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the cannister fired from it passed over and very near his head, covering him with
dirt knocked off the parapet by fragments of the missiles fired at the enemy. It
was a dangerous position, and the Lieutenant called with no little vigor to the
Sergeant to " cease firing." The roaring of the guns and the din of the musketry,
of course, drowned his voice, so that he had to lie still where he was; the enemy
in front, his own men behind him, the gun over him scattering its cannister fear-
fully, while it deafened him with its noise, and suffocated him with its sulphurous
smoke. Around him lay the dead and wounded of the first detachments. The
peril of his own situation did not prevent him from thinking what would be the
fate of these poor men if the enemy charged the works. It was with great delight
that he heard Captain Rowan give the order to cease firing.

At dusk the infirmary corps came up to remove the wounded, and, later,
during the night, the dead were buried. Captain Rowan left Lieutenant Ritter
in command, with orders to remodel the works during the night, while he himself
went to look after some horses for the battery. Nine horses had been killed,
including Ritter's saddle horse. By daylight the works were completed. In the
afternoon the enemy charged our right, passing within three hundred yards of
Rowan's battery, giving the latter a fine opportunity to revenge its losses of the
day before. Right well did it take advantage of it, opening with terrible effect,
strewing the field with dead, and giving occupation to numerous litter-bearers,
who presently appeared on the scene to carry off the wounded. The firing
continued during the evening at intervals. About 3 p. M. Lieutenant Ritter was
wounded by a minnie ball in the right arm above the elbow. The ball passed
through the fleshy part of the arm, and lodged in the sleeve.

At night the army fell back, marching across Oostenaula River to Adairsville,
which was reached on the i6th. The casualties of the Third Maryland at Resaca
were three killed and fifteen wounded, as follows:

KILLED—Corporal Sanchez. Private H. Steward, and a third, whose name
is lost.

WOUNDED—Lieutenant William L. Ritter, Sergeant L. W. Frazier. Corporals
A. J. Davis and B. Bradford, Privates J. Bushong, W. E. Davis. J. G. Cannon,
J. Faulk, B. Garst, J. Isham. J. S. Scales, J. A. Turner, M. P. Talton. W. Pickle
and A. P. Wade.

The spokes of the second piece were so shattered by the enemy's minnie
balls that false spokes had to be put in before the gun could be removed.

The army continued to fall back until it reached New Hope Church, near
Dallas, on the 25th, when a general engagement took place. The enemy moved up
and charged the greater part of our line, but were repulsed with heavy loss at every
point. The Third Maryland was not engaged till late in the evening, when it did
terrible execution in the enemy's ranks, itself having but two men slightly