during the awful scene that was just about to commence. The enemy's line had advanced within about 300 yards, and brought two-field pieces in front of the company I was in, and fired them at us. One of the balls came skimming along the surface of the ground. I caught a view of it at some distance, and thought it was coming directly to me. It grazed a small hillock of rubbish a few yards in our front, and laid down the second file on my right. It struck the left leg of the front rank man in the centre, passing through it, and leaving a part of the skin on each side. It grazed the calf of the rear rank man's left leg, tearing it, and carrying part of it away. The small stones which it drove from the rubbish-hillock hurt our faces, and a quantity of them entered into the lacerated limbs of the wounded like hail. The one whose leg was broken died some time after he had undergone amputation; the other also died some months after in Rosetta. I thought that the hillock of rubbish had perhaps altered the direction of the ball, else it might have struck me; and while I felt for my comrades, I thanked God that I had escaped. We were now anxious for orders to commence firing, as the enemy were still marching forwards; the ground in front was somewhat undulated, rising a little, for about 200 yards in our front, and then gently falling. Our commanding officer allowed them to advance, as far as to the highest part in our front; and whenever we saw their feet distinctly, gave orders to fire. This was eagerly done; and the moment we began firing, the enemy's line, in place of rushing forward, and destroying us in an instant, made a halt from right to left, and opened their fire upon us. As we were most afraid of the two pieces of artillery in front playing upon us with grape-shot, those around me directed their fire chiefly at them, which I believe caused them to be removed to one of the flanks. We then levelled at those directly in our front; but the smoke soon covered them so much, that a particular object was not visible. We then took aim at where we judged their line was; but we were not so much afraid of those directly in our front, as of a body which appeared to be cavalry, and which threatened to come round our left into our rear.--In order to keep them back; those near me directed nearly the one half of their fire against them; for we feared that those who were posted in the rear of the bushes to our left, would not be able to prevent them from advancing, the bushes being widely scattered, so that they might have been easily passed. These men, however, did their duty most admirably. The enemy opened a fire of grape-shot, from several pieces of artillery, to dislodge them; but they bravely maintained their post. Our ranks were now getting thinner; our commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Erskine, was severely wounded with grape shot in several parts of the body.[10] The officer commanding the company I was