The 88th’s fire swept the packed ranks of Confederates as their artillery support, Captain D.D. Water’s Alabama battery, hastened into line a few hundred yards east of a brick kiln on the brigade’s right, to the rear of the fast-advancing 10th and 19th South Carolina. Water’s howitzers and Napoleon 12-pounders opened with spherical case shell and in turn came under fire from Hescock’s rifled Parrott guns. The infantry assault failed under the Federals’ withering fire, and the Confederates fell back and rallied in the cedar brakes. Meanwhile, Water’s cannoneers kept up a regular fire to cover preparations for a fresh charge.

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On the 88th’s right, the brave men of the 36th Illinois lent valuable assistance in repulsing Manigault’s charge, but in rendering that service they expended nearly all their ammunition. Miller ordered the 36th to retire from the line and fall back toward the Wilkinson Pike in search of the ammunition train. During the retreat, Miller fell wounded, and command of the regiment devolved on Captain Porter C. Olson. The regiment, Olson informed his division commander, would be ready for action as soon as he found some .69-caliber ammunition. The 36th already had suffered brutally; only 140 men were ready for duty. The remainder lay dead, dying or wounded among the boulders east of the Harding farm lane.

Sheridan’s line had become untenable, and the diminutive, hard-fighting general decided to pull back and change front. The enemy had succeeded in ‘completely turning my position and exposing my line to a fire from the rear,’ Sheridan wrote. ‘I hastily withdrew the whole of Sill’s brigade and the three regiments sent to support it, at the same time directing Col. [George] Roberts, of the left brigade, who had changed front and formed in column of regiment, to charge the enemy.’

Sheridan rallied his division on the shattered remnant of Brig. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis’ 2nd Division. The 88th Illinois and 21st Michigan withdrew to the outbuildings of the Harding farm. The 15th Missouri and 44th Illinois, low on ammunition, became separated from the other two regiments. Colonel Frederick Schaefer was finally able to assemble his command across the pike and form line of battle.

Bush’s 4th Indiana Battery was forced to retire to the rear of the brigade, but continued firing canister as it went. During the withdrawal, Bush’s Parrotts engaged Water’s 12-pounders in a bitter artillery duel. The Indiana artillerists drove one section of Water’s guns from the field, wounding several Confederate gunners, wrecking a caisson and disemboweling some unfortunate artillery horses. Bush dropped trail near the Harding house and went into battery. Meanwhile, Houghtaling took up position on the right of the pike, just at the edge of the timber.

By 8:30 a.m., Manigault had rallied and re-formed his brigade and had his men moving in columns toward Sheridan’s division. On Manigault’s left, Brig. Gen. George Maney’s brigade came up through the cedars to support the attack.

Roberts, commanding Sheridan’s 3rd Brigade, saw the Rebels advancing across the valley and formed line to charge the oncoming battalions. Arrayed in columns of regiments, the Federals moved at the double-quick, their battle flags uncased, to engage the enemy. The subsequent charge, made with bayonets, had a telling effect. Manigault’s brigade, already swept viciously by shot and ball from Hescock’s batteries, now was confronted by charging infantry.

‘These regiments,’ Colonel Luther P. Bradley wrote, ‘went forward at the double-quick, and cleared the wood in front of our lines, the enemy giving way before we reached him.’ The grand charge of Roberts’ brigade was personally witnessed by Sheridan, who promptly called the men back to the division line before they could be taken prisoner by the hordes of Confederates that roamed, in some confusion, among the cedar brakes southeast of Wilkinson Pike.

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