following in his official report:  “About two o’clock P.M. the firing ceased along the line, and I observed the enemy, standing up in our front, their colors flying and arms pointing upwards.  I called to them to lay down their arms and come in.  An officer answered that he was waiting our surrender—­that we had raised a white flag, whereupon he had ceased firing.  I replied, ’I command here,’ and if any flag had been raised it was without authority, and unless he came in, firing would be resumed.  He begged a conference, which was granted, and a subordinate officer advanced near the breastwork and informed me that a white flag was flying on my right.  He was informed that unless his commander surrendered, the firing would be continued.  He started back to his lines, and failing to exhibit his flag of truce, was shot down midway between the lines, which was not more than twenty yards at this point.  The firing again commenced with unabating fury.” ...  The firing was astonishingly accurate all along the line.  No man could raise his shoulders above the works without danger of immediate death.  Some of the enemy lay against our works in front.  I saw several of them jump over and surrender during the relaxation of the firing.  An ensign of a Federal regiment came right up to us during the “peace negotiations” and demanded our surrender.  Lieutenant Carlisle, of the Thirteenth Regiment, replied that we would not surrender.  Then the ensign insisted, as he had come under a false impression, he should be allowed to return to his command.  Lieutenant Carlisle, pleased with his composure, consented.  But as he went away a man from another part of the line shot him through the face, and he came and jumped over to us.  This was the place to test individual courage.  Some ordinarily good soldiers did next to nothing, while others excelled themselves.  The question became pretty plainly, whether one was willing to meet death, not merely to run the chances of it.  There was no further cessation of fire, after the pause before described.  Every now and then a regular volley would be hurled at us from what we supposed a fresh line of Federals, but it would gradually tone down to the slow, particular, fatal firing of the siege.  The prisoners who ran into us now and then informed us that Grant’s whole energies were directed against this point.  They represented the wood on the other side as filled with