As soon as the troops were in position, an advance was commenced, and the battle opened with great energy. The roar of musketry was tremendous. On the left of the 1st Brigade and the right of the 2d Brigade the contest was dreadful. The line had advanced to the ditch in which ran the little stream crossed by the bridge. On the side of the ditch next to the enemy was a dense growth of underbrush; behind that brush, not fifty yards distant, were the enemy. So heavily did the enemy press the left of the 1st Brigade, composed of the 23d Indiana and the 20th Illinois, that they were compelled to give back, but immediately rallied, supported by the 81st Illinois. The giving back of the left of the 1st Brigade enabled the enemy to occupy a portion of the ditch, and exposed the 20th Ohio, occupying the right of the 2d Brigade, to a most galling fire in its flank. At one time the regiment was nearly surrounded, but it gallantly held its ground, in spite of the terrible fire to which it was exposed, and not a man of the regiment fell back. The 23d Indiana and 20th Illinois now made a dashing charge, and drove the enemy from the ground that they had lost. It was while gallantly leading his men on to victory that the brave Lieutenant-Colonel Richards, of the 20th Illinois, was killed. An attempt was made by the enemy to charge and capture the battery, but they were met by such a terrible fire of grape and canister, that they broke and fled from the field. Our troops immediately commenced a pursuit, and by 5 o'clock, P. M., were in possession of Raymond. The determined obstinacy with which the 20th Ohio, under the gallant Colonel Force, held its ground, added much to the brilliancy of the victory. Our loss was 69 killed, 341 wounded, and 30 missing. The enemy's was 103 killed, and 720 wounded and prisoners, 2 cannon disabled, besides the loss of a quantity of small arms. In the morning of the 12th, after the column had commenced its line of march, General Grant sent me out to the right of the column, to ascertain whether a rebel force was coming up from below to intercept our line of march. After riding out about three miles, I saw, in the distance, a single horseman approaching. As I neared him, it proved to be a Mississippi planter, well advanced in years, armed with a Mississippi Yager, or rifle. "Whar be you gwine?" he asked, as we met. "I'm gwine out to jine our forces and fight the Yankees to-day," I replied. "So am I. I'm jist gwine to turn up sixteen Yankee moccasins with this yer piece o' mine." "If I can kill six o' them thar Lincoln hirelings, I'll be satisfied." "Well, I'm gwine to kill _sixteen, now, sure_." "Well, take care that they don't _git you_. Is any of our forces out on this yer road?" "No. I've jist come eight miles without seeing any. They left for Raymond last night, an' they ar jist a gwine to kill the whole Lincoln army." "We had better go this way, then," said I, turning back the way I had come.