Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 2.djvu/374

 volley of musketry in flank and rear roused the sleeping soldiers of the Union army. Then came the well known battle yell as the enemy charged into our bewildered lines and occupied the trenches. In fifteen minutes our army was a flying mob. Generals Grover and Emory made heroic efforts to stop the wild panic, and with a few brigades, which retained their organization, to check the fierce onslaught; but they were overwhelmed with great slaughter. The Sixth and Nineteenth Corps made a stern resistance, but were unable to stand long against the fearful odds and soon the whole army was in retreat with the loss of twenty-four guns and 1,200 prisoners, camps and equipage. At ten a.m., Sheridan, after his famous ride from Winchester, reached the field just as Wright had succeeded in checking the retreat. The Confederates, exhausted by sixteen hours’ hard marching and fighting, had now halted to rest or were slowly marching without firing. Sheridan’s presence and cheering words soon inspired confidence, each command was ordered to face about, form lines and advance. For two hours he rode along the newly forming lines visiting different parts of the field, encouraging the men and carefully studying the situation. Emory had posted the Nineteenth Corps in the woods on the left, thrown up a rude breastwork of rocks and rails where he was attacked at one p.m., but the enemy was repulsed. This cheering news soon reached other parts of the field, inspiring courage and hope. At three p.m. the order was given for the entire line to advance. Steadily but firmly the long lines of infantry pressed forward pouring in a deadly fire of musketry. The Confederates faltered, broke and fled. A second charge completed the victory as our cavalry rode fiercely through the disordered ranks of the enemy now in full retreat. All of the lost guns were recaptured with additional ones, also 1,500 prisoners, besides rescuing most of our men taken in the morning. In this the last of the three great victories of the campaign the