HISTORY OF THE ORPHAN BRIGADE.

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into the cove and completely surprised the force. Attacked without warning, and by a greatly superior number, effectual resistance was out of the question; but they sprang to arms and to horses and made the best of a bad situation. They put in a shot when they could, but the chief business in hand was to escape capture or total destruction, and they went. The survivors laugh at themselves to this day when they recount how they did go. Through a narrow lane toward Jasper most of them rode pell-mell, with the howling and swearing enemy, saber in hand, crowding behind. The man who could find a side exit out of the pocket, or break over a fence, was fortunate; but most of them got out by way of the lane. The narrowness of their race track contributed materially to lessen their loss, as the Federals had no time to tear down fences and take them in flank. It is astonishing, however, that so few fell or were made prisoners. Negley's reports (two of them) are marked by more than the usual vainglory of men who seek to magnify their achievements; but he could not bring himself to the Falstaffian extravagance of publishing to the world that he and each of his troopers " pinked seven men in buckram" (or gray coats). There lacked more than twenty-five thousand Kentuckians and other Confederates to furnish material for so much bloodletting. He places the Confederate casualties at the modest estimate of " twenty killed and about the same number wounded," and adds that he took twelve prisoners. Some of the Kentuckians were wounded and some captured. His own loss was two killed and seven wounded. Gen. Leadbetter, reporting to Kirby Smith, makes a better showing for Negley. He says that the Confederate killed and missing were one hundred, among whom were Col. Adams and Maj. Adams, his brother. This was a slight mistake. Maj. Adams was wounded, and the colonel was very badly missing. Negley referred to the affair some days afterward in another communication, saying he had learned that Adams fled without hat, sword, or horse. It was told that he had his headquarters outside of his picket line, and that the Federals were on him so suddenly and so numerously that he had not time even to cry "fall in!"

It is to the credit of the men so surprised and attacked that so few were killed or captured. They inflicted some loss on Negley, as has been said.   Some of the wounds, he said, were severe.

But the fun of the thing comes in with the Federal reports and their tenor. Maj.-Gen. O. M. Mitchel made two and Brig.-Gen. James S. Negley made two. Mitchel said that the force sent was "composed of troops from all those under his command," and that they had "broken up a most important enterprise." Negley said that the Confederates formed in line and opened fire on his advance, to which he replied with his artillery.   Then certain of his troops "led the charge