James D. Porter, Confederate Military History, a library of Confederate States Military History: Volume 7.1, Tennessee
Clement Anselm Evans, Ed.

‘ [119] ridge. The fire was kept up until after dark, but the position was held, the enemy not approaching nearer than 200 yards.’ General Cheatham considered this action of Walthall's one of the most brilliant of the war, and his report of it excessively modest. The change of position under fire and the repulse of the enemy's repeated assaults were a distinction to the brigade commander and to his veteran troops. If he had yielded, an army corps would have poured down upon Cleburne's left and overwhelmed him. In this combat General Walthall and Maj. John Ingram, of General Cheatham's staff, were seriously wounded; Adjt. John W. Campbell, Twenty-ninth Mississippi, was mortally wounded, and the brigade sustained a loss of 28 wounded. Moore's brigade was on the left of Walthall and the right of Jackson's two brigades, where the enemy made a great effort to drive them from their position, but failed signally.

The general commanding the army seemed to appreciate Walthall's splendid performance. In his official report he says: ‘Lieutenant-General Hardee, leaving Major-General Cleburne in command on the extreme right, moved toward the left when he heard the heavy firing in that direction. He reached the right of Anderson's division just in time to find it had nearly all fallen back, commencing on its left, where the enemy had first crowned the ridge. By a prompt and judicious movement he threw a portion of Cheatham's division directly across the ridge facing the enemy, who was now moving a strong force immediately on his left flank. By a decided stand here the enemy was entirely checked, and that portion of our force to the right remained intact.’ In fact, when General Hardee came up from the right, Walthall had already formed across the ridge and driven the enemy back. With enthusiasm Hardee said to Cheatham, ‘You have saved the right of the army.’ The ‘heavy firing’ heard by General Hardee was Walthall's resistance to the advance of the enemy.