130 WHIP AND SPUR. 



erably equal warfare, both sides blazing away 

 at each other with little effect across the six 

 hundred yards of cleared valley that lay be- 

 tween two skirts of wood. So far as the endur- 

 ance of our troops was concerned, this engagement 

 could have been kept up until nightfall, though 

 our ranks were slowly thinning. Several desper- 

 ate charges were made on our position, and were 

 repulsed with considerable loss to both sides. 

 Pending the arrival of the infantry it would 

 have been folly for us to attempt a further 

 advance, but had we been properly supported, 

 or, better, had we at once fallen back upon our 

 support, we might have given, as the post helium 

 reports of Forrest's officers show, a better end- 

 ing to the day's work. It was only at half past 

 twelve, when our ammunition was reduced to five 

 rounds per man, and when our battery had fired 

 its last shot, that the infantry began to arrive, 

 and then they came a regiment at a time, or only 

 so fast as the Forrest mill could grind them up 

 in detail. 



They had taken our place, and we had with- 



