But the third line dashed across the gully and charged the dismounted gray coats. Forrest's three hundred were now without ammunition; so they threw down their guns and drew their six-shooters, and with these repulsed, as Forrest reported "one of the grandest cavalry charges I had ever witnessed(269).
Forrest's raw soldiers fought well. The sight of the burning buildings stiffened their resolve. They were also anxious to behave well in Forrest's presence, and he was everywhere on the battle front. His command to Bartram's men, "Come on, boys" was significant, and it was one of the keys to his success on the field(270).
There is no way to measure in numbers and war material the value of such a commander's army, for its blade is double-edged. It makes such a leader's own people dare the impossible, and it places the enemy commander on the defensive, inclining his conduct to rashness or overcaution.
Forrest sent word to "Fight on, men, keep fighting till I come."(293)
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