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" We speak thai we do know 
 and testify that we have seen." 
 
 SHARPSHOOTERS; 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE FOREFRONT OF BATTLE. 
 
 A Story of Southern Valor that 
 never has been told. 
 
 MAJOR W. S. DUNLOP. 
 
 LITTLE ROCK, AKK. : 
 
 TUNNAH & PiTTARD, PRINTERS. / 0' /(^/, 
 
 
 1899. 
 
 
 \ 
 1 1 1 < ■ 
 

MAJOR W. S. DUNLOP. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Page 
 Battalion of sharpshooters of McGowan's brigade 
 
 — Organization, equipment and drills 17-23 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Battle of the Wilderness — General movements of 
 the army — Operations by the sharpshooters, 
 and general results 25-39 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Battle of Spottsylvania court house — First four 
 days — Successes of the Northern army — Sharp- 
 shooters, etc _ 41-55 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Battle of Spottsylvania, continued — Bloody angle 
 — Desperate fighting, and final repulse of the 
 Federals, etc 57-74 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Battle of Hanover Junction or Jericho Ford — Race 
 for position — Race won by the Confederates — 
 Almost a bloodless victory — Valor of the sharp- 
 shooters 75-85 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Tilt on Totopotomoy Creek at Atlee's Station, and 
 battle of C0I4 Harbgr — The Unionists outgen-. 
 
4 Table of Contents. 
 
 eraled at Atlee's, and fearfully castigated at 
 
 Cold Harbor 87-95 
 
 CHAPTER VH; 
 Battle of Riddle's Shops begun by the cavalry and 
 finished by the sharpshooters 97-102 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 First battles of Petersburg — Desperate valor of 
 Confederates under Beauregard — Transfer of 
 L,ee's army to the scene — The city saved — Siege 
 laid, etc 103-120 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Mahone's fight and splendid success — Sharp- 
 shooters engaged, and "Wilson and Kautz raid — 
 Gallant defence of Staunton river bridge by the 
 Boy Reserves — Return to north side 121-136 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Battle of Longbridge or Deep Bottom, by Kershaw, 
 I/ane and McGowan— Both sides defeated — Three 
 sharpshooters by a game of bluff chase a 
 thousand 137-146 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 Battle of Fussell's Mill, by Field, McGowan and 
 Lane — Brilliant victory — Successful operations 
 by sharpshooters 147-157 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 Springing of the mine at Fort Elliott, or Pegram 
 battery — Battle of the Crater — Intrepid valor of 
 
Table of Contents, 5 
 
 the Confederates, and bloody castigation of the 
 Unionists „ 159-187 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 Battle of Ream's Station between Hill and Han- 
 cock — Hancock worsted by the loss of nine pieces 
 of artillery and two thousand prisoners — The 
 sharpshooters cover themselves with glory 189-200 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Incidents and demonstrations — Sharpshooter 
 caught asleep on the vidette post, trial and ac- 
 quittal — One sharpshooter charges one Federal 
 in the cornfield and captures his hat — Demonstra- 
 tion by sharpshooters while Hampton captures 
 2500 beef cattle 201-207 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Battle of Jones' farm, by McGowan and Lane — 
 Confederate victory — Sharpshooters' splendid 
 behavior and large captures — Unsuccessful at- 
 tack on Fort Harrison — Successful at Hatcher's 
 Run 209-220 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Terrible march to Jarrett's Station through sleet 
 and snow — ^No fight — Return to Petersburg — 
 Sharpshooters ordered to retire — Dash into the 
 Federals at night and large captures — Christmas 
 dinner 221-229 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 Dash of the sharpshooters into the Union lines at 
 night— Captures, etc, — Sharpshooters go into 
 
