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less than one man to
twenty of the enemy, but the nature of the ground over which I
would have been obliged to retreat was such that my force must
have been annihilated, had I attempted to escape from such overwhelming
numbers. I had not men enough to retreat, and consequently
had no choice left but to fight until support could reach me.
After we had been engaged about two hours, six companies of the
Twentieth Ohio, under Colonel Force, came up, also two pieces
of artillery under Lieutenant W. Hight, of the Ninth Indiana Battery.
Two of these companies were immediately deployed to relieve the
cavalry and mounted infantry, that they might be held in readiness
to meet any flank movement of the enemy. There being no adequate
support for the artillery, I dared not bring it into action, but
sent it about a mile to the rear, to take a position at the junction
of the Van Buren and Middleburg road, and await reinforcements.
About noon I discovered that the enemy were making a determined
effort to flank us upon the right, and get to our rear upon the
Middleburg road. Leaving Colonel Force in command on the Van
Buren road, I took the two companies of the Eleventh Illinois
Cavalry and my mounted infantry and passed over the Middleburg
road, where we found the enemy advancing in large numbers. The
infantry immediately dismounted and engaged the enemy with great
vigor and determination, and after a desperate struggle of over
an hour, drove them back. Just at the close of the struggle,
Captain Chandler, of the Seventy-Eighth Ohio, came upon the ground
with the remaining two companies of the Twentieth Ohio, and two
companies of the Seventy-Eighth Ohio. These four companies were
at once deployed upon the right and left of the Middleburg road,
and engaged the enemy's skirmishers.
The firing having ceased on the Van Buren road, I
sent orders for Colonel Force to leave a sufficient guard to protect
our left from a surprise, and bring the balance of his command
to the Middleburg road, where it was evident that the enemy were
organizing for the purpose of making a determined effort to break
our lines, to reach our rear.
The infantry reinforcements had not arrived. The
balance of the Seventy-Eighth Ohio was reported close by, but
not near enough to support the artillery; hence it could not be
used. At this moment Colonel Harvey Hogg, of the Second Illinois
Cavalry, came up with orders from you to report to me upon the
field, with four companies of his command. I immediately assigned
him a position on the right of the road; but discovering that
the enemy would probably make a cavalry charge upon us before
Colonel Force could reach me from the Van Buren road, I asked
Colonel Hogg if he could hold a position on the left of the road,
and a little to the front of where he then was, against a charge
from the rebel cavalry. He promptly said he could, and besought
me to give him the position, which was done.
He had not completed his change of place before the
enemy charged down the line of the road in vast numbers, but meeting
the deadly fire of the four infantry companies under command of
Captain Chandler, they were compelled to retreat, leaving many
of their horses and men strewn upon the ground. They twice repeated
their attempt to get possession of the road, and were both times
repulsed by the companies under
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