In these fields, a Union brigade commanded by Colonel George Penny Webster supported the main Union battle line at the Battle of Perryville. Numbering more than 3,000 men from Ohio and Indiana, Webster's troops were new soldiers who soon faced battle for the first time, many carrying antiquated and unreliable Prussian muskets that often would not fire at the oncoming enemy. Posted on high ground in support of Captain Samuel Harris' artillery battery, the infantry formed a second line against the brunt of the Confederate attack. When the Federal brigade in front of them finally retreated, the advancing Southern troops struck Webster's men directly. As the enemy closed in, Colonel Webster was shot in the hip and fell from his horse; taken to a field hospital, he later died of his wound. Inexperienced and hindered by outdated weaponry, his troops quickly retreated west. Perryville became a vicious baptism of fire for these raw soldiers, who suffered 90 killed, 345 wounded, and 144 missing. Their experience reflected that of many Union soldiers at Perryville, as untested men were forced to retreat when threatened by veteran Confederate soldiers. Union Sergeant Major Duncan C. Milner of the 98th Ohio Infantry recalled that Webster said he thought he was mortally wounded, prayed for God to have mercy on his soul, and asked that his dear wife and children be told they were last in his thoughts.