taken charge of the Sixth Corps in place of Ricketts, wounded early in the action, while temporarily commanding the corps.  I then turned back to the rear of Getty’s division, and as I came behind it, a line of regimental flags rose up out of the ground, as it seemed, to welcome me.  They were mostly the colors of Crook’s troops, who had been stampeded and scattered in the surprise of the morning.  The color-bearers, having withstood the panic, had formed behind the troops of Getty.  The line with the colors was largely composed of officers, among whom I recognized Colonel R. B. Hayes, since president of the United States, one of the brigade commanders.  At the close of this incident I crossed the little narrow valley, or depression, in rear of Getty’s line, and dismounting on the opposite crest, established that point as my headquarters.  In a few minutes some of my staff joined me, and the first directions I gave were to have the Nineteenth Corps and the two divisions of Wright’s corps brought to the front, so they could be formed on Getty’s division, prolonged to the right; for I had already decided to attack the enemy from that line as soon as I could get matters in shape to take the offensive.  Crook met me at this time, and strongly favored my idea of attacking, but said, however, that most of his troops were gone.  General Wright came up a little later, when I saw that he was wounded, a ball having grazed the point of his chin so as to draw the blood plentifully.

Wright gave me a hurried account of the day’s events, and when told that we would fight the enemy on the line which Getty and the cavalry were holding, and that he must go himself and send all his staff to bring up the troops, he zealously fell in with the scheme; and it was then that the Nineteenth Corps and two divisions of the Sixth were ordered to the front from where they had been halted to the right and rear of Getty.

After this conversation I rode to the east of the Valley pike and to the left of Getty’s division, to a point from which I could obtain a good view of the front, in the mean time sending Major Forsyth to communicate with Colonel Lowell (who occupied a position close in toward the suburbs of Middletown and directly in front of Getty’s left) to learn whether he could hold on there.  Lowell replied that he could.  I then ordered Custer’s division back to the right flank, and returning to the place where my headquarters had been established I met near them Ricketts’s division under General Keifer and General Frank Wheaton’s division, both marching to the front.  When the men of these divisions saw me they began cheering and took up the double quick to the front, while I turned back toward Getty’s line to point out where these returning troops should be placed.  Having done this, I ordered General Wright to resume command of the Sixth Corps, and Getty, who was temporarily in charge of it, to take command of his own division.  A little later the Nineteenth Corps came up and was posted between the right of the Sixth Corps and Middle Marsh Brook.