158 HISTORY OF THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT O.V.V.I.
pickets and outposts as possible in our position with our limited force. The balance of the day and the following night were used in entrenching and fortifying.
About noon of the 22d I discovered that the enemy had got in our rear, and were engaging the Sixteenth Army Corps, while making efforts to close up the left of our Corps, while still a gap of half a mile on the left of the Fourth Division was only guarded by a skirmish line. The enemy broke through this gap, and in a few minutes came in a heavy force (Cheatham's Division of Hardee's Corps) upon my rear, moving over the same ground and in the same direction I had come the day before. I immediately put my men upon the other side of the works, their faces to the east and backs toward Atlanta. The enemy came upon us with demoniac yells, but were met with a cool, deliberate and well aimed fire, that soon checked their advance, caused them to stagger and then retire in confusion. Those who reached our works were made prisoners.
They soon rallied, re-formed, and again advanced upon us in the same direction and with the same results. In these two attacks they were punished very severely, leaving a very large number of killed and wounded on the ground.
A lull of some twenty minutes occurred at this time, after which our skirmishers toward Atlanta were driven in, followed closely by a heavy force which advanced with yells. My men were placed upon the east side of their works, and met the charge as they had the others, and repulsed the rebels beautifully.
They were rallied and again advanced, and were again repulsed.
Soon a heave column (Cheatham's Division of Hardee's Corps) moved directly upon the left flank of the Fourth Division, which compelled it to change front and leave its works. As the approaching column advanced in the vicinity of my left, I caused the Third Brigade of my command to follow the movements of the Fourth Division, but with the positive injunction that the hill must be retained at all hazards, at whatever cost.
The Second Brigade was then formed with its right resting upon the hill, and the left upon the Fourth Division, facing south. This change of front was executed under a heavy fire of musketry, and of grape and canister and in the face of a rapidly advancing force of fresh troops, composed probably of the enemy's best fighting men, (Cheatham's Division.) Our men were greatly fatigued with about four hours hard fighting, and were now obliged to meet the enemy in the open field, without protection of any kind whatever, except a portion of the First Brigade on the hill. In this part of the day our troops showed their true soldierly qualities. They stood like rocks of adamant, and received the repeated charges of the enemy without yielding an inch. The engagement here became finally a hand-to-hand fight, the sword, the bayonet, and even the "fists," were freely and effectually used, and the enemy repulsed with a slaughter I never before witnessed. This conflict ended the day. My officers and men behaved with determined bravery.
My losses were heavy, and in some respects particularly unfortunate and embarrassing. At the very commencement of the action, even before a shot had been
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