In the afternoon of the 18th the skirmishing between Sanders’ dismounted cavalry and Longstreet’s advance, two miles west of the town, was concluded by a fire of artillery upon Sanders, which compelled him to retreat after he had successfully resisted--with rail fences as shields--the charges of his powerful foe. At the close of the contest he received a mortal wound, reeled upon his horse and falling, was caught in the arms of his men and taken to a house in town. In full possession of his mind, there was no disturbance of its calmness by the answer of the surgeon to his question as to the nature of his wound. Death had no terrors for him. “He had done his duty and served his country as well as he could.” That was all in few and simple words he had to say. The following day, being informed that the end of his life was nigh at hand, he asked for a Christian minister, and then that he should be baptized in the faith and name of Jesus, the Son of God. The Rev. Mr. Hyder, chaplain of the post, complied with this earnest desire, and a writer in the _Atlantic Monthly_[39] relates that, “then the minister in prayer commended the believing soul to God, General Burnside and his staff, who were present, kneeling around the bed. When the prayer was ended, General Sanders took General Burnside by the hand. Tears dropped down the bronzed cheeks of the chief as he listened to the last words which followed. The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was now about to be administered, but suddenly the strength of the dying soldier failed, and like a child he gently fell asleep.” To this pathetic recital its author appends the quotation from the sayings of Him who spake as never man spake: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” It was found impossible to assemble the chief officers of the United States army by day at the funeral of their slain companion. Longstreet’s troops had advanced to the ridge for which they fought and planted themselves within rifle range of the defences on the northwest, and the town had become fairly besieged, north, from the river above to the river below. Lines parallel with and in cannon range of Burnside’s, had been established, and redoubts had been thrown up for batteries, which on the third day opened a continuous fire that met with prompt answer. There was need of constant vigilance and alertness upon the long line of defences, and those in command could not prudently leave their posts of duty in daylight.