a Northern commander, Hazen, who was no less indomitable than Sheridan.
Sheltering themselves along the railway embankment his men, always
encouraged by their commander, and his officers, resisted every effort to
drive them back. Noon came and found them still holding tenaciously to
their positions. For a while now the whole battle sank through sheer
exhaustion on both sides. Each commander reformed his line, disentangled
his guns, brought forward fresh ammunition and prepared for the great
combat which he knew was coming. Bragg, as he noticed the advance of the
short winter day, resolved upon the utmost effort to crush his enemy.
Victory had seemed wholly in his grasp in the morning, but he had been
checked at the last moment. He would make good the defeat in the
afternoon.

The armies had disentangled themselves from the woods and bushes.
They were now in the open and face to face on a long line. The
Winchester regiment had risen to its feet again, and stood directly
behind and almost mingled with the Kentucky regiment that had saved it.

"They're coming!" exclaimed Warner in quick, excited tones. "Look,
there on the flank!"

It was the division of Cleburne, in the hottest of the battle all through
the morning advancing to a fresh attack upon the Union lines, but it was
received with such a powerful fire that it was driven back in disorder
into some woods.

Dick, however, did not have a chance to see this as the Southerners,
reinforced by fresh troops from Breckinridge's division, were charging in
the center with great violence. So terrible was the fire that received
them that some of the regiments lost half their numbers in five minutes.