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enemy.
In half an hour the quick and continuous firing of their heavy rifles told plainly that they were hotly engaged.
Lieutenant Colvin was then ordered forward with his battery, and did good execution.
Company C, Captain Smith, and company I, Captain Morse, Fifth Indiana, were ordered by Colonel Foster to charge on a detachment of the enemy who were supporting their battery.
The frightened rebs, seeing three columns moving upon them — the Sixth-fifth on the right, Colonel Butler leading the Fifth cavalry in the centre, the Eighth Tennessee on the left — gave up in despair, and, panic-stricken, left in hurried confusion.
Our brave boys, seeing the enemy give way, raised a shout, put spurs to their horses and made chase.
Colonel Butler charged on after them, capturing one twenty-four pound gun and one wagon.
The gun was taken by Orderly St. John, company H, with a small squad of men. The charge through the town was perhaps the most exciting part of the battle.
The sun had set far in the west, behind the column.
The town in front was already on fire, and mostly consumed, from the rebel shells.
The Sixty-fifth Indiana, on the right, was sharply engaging the enemy.
Companies C and D, on the left, were driving the rebels out of the corn-field back to their guns, when our men dashed on through the smoky streets, with burning timbers and columns of blaze on both sides.
The shout of victory was soon raised, and our never-flinching soldiers, who had been exposed from nine o'clock in the morning to the firing of a secreted enemy, now felt that they were reaping a full harvest in seeing the enemy completely whipped and themselves the victorious party.
Great praise is due to each commander of the three regiments and two batteries engaged in the battle, and the men have the real Spartan metal in them.
The result of the battle is as follows: Rebel loss fifteen killed, fifty wounded, and one hundred taken prisoners. Our loss was five killed and twenty-two wounded. Only one killed in the Fifth Indiana cavalry--John W. Johnson, saddler in company C.
We camped on the ground occupied by the enemy that night and the next day, when we took up our line of march for this place.
Since entering Knoxville, on the first of September, our regiment has been to Sevierville, nearly to the top of Smoky Mountains, N. C., to Greenville, to Bristol, Va., to Zollicoffer, where we had a sharp fight, killing fifty and wounding one hundred.
We had a short skirmish also at Bristol, where we had five men wounded and none killed.
We are now at Knoxville, waiting further orders.
Our horses are jaded and our men tired, but at the sound of the bugle will all jump, give one whoop and start off to win new laurels, and hasten the time when we can all return to our homes again.
Fifth cavalry.
