The  ground  in  firont  of  Hooker  was  the  scene  of  repeated
struggles.  In  the  afternoon  the  Rebels  made  a  desperate  at-
tempt to  regain  what  they  had  lost.  They  came  down  through
the  cornfield,  west  of  the  turnpike,  under  cover  of  their  bat-
teries. Hooker,  Dana,  Sedgwick,  Hartsuff,  Richardson,  and
Mansfield,  all  general  officers,  had  been  carried  from  the  field
wounded.  General  Howard  was  in  command  of  the  right
wing.  I  was  talking  with  him,  when  an  officer  dashed  up  and
said,  ^^  General,  the  Rebels  are  coming  down  on  us."

We  were  in  the  open  field,  a  few  rods  southeast  of  Poffim-
berg's  bam.  General  Howard  rode  forward  a  few  steps,  looked
through  the  leafy  branches  of  the  oaks  along  the  turnpike.
We  could  see  the  dark  lines  of  the  enemy  moving  through  the
cornfield.  ^^  Tell  the  batteries  to  give  tiiem  the  heaviest  fire
possible,"  he  said.  It  was  spoken  as  deliberately  as  if  he  had
said  to  his  servant,  ^^  Bring  me  a  glass  of  water."  How
those  thirty  pieces  of  artillery  opened!  Crack!  crack!  crack!
and  then  a  volley  by  artillery !  How  those  gray  lines  wavered,
swayed  to  and  fro,  and  melted  away !

In  Poffenberg's  door-yard,  along  the  turnpike,  were  two  noble
horses,  both  killed  by  the  same  cannon-shot,  smashing  the  head
of  one  and  tearing  the  neck  of  the  other.  The  dead  of  the
Pennsylvania  Reserves  laid  under  the  palings  of  the  garden
fence.  The  gable  of  the  house  was  torn  to  pieces  by  a  shell.