6 Table of Contents. 
 
 winter quarters — Description of camp, etc. — 
 Peace neg'otiations at Hampton Roads and re- 
 sults 231-242 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Gordon's attack on Fort Steadinan and final failure 
 — Subsequent Federal advance and capture of 
 our picket lines — Storming of Mcllwaine's Hill 
 by sharpshooters and results 243-2S6 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 lyast battle of Hatcher's Run — Disasters at Five 
 Porks and Batteries Gregg and Forty-five — Sharp- 
 shooters hold their position until the last regi- 
 ment withdraws, then cover the retreat 257-271 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Battle of Southerland Station, by McGowan's and 
 two other little brigades left as a rear guard — 
 Splendid fight, but overpowered and driven — 
 Sharpshooters behave with distinguished gal- 
 lantry — Retreat to Appomattox, and the end — 
 "Furl That Banner," and reply 273-284 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Roster of sharpshooters — One hundred and forty- 
 two names out of a complete roll of more than 
 two hundred — Rehearsal, etc 285-304 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Capture of myself and wife— Experiences in prison 
 ^^Amnesty and discharge, and return to Dijyie.... 305-331 
 
Table of Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 t'romiscuous anecdotes — Poetry: "Fall of Stone- 
 wall Jackson," "Carolina-186S," and "Bivouac 
 of the Dead." 333-358 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 Story of Mississippi sharpshooters, and letter of 
 the correspondent of the l/ondon Morning- Herald 
 on the battle of the Wilderness 359-418 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 Mississippi sharpshooters, continued ; and second 
 letter of London correspondent on the battle of 
 Spottsylvania court house 419-475 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 Short sketch of Eane's North Carolina sharp- 
 shooters — Evans' Georgia sharpshooters at Ap- 
 pomatox court house — McRae's North Carolina 
 sharpshooters — Closing remarks by the author ...477-488 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The author proposes to add to the great vol- 
 ume of American war history a mere post- 
 script, setting forth in systematic detail the 
 operations of a single battalion of Lee's sharp- 
 shooters, whose services on the field of battle 
 entitle it, as a distinctive organization, to some 
 historical consideration. This to be followed 
 by such sketches of its co-ordinates in the same 
 service as may fall within the scope of his own 
 personal knowledge or may be gathered from 
 other legitimate sources. 
 
 It is not designed to disturb the record, or 
 detract one iota from the renown achieved by 
 the gallant brigades of which these battalions 
 were proud to compose a part ; but only to res- 
 cue from oblivion and the shadows of a fading 
 memory, the story of their exploits upon the 
 historic hills of Virginia, is this difficult yet 
 pleasing task undertaken. 
 
 The corps of sharpshooters of McGowan's 
 brigade is selected as the " battalion of direc- 
 
lo Preface. 
 
 tions " in this narrative, not for any superiority 
 claimed for it above the sharpshooters of other 
 brigades, either in material or achievement ; 
 but only on account of the personal acquain- 
 tance of the writer with the history of its cam- 
 paigns from the date of its organization to its 
 final dissolution at Appomatox court house. 
 
 It is used as an example to illustrate the ne- 
 cessity and importance of such a branch of the 
 service at such a period ; and to demonstrate 
 the genius and wisdom of our great leader in 
 the selection and organization of such bodies of 
 daring men to guard his lines and lead his bri- 
 gades into action, when called upon to meet the 
 enemy on the field. They were, as Kingslake 
 puts it, "the spike heads" or case hardened 
 steel points attached to the brigades, whose 
 duty it was to crush the outer lines and admit 
 our columns to the inner lines and strongholds 
 of the enemy. How well they met the pur- 
 poses of their organization, this volume pro- 
 poses to tell. 
 
 Before entering upon the work in hand, how- 
 ever, it may be well to state for the informa- 
 tion of the critical reader, and to remove cer- 
 tain erroneous impressions that now prevail as 
 
Preface. 1 1 
 
 to the history of this (leading) battalion, that 
 shortly after the battle of Fredericksburg — say 
 January, 1863 — a corps of sharpshooters had 
 been organized in McGowan's brigade and 
 placed under command of Capt. Wm. T. Has- 
 kell of the first South Carolina regiment, and 
 was ably led by that gallant and accomplished 
 young officer during the succeeding campaigns 
 until he fell at the head of his battalion, July 
 2, 1863, on the bloody field of Gettysburg. At 
 that time the writer, by direction of the brig- 
 ade commander, had reinforced Haskell with 
 two companies of the twelfth regiment and 
 assisted him in driving the enemy from a 
 strong and dangerous position directly in front 
 of the brigade. When Haskell fell an order 
 was made directing me to take charge of the 
 sharpshooters, but that order went astray and 
 was not delivered, hence the command was 
 turned over to Major Alston, of Che first regi- 
 ment, who led the battalion until it was dis- 
 solved soon after our return to Virginia in the 
 early fall. And, therefore, I had no connection 
 with the first organization other than as above 
 stated; and the impression that I had com- 
 
1 2 Preface, 
 
 mand of the sharpshooters from the battle of 
 Gettysburg henceforth is erroneous. 
 
