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‘ [362] he enemy, to the foot of the hill and in the valley beyond,’ concentrated their fire on Key and Warfield, ‘till it seemed like one continuous sheet of hissing, flying lead.’ Key depressed his guns to the utmost to answer, and officers of Warfield's regiment pitched down heavy rocks, with apparent effect. After an hour and a half of this, Warfield proposed a charge, and it was made, the Arkansans participating with empty guns. Sherman was repulsed from Tunnel hill, and began fortifying. The brunt of the fight against Sherman was borne by Smith's Texans, Warfield's Arkansas regiment, and Swett's and Key's batteries. Warfield's regiment captured a Federal flag.

A little later the appalling news reached Cleburne that the center of Bragg's line was broken, and he was directed to take command of his own, Walker's and Stevensons divisions, and protect the right wing in retreat. Polk and Govan were posted to guard Shallow-ford bridge, where they were again engaged.

As the disheartened army was on its way toward Dalton, Ga., Cleburne received an order, at 3 a. m. on the 27th, to take position in the gorge of Taylor's ridge, at Ringgold, and hold back the pursuing enemy long enough to save the artillery and wagon trains. In the disposition of his forces he placed on the left hand hill, fronting Ringgold, three companies of the Sixth and Seventh Arkansas (consolidated) of Liddell's brigade, under Lieutenant Dulin, of Liddell's staff. For the defense of the gap itself, he disposed the rest of the Arkansas brigade, under Col. D. C. Govan, the Fifth and Thirteenth (consolidated), Col. John E. Murray commanding, in a small ravine running across the mouth of the gap; the Eighth and Nineteenth (consolidated), under Lieut.-Col. A. S. Hutchison, fifty paces in rear of the former regiment; the Sixth and Seventh (consolidated), under Lieut.-Col. Peter Snyder, and the Second, Fifteenth and Twenty-fourth regiments (consolidated), under Lieut.-Col. E.

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Ringgold, Ga. (Georgia, United States) (2)
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