[176] and his heart literally torn from his bosom. Colonel Mills then took command, had his men fix bayonets, and found one round of ammunition, preparing to obey orders and hold the ridge to the last. Renewed orders came to hold the ridge at any cost, and the brave Texans held on till night. The closing portion of Colonel Mills' report contains a just eulogy of the men who stood so well the strain of that severe trial of their fortitude. He says:
The troops of my command, both officers and men, behaved with the greatest bravery, coolness and selfposses-sion during the whole engagement. They advanced with a steady step, under heavy fire of shell, canister and musketry, to their position and held it with firmness and unwavering fortitude throughout the fight. Texans vied with each other to prove themselves worthy of the fame won by their brothers on other fields, and the little handful of Arkansas troops showed themselves worthy to have their names enrolled among the noblest, bravest and best of their State. It is scarcely possible for them to exhibit higher evidences of courage, patriotism and pride on any other field. They were not permitted to advance and would not retire, but as brave men and good soldiers they obeyed the orders of their general and held the field. Lieutenant-Colonel Anderson, Lieutenant-Colonel Hutchinson and Major Taylor remained constantly in the line, handled their commands with ability, and conducted themselves gallantly through the entire action. . . . I feel it my duty to record here the names of Lieut. Matthew Graham, Tenth Texas, and Private William C. McCann, Fifteenth, as worthy of honorable mention for conduct more than ordinarily gallant on the field. Lieutenant Graham several times volunteered and insisted on being allowed to carry orders and messages up and down the line, where he was constantly exposed to the thickest fire. His services were highly beneficial to Lieutenant-Colonel Anderson, who speaks of him in terms of highest praise. Private Mc-Cann was under my own eye. He stood upright, cheerful and self-possessed in the very hail of deadly missiles, cheered up his comrades around him, and after he had expended all his ammunition, gathered up the cartridge-boxes of the dead and wounded and distributed them to his comrades. He bore himself like a hero through the entire
