“Thank God you haven’t fallen, and that I’ve found you!” exclaimed Dick.

“I don’t know whether you’re so lucky after all,” said Warner.  “The Johnnies have been mowing us down.  They dropped on us so suddenly this morning that they must have been sleeping in the same bed with us last night, and we didn’t know it.  I hear that we’re routed nearly everywhere except here and where Sherman stands.  Look out!  Here they come again!”

They saw tanned faces and fierce eyes through the smoke, and the bullets swept down on them in showers.  Lucky for them that the little ridge was there, and that they had made up their minds to stand to the last.  They replied with their own deadly fire, yet many fell, despite the shelter, and to both left and right the battle swelled afresh.  Dick felt again that rain of bark and twigs and leaves.  Sometimes a tree, cut through at its base by cannon balls, fell with a crash.  Along the whole curving line the Southern generals ever urged forward their valiant troops.

Now the courage and skill of Sherman shone supreme.  Dick saw him often striding up and down the lines, ordering and begging his men to stand fast, although they were looking almost into the eyes of their enemies.

The conflict became hand to hand, and assailant and assailed reeled to and fro.  But Sherman would not give up.  The fiercest attacks broke in vain on his iron front.  McClernand, with whom he had quarreled the day before as to who should command the army while Grant was away, came up with reinforcements, and seeing what the fearless and resolute general had done, yielded him the place.

The last of the charges broke for the time upon Sherman, and his exhausted regiment uttered a shout of triumph, but on both sides of him the Southern troops drove their enemy back and yet further back.  Breckinridge, along Lick Creek, was pushing everything before him.  The bishop-general was doing well.  Many of the Northern troops had not yet recovered from their surprise.  A general and three whole regiments, struck on every side, were captured.

It seemed that nothing could deprive the Southern army of victory, absolute and complete.  General Johnston had marshalled his troops with superb skill, and intending to reap the full advantage of the surprise, he continually pushed them forward upon the shattered Northern lines.  He led in person and on horseback the attack upon the Federal center.  Around and behind him rode his staff, and the wild rebel yell swept again through the forest, when the soldiers saw the stern and lofty features of the chief whom they trusted, leading them on.