was given.  The guns of the enemy and the report of being surrounded, brought officers and men completely under control.  At first some of the officers seemed to think that to be surrounded was to be placed in a hopeless position, where there was nothing to do but surrender.  But when I announced that we had cut our way in and could cut our way out just as well, it seemed a new revelation to officers and soldiers.  They formed line rapidly and we started back to our boats, with the men deployed as skirmishers as they had been on entering camp.  The enemy was soon encountered, but his resistance this time was feeble.  Again the Confederates sought shelter under the river banks.  We could not stop, however, to pick them up, because the troops we had seen crossing the river had debarked by this time and were nearer our transports than we were.  It would be prudent to get them behind us; but we were not again molested on our way to the boats.

From the beginning of the fighting our wounded had been carried to the houses at the rear, near the place of debarkation.  I now set the troops to bringing their wounded to the boats.  After this had gone on for some little time I rode down the road, without even a staff officer, to visit the guard I had stationed over the approach to our transports.  I knew the enemy had crossed over from Columbus in considerable numbers and might be expected to attack us as we were embarking.  This guard would be encountered first and, as they were in a natural intrenchment, would be able to hold the enemy for a considerable time.  My surprise was great to find there was not a single man in the trench.  Riding back to the boat I found the officer who had commanded the guard and learned that he had withdrawn his force when the main body fell back.  At first I ordered the guard to return, but finding that it would take some time to get the men together and march them back to their position, I countermanded the order.  Then fearing that the enemy we had seen crossing the river below might be coming upon us unawares, I rode out in the field to our front, still entirely alone, to observe whether the enemy was passing.  The field was grown up with corn so tall and thick as to cut off the view of even a person on horseback, except directly along the rows.  Even in that direction, owing to the overhanging blades of corn, the view was not extensive.  I had not gone more than a few hundred yards when I saw a body of troops marching past me not fifty yards away.  I looked at them for a moment and then turned my horse towards the river and started back, first in a walk, and when I thought myself concealed from the view of the enemy, as fast as my horse could carry me.  When at the river bank I still had to ride a few hundred yards to the point where the nearest transport lay.