 And now, to the memory of the heroic dead, 
 and to their widows and orphans, as well 
 as to the survivors of these gallant corps, are 
 the following pages most aflfectionately in- 
 scribed by The Atjthoe. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 "Lee's Sharpshooters; or, The Forefront of 
 Battle," is the title given to this volume, which 
 tells a story of Southern valor that never has 
 been told ; tells it because it never has been 
 told ; tells it because it ought to be told ; and 
 tells it because the truth of history demands 
 that it should be told. 
 
 It treats of the closing period of our great 
 struggle, of that matchless campaign which 
 began in the wilderness of Spottsylvania, May 
 4, 1864, and ended at Appomatox court house, 
 April 9, 1865. It follows the two great armies 
 of Grant and Lee, and notes with careful pen 
 the salient features of every engagement; gath- 
 ers up results and engrosses them into a broad 
 black background, through which to trace the 
 crimson thread of its own untold story. 
 
 It tells of the great carefulness with which 
 the sharpshooters were selected and organized ; 
 of their special drill and extra equipment ; and 
 
14 Introduction. 
 
 of their high character as men and splendid 
 
 record as soldiers. 
 
 It tells how they hung like a fringe upon the 
 front and flanks of the marching columns to 
 avert a cavalry dash or other contingency, or 
 stood like a hedge between the embattled ranks 
 of Blue and Gray as they swung into line for 
 action ; and when the issues were made up and 
 the hoars of conflict came, how they combed out 
 the interval between the lines and led the hosts 
 to battle. 
 
 It tells of their dauntless courage and head- 
 long charges that crushed the enemy's outer 
 lines and caused their main lines to writhe and 
 squirm, and sometimes to break, under the 
 fiery impact of their splendid esprit de corps. 
 
 It tells how they massed themselves against 
 the enemy's high entrenchments, stormed out 
 their forces and captured their men. And how , 
 time and again, at the dead hours of midnight 
 they dashed into the Federal outposts and 
 picket lines and swept them out for miles with- 
 out losing a man. 
 
 It tells of many incidents of personal daring 
 and hairbreadth escapes, as well as of numer- 
 ous indepisndent and successful encounters in 
 
Introduction. 15 
 
 full corps, where their opponents were five 
 times their own numbers. 
 
 It tells of the disasters at Five Forks and 
 Batteries Gregg and Forty-five ; of the evacua- 
 tion of Petersburg and Kichmond, and the last 
 sad scenes at Appomatox court house; how 
 the sharpshooters, with brazen front, stood in 
 the breach when our lines gave way, and with 
 what amazing dexterity they were thrown from 
 front to rear and from flank to flank to ward 
 off the surging columns of Grant and Sheridan 
 as they crowded upon the little army of retreat- 
 ing Confederates. It tells how they made the 
 last charge, captured the last battery and fired 
 the last gun as the tragedy closed and the cur- 
 tains fell. 
 
 Its tells all these and a hundred other things 
 that never have been told; but can not tell 
 why this untold story never has been told. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 SHAEPSHOOTEKS ; WHO THEY WERE, 
 AND WHAT THEIR DUTY. 
 
 The battalion of sharpshooters of McGowan's 
 brigade was permanently organized on or 
 abont the 1st day of March, 1864, and was 
 composed of three companies of abont sixty 
 men each, rank and file; with one commis- 
 sioned and three non-commissioned officers to 
 the company. 
 
 A draft was levied upon the regiments of th& 
 brigade for three or four men from each com- 
 pany to make up the number requisite for the- 
 new organization, to be selected from the best 
 men in the company, with due regard to the 
 peculiar and hazardous service for which they 
 were designed. The regiments promptly re- 
 sponded to the call and detailed the men, with 
 two non-commissioned officers, according to 
 the terms of the requisition, while the brigade 
 
■<( 
 
 i8 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 commander selected the company commanders, 
 together with the commandant of the corps. 
 The companies of the battalion were designated 
 first," "second" and "third," and were 
 assigned to their positions in the line accord- 
 ing to number, reckoning from the right. 
 Erevet Capt. N. Ingraham Hasell, of the first 
 South Carolina regiment, was selected and 
 assigned to the command of the first company ; 
 Brevet Capt. Wm. H. Brunson, of the four- 
 teenth regiment, to the command of the second 
 company; and Brevet Capt. Charles E. Wat- 
 son, of Orr's rifles (eleventh regiment), to the 
 •command of the third company. The honor 
 of commanding the corps was, by the partiality 
 of Gen. McGowan, conferred upon the writer as 
 ^hef de iattailon. 
 
 Intelligence, sound judgment, accuracy of 
 marksmanship, fidelity to the Southern cause, 
 and unfaltering courage in the trying ordeal of 
 battle were the conditiones sine qua non, or 
 necessary qualifications to membership in this 
 ■command ; and by this standard both officers 
 and men were put to the test in due time. First, 
 by the rigid application of the rules of mili- 
 tary tactics and the enforcement of army regu- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 19 
 
 lations ; and afterwards by the hazards and 
 tiardships of the active campaign. A few men 
 failed in drill and were promptly replaced by 
 otherSj while, as will hereafter appear, only 
 one failed in battle. To meet the purposes of 
 the organization, as well as to secure the high- 
 est degree of skill and efficiency in movement 
 and action, an unique and concise system of 
 tactics was prepared and compiled from the 
 American skirmish and French zouave drills 
 and introduced by the commander for the gov- 
 ernment of the battalion on the field, while a 
 ^' manual of arms " in the form of a brochure 
 upon the subject of rifle training was furnished 
 by Maj. Gen. Wilcox. These, together, be- 
 came the standard 'par excellence of the sharp- 
 shooters, both upon the drill ground and in 
 active operations on the field. 
 
 Estimating distance, target practice, move- 
 ments and dispositions against cavalry, bayo- 
 net exercise, etc., were prominent features of 
 the system. 
 
 The battalion was first put upon drill in es- 
 timating distance. It was drawn up in line in 
 open field; a man or an object the size of a 
 man was stationed in front at an unknown dis- 
 
20 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 tance, about one hundred yards oflF, and the 
 roll called ; at the call of each name the man 
 stepped forward ten paces, surveyed carefully 
 the object in front, calculated the intervening- 
 space, and deliberately announced in exact 
 figures his estimate of the distance between, 
 and a record was made of his judgment; then the 
 next in the same way, and so on through the 
 entire command. The distance was increased 
 from time to time, from one hundred to two, 
 three, five and nine hundred yards, and an accu- 
 rate account kept of each man'sjudgment in each 
 drill. The practice in this drill was continued 
 from day to day until every man could tell, 
 almost to a mathematical certainty, the dis- 
 tance to any given point within the compass of 
 his drill. A few, however, were naturally and 
 hopelessly deficient in their powers of estimat- 
 ing distance, and hence were exchanged for 
 others. 
 
 The target practice was conducted in the 
 same way. The battalion was formed on the 
 range, a target about the size of a man was 
 placed in front at a distance of one hundred 
 yards, with a buUseye in the center of about 
 five inches in diameter enclosed within an in- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 21 
 
 Her circle of about fourteen inches and an 
 outer circle of about twenty -four inches ; a 
 tripod was constructed of convenient height, 
 with a sandbag lodged in its fork on which to 
 rest the heavy rifle while the soldier aimed 
 and fired, and the practice began. 
 
 The target for 100 yards, pine plank one 
 inch thick, 2x6 feet. 
 
 The target for 500 yards, pine plank one 
 inch thick, 4x6 feet. 
 
 The target for 900 yards, pine plank one 
 inch thick 6x6 feet. 
 
 The bullseye was enlarged, as well as the 
 circles, as the distance was extended. 
 
 The roll was called, as in the first drill, and 
 each man in his turn stepped forward to the 
 tripod, aimed and fired ; the flag man at the 
 target announced, by signal, the result of the 
 fire, which was recorded ; and the practice con- 
 tinued until the entire battalion had taken part 
 in the drill. This practice was continued from 
 day to day, and the distance increased from 
 time to time up to 900 yards, with a complete 
 record kept of each drill, until the results 
 achieved in estimating distance and rifle train- 
 ing were as amazing to the brigade commander 
 
2 2 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 as they were gratifying to the officers and men 
 
 of the battalion. 
 
 In the target drill, the Minnie rifle, the En- 
 field, the Austrian, Belgium, Springfield and 
 Mississippi rifles were put to the test. And 
 while each and all of them proved accurate 
 and effective at short range, the superiority of 
 the Enfield rifle for service at long range, from 
 600 to 900 yards, was clearly demonstrated^ 
 both as to force and accuracy of fir«. The ul- 
 terior range of the Enfields proved reliable and 
 effective to a surprising degree to a distance of 
 900 yards, while the other rifles named could 
 only be relied on at a distance of 500^ 
 yards. 
 
 To meet sudden and unexpected sallies of 
 the enemy, assaults coup de mein, and other ex- 
 traordinary emergencies which might arise 
 while the troops were in bivouac, column of 
 route, or order of battle, as well as to sweep the 
 front and prepare the field for action. The 
 sharpshooters were carefully and thoroughly 
 instructed in all the rules of rapid and extraor- 
 dinary formation, and were ready to move 
 promptly to the front, flank or rear, as the exi- 
 gency required. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 21;. 
 
 They were trained to advance in full breast^ 
 en echelon, by the right, left or center; and 
 could strike at any angle, as well with the left 
 hand as with the right; so that they were- 
 equipped for the conflict, whether in field or 
 forest, or in the streets and lanes of a town or 
 city. 
 
 During the winter and intervals of rest their 
 position was in front on the outposts and 
 picket lines ; and in the active campaigning of 
 the summer they occupied the front in the ad- 
 vance, and the rear on a retreat, as skirmishers. 
 When the opposing armies met upon the- 
 field it became their duty to open and bring on 
 the fight, or to stand like ushers on the vesti- 
 bule of battle and receive and welcome our 
 friends in blue whenever they choose to visit 
 our lines. 
 
 With this training in the higher branches of 
 the science militaire, based upon a thorough 
 rudimentary education in the arts of war, the 
 battalion of sharpshooters awaited the opening- 
 of the campaign of 1864 in the hope that under 
 the blessings of God it might strike some blow 
 that would tell for the freedom of the South. 
 Nor did it have long to wait. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 All was prepared — the fire, the sword, the men 
 
 To wield them in their terrible array. 
 The army, like a lion from his den, 
 
 Marched forth with nerves and'sinews bent to slay — 
 A human hydra, issuing from his fen 
 
 To breathe destruction on its winding way. 
 Whose heads were heroes, which cut off in vain. 
 
 Immediately in others grew again. 
 
 — Byron. 
 
 Early in March Gren. Grant had been ap- 
 pointed lieutenant general and commander in 
 chief of the armies of the United States. And, 
 while he exercised a general supervision of 
 military operations in all departments of the 
 field, he established his headquarters with the 
 Army of the Potomac, now under command of 
 Major G-en. Meade. 
 
 Though conscious of his ability as a com- 
 mander and of the inexhaustible resources of 
 the Federal government as to men, money and 
 munitions of war, the Federal commander was 
 
26 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 well aware of the skill and prowess of the great 
 Confederate leader who confronted him with 
 an army of sixty thousand veterans, along the 
 southern banks of the Rapidan. He thei-efore 
 addressed himself to the task of reorganizing 
 and equipping the forces at his command, pre- 
 paratory to projecting a campaign, in compari- 
 son with which all other campaigns of the Army 
 of the Potomac must pale away into the insig- 
 nificance of a succession of comhats. Troop 
 after troop and division after division were 
 added to the Federal forces along the northern 
 banks of the river, until that army reached the 
 fearful aggregate of one hundred and forty 
 thousand men present for duty in the field. 
 Yielding to the pressure of the Federal govern- 
 ment and the clamors of the people of the 
 north, Gren. Grant determined at length to move 
 directly against Richmond by the overland 
 route, regardless of the wall of Confederate 
 bayonets which intervened between his grand 
 army and the Confederate capital. Hence, on 
 the morning of the 4th of May, he struck his 
 tents and put his vast columns in motion to- 
 ward the lower fords of the Rapidan, with the 
 view of turning the Confederate right by the 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 27 
 
 way of the Wilderness, and thrusting his army 
 between Gen. Lee and the city of Richmond. 
 He had but little more than effected a passage 
 of the river, however, when to his great aston- 
 ishment he was confronted by his adversary, 
 the ever vigilant Lee, with his gaunt but 
 spirited columns ready to accept or deliver 
 battle. The Wilderness of Spottsylvania was 
 again to be the arena of battle, where Greek 
 should meet Greek, and the two great cham- 
 pions of the divided sections should measure 
 their strength upon the issues of war. 
 
 The Confederates had approached the field of 
 action by the two roads leading from Orange 
 court house through the wilderness to Freder- 
 icksburg. Hill's corps on the right by the 
 plank road, and Ewell's corps on the left by 
 the old turnpike, while Longstreet's corps with 
 Anderson's division of Hill's corps were to fol- 
 low on the plank road. Stuart's cavalry, hav- 
 ing met and driven back the Federal cavalry, 
 struck Grant's advance columns in the depths 
 of the Wilderness and brought them to bay, 
 while Ewell and Hill urged forward their respec- 
 tive wings toward the position occupied by the 
 Unionists. As the movement progressed, the 
 
28 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 battalion of sharpshooters was thrown out 
 upon the left of the plank road and deployed, 
 covering the line of march ; then, conforming to 
 the movements of the brigade as it proceeded 
 toward the Wilderness, the sharpshooters hung 
 like a fringe on the left of the column, to ward 
 off any disposition on the part of the enemy 
 to thrust himself into the interval between 
 Ewell and Hill and thus disturb our march. 
 We were in the woods for the most part, and 
 maintained our distance of from one to two 
 hundred yards to the left of the brigade for 
 some eight or ten miles before the lines were 
 formed for action, when we were called in. 
 
 About 1 o'clock on the afternoon of the 5th, 
 the advance guard of Ewell's corps was met on 
 the turnpike and vigorously assaulted by the 
 leading division of Sedgwick's corps, and for 
 a moment was thrown into confusion. Support, 
 Siowever, was promptly brought up, order re- 
 stored, and troops designed to meet the attack 
 were thrown into position perpendicularly 
 across the road. 
 
 Later in the day Hill's skirmishers discov- 
 ered the presence of the enemy on the plank 
 road, and the two divisions of Heth and Wilcox 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 29 
 
 formed across the road — Heth on the right and 
 Wilcox on the left. The Ijattalion of sharp- 
 shooters was directed to form on the left of 
 McGowan's brigade — which was the left of 
 Wilcox's division — and extend intervals to 
 the left, so as to cover as far as possible the 
 gap between Hill's left and Ewell's right. 
 While this movement was being executed by 
 the sharpshooters, Heth advanced to the attack 
 of Getty's division of the sixth corps, sup- 
 ported by Birney's and Mott's divisions of the 
 second corps. Heth succeeded in driving his 
 opponent back upon his supports, where he 
 maintained his ground with great gallantry 
 against the counter attacks of a vastly superior 
 Federal force until Wileox came to his support 
 on the left. The fight now became animated 
 and deadly. Meanwhile Ewell attacked the 
 Federal right and drove it back for some dis- 
 tance ; then swinging forward his right flank, 
 virtually established connection with Hill's left. 
 The sharpshooters were therefore recalled from 
 their position between the Confederate columns 
 and were ordered in to the support of McGowan's 
 brigade. Finding the gallant brigade abund- 
 antly able to take care of itself, the sharp- 
 
:30 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 shooters went into action on the left, and there 
 with the troops of the line steadily met and re- 
 pelled the persistent assaults of the heavy- 
 Federal lines which surged against them, taking 
 ;a <deeper and firmer hold upon the field at every 
 a^pulse of the enemy. 
 
 The enemy being thus hard pressed by the 
 two gallant divisions of Heth and Wilcox, or- 
 dered to the support of their trembling lines 
 JBarlow's division and two brigades of Gribbon's 
 division of the second corps, and Wadsworth's 
 division, and one brