it passed further around Bowen's flank and assailed him with fury.

Dick felt that their own division under McClernand was also making
progress. Although many men were falling they pressed slowly forward,
and Grant brought up help for them too. For a long time the struggle was
carried on. It was one of the little battles of the war, but its results
were important and few were fought with more courage and resolution.
Bowen, with only eight thousand against twenty thousand, held fast
throughout all the long hot hours of the afternoon. Grant, owing to the
nature of the field, was unable to get all his numbers into battle at
once.

But when the twilight began to show Dick believed that victory was at
hand. They had not yet driven Bowen out, but they were pressing him so
close and hard, and Grant was securing so many new positions of advantage,
that the Southern leader could not make another such fight against
superior numbers in the morning.

Twilight turned into night and Bowen and his men, who had shown so much
heroism, retreated in the dark, leaving six guns and many prisoners as
trophies of the victors.

It was night when the battle ceased. Cannon and rifles flashed at fitful
intervals, warning skirmishers to keep away, but after a while they too
ceased and the Union army, exhausted by the long march of the night
before and the battle of the day, threw itself panting upon the ground.
The officers posted the sentinels in triple force, but let the remainder
of the men rest.

As Dick lay down in the long grass two or three bullets dropped from