At dusk on the day following the fight in the stream they made the great attack.  True to their tactics, they apparently took no account of the lives of their men.  The taking of the bridge was bound to result in tremendous slaughter.  Every foot of it was swept by the American guns.  But the enemy leaders had determined that the bridge must be taken, no matter how high a price they paid for the taking.  It was easier for the leaders to reach this conclusion since it was the men who would pay the price rather than themselves.