The battle was a failure thus far.  We could all see that, and some of us saw how nearly it became an irretrievable disaster.  Hazen’s brigade had been withdrawn to replenish its ammunition after the attack, and was lying along the Rossville road.  The men were filling their cartridge-boxes, and the captains were counting their diminished ranks and noting who were dead and who but wounded.  Out at the front the fight still went on, but in a desultory way.  Suddenly there was an ominous sound in front of Van Cleve’s division, which was in the main line next on the right of Palmer.

Hazen leaped upon his horse.  “Now Van Cleve is in for it!” he exclaimed.  “They’re coming for him!”

Quickly getting the men under arms, Hazen moved his brigade behind Van Cleve to act as a support, and awaited the coming attack.  It came like a whirlwind, and Van Cleve’s lines were scattered like fallen leaves.  On came the triumphant enemy in heavy masses, while Van Cleve’s disordered horde swept back with it Hazen’s supporting regiments.  All but one.  Colonel Aquila Wiley of the Forty-first Ohio Infantry, seeing the coming avalanche of fugitives, broke his line to the rear by companies and allowed the flying mass to pass through the intervals.  Then instantly reforming his line, Wiley delivered a volley by battalion upon the advancing foe.  The latter, his ranks loose, as usual in a headlong pursuit, was staggered and stopped in Wiley’s front, but pressed forward on his right, and had got well to his rear in that direction before the guns of the Forty-first were reloaded.  At a double-quick step Wiley changed front to the rear on his left company, and sent another volley among the swarming enemy on his right.  Twice he repeated this manoeuvre, and, gaining ground to the rear with each change of front, kept back the enemy from front and flank until he could take his place in good order upon a new line on a ridge to the rear.

Meantime, Hazen was not idle.  Seeing the inevitable result when Van Cleve’s lines wavered, he dashed down the road to some unemployed batteries.  These he got quickly into position to enfilade the enemy as he passed over Van Cleve’s abandoned ground, and while Wiley with his Forty-first was striking in front and flank to clear himself of the surrounding foes, Hazen’s batteries were pouring shells at short range into the well-ordered supporting troops which the enemy was hurrying forward to improve the success he had gained.  Bragg had actually crossed the Rossville road and cut the Army of the Cumberland in two, with nothing in the gap but one regiment of three hundred men.  But the enfilading artillery smote asunder the solid ranks which were to follow up the victory and left their advantage a barren triumph.  Night fell and ended there the first day’s battle.