General Kirk had fallen. General Willich was at Johnson's headquarters a mile away. Willich's men were eating breakfast when the storm burst. There was no one to command. A few companies fire upon the Confederates, but all is confusion. With a yell the Confederates rush forward and Willich's men flee. Captain Goodspeed sends two of his cannon to a knoll for a better position; but the Confederate cavalry under Wharton, out beyond the infantry, quickly capture them.

The Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth Indiana, of Kirk's brigade, are exposed by the flight of Willich's men, and are obliged to retreat, but it is in good order.

Only one regiment of the two brigades-the Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania, of Kirk's brigade-holds its ground. The Confederates under McNair have swept past it. It is a small regiment, only three hundred in all. It changes position, facing west. The soldiers see a battery come up behind them and wheel into position, and suppose it to be Union, but it is Douglas's battery of Ector's brigade instead. Its captain sees that the Union troops are laboring under a mistake, and he will profit by it. He unlimbers towards the west.

"Double canister," is the order, and the double charge is rammed home into the six pieces, less than five hundred feet distant from the Union line. "Action to the right!"

The six pieces are trained upon the regiment, and the next moment the air is thick with leaden rain. The regiment is cut through, but faces about, gives an answering volley, and then the few that are left fall back in order.

McCook's right has crumbled-two brigades been put to rout, eight cannon lost so quickly is it done that General Johnson knows nothing of the disaster till Willich's troops come straggling past his headquarters. He orders Baldwin's brigade to advance.

The first success of the Confederates had been accomplished by McCown, who had swept far out to the left, leaving a gap in the Confederate line, into which Cleburne's division moved, his right marching over the ground from which Willich and Kirk had been driven, his left coming against Post's and Carlin's Union brigades. Colonel Post saw that the Confederate line extended far beyond his left flank, and changed his position, falling back through the woods, forming on both sides of the cross-road leading from the Franklin Road to the Wilkinson Pike, posting Pinney's battery on the north side of the road. While he was doing this,. Carlin's skirmishers were keeping up a galling fire upon Cleburne's advancing line.

General Carlin was in a cedar grove and a rocky glen, where his troops. could shelter themselves behind the bowlders. They were in two lines: One Hundred and First Ohio and Thirty-eighth Illinois in the first line, the Twenty-first Illinois and Fifteenth Wisconsin in the second. Through the cedars advanced Polk's and Wood's Confederate brigades-two thousand four hundred men. They drove in Carlin's skirmishers, but saw no line of men confronting them. They were moving joyfully forward when suddenly a staggering volley burst upon them. Some of the men started to run, but were rallied by their officers. Once more they advanced, but a second time were turned back. It was the first serious check to the Confederates, and was of vital importance to Rosecrans.

General Carlin orders his front line to advance. The men rise from their shelter and go forward with a cheer. As we look at it now, it perhaps would have been better if he had not issued the order, for the Confederates saw how few they were-only two regiments. Twice the Confederates had been hurled back by their deadly fire. Men do not like to attack an unseen foe, especially after the unseen foe has inflicted two staggering blows. The Union troops, sheltered behind rocks and trees, lying on their faces, had taken deliberate aim. They had cut down the Confederates as hailstones cut the bearded grain, and had suffered little from their volleys. But now Wood and Polk drove them through the cedar forest back to their original position.

In General Carlin's second line are the Twenty-first Illinois and Fifteenth Wisconsin. They, too, are concealed from the enemy, and deliver a destructive fire; but the Confederates under Wood are moving round upon their right flank. Colonel Alexander changes front, facing west, and makes fearful havoc in the Confederate ranks. It is a fight at close quarters. Color-bearers, one after another-four in all—are killed in the Twenty-first Illinois. More than two hundred of the regiment go down, but it holds its ground, rolling back the Confederate line. It is only for a few moments, however, for Hardee is sweeping all before him, while Polk is advancing to attack Sheridan. It is now eight o'clock. The battle has raged since daylight, resulting thus far in disaster to Rosecrans. All of his plans are upset. His right wing has crumbled; fugitives are streaming through the woods; his trains have been captured. The outlook is dark and gloomy.

Out from the cedar groves streamed soldiers, teamsters, negroes-all in confusion, moving north towards the Nashville Turnpike. It was the first information that General Rosecrans received that the right wing had been routed

Before eight o'clock an aide from General McCook had informed him that the right wing was hard pressed and needed assistance, but McCook had not informed him that Willich's brigade had been routed, and that officer captured; that the whole of Davis's division had been driven in, and that the right wing had crumbled to pieces. It was hardly nine o'clock, and defeat stared Rosecrans in the face.

At that moment Van Cleve's division of Crittenden's command was forming in line of battle east of the river, and T. J. Wood's division was marching down to the river. On the right the whole of Davis's division had been driven, and Hardee, with his victorious divisions of McCown and Cleburne, with the cavalry, were moving on to finish the battle. In the centre Polk's cannon were opening upon Sheridan, and Cheatham was hurling his brigades upon Carlin and Woodruff.

"There is always room for a man of force, and he makes for many," said the great thinker, Ralph Waldo Emerson. The Union commander is such a man. It is genius which can change defeat to victory. These are Rosecrans's orders in quick succession:

"General Thomas will order General Rousseau to support Sheridan. "General Crittenden will hasten Van Cleve across the river to the right of Rousseau.

"General Wood will despatch Harker's brigade down the turnpike, and form on the right of Van Cleve. The other brigades of his division will remain in reserve.

"The Pioneer brigade will stand in reserve on a knoll in rear of Palmer's brigade."

Fifteen minutes, and Rosecrans's line of battle undergoes a great change. Rousseau crosses the railroad and the turnpike upon the doublequick. "In this field the battle is to be fought," he says, as he forms his line facing west.

Van Cleve's men rush down to the river, wade the stream, gain the western bank, advance and form along the railroad and turnpike. The troops which a few moments ago formed Rosecrans's left wing now become his right wing.

The position of Cheatham's division in the Confederate line brought Vaughn's brigade upon General Sill's brigade. Up and down the line. rides the fearless commander of the brigade, encouraging the men, watching every movement of the enemy; but a bullet strikes him in the face, passes into his brain, and he falls dead upon the ground. Colonel Greusel takes his place, and the battle goes on. Fearfully it rages round the Thirty-sixth Illinois; but the men from the prairies stand their ground till