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large body of the enemy was moving around the hill to cut us off completely.
I sent word down the line to the Colonel to move the regiment in that direction by the flank, and as he left me with the management of the right of the regiment, I gave the order, as there was no time to hesitate.
About one hundred and fifty on the right moved according to my direction.
I supposed the whole regiment was moving, but when I crossed the pike, I found they had not done so. The next moment the rebels came over the hill by thousands and drove them back, completely surrounding them.
Our cavalry and artillery were just ahead of me. The enemy followed us six miles, trying to cut us off.
Out of the whole brigade, we saved but one hundred and seventy-five men. The artillery and cavalry came in, but they did not belong to our brigade.
I brought in about one hundred and fifty men, and the other twenty-five men were all that were saved out of three regiments; only nine officers returned.
Colonel Coburn, commanding the brigade, is reported killed; also, Colonel Gilbert, of the Nineteenth Michigan; Colonel Baird, of the Eighty-fifth Indiana; and Lieutenant-Colonel Crain.
Conflicting reports about Colonel Utley; some say he was killed, and others say they saw him taken prisoner.
The last account I had of tile Adjutant of our regiment was, that he had his little finger shot off, and a rifle-ball lodged in a package of letters just over his heart.
It knocked him off of his horse, but he soon recovered from the shock.
Yours, in haste,
E. Bloodgood, Lieutenant-Colonel Twenty-second Wisconsin Regt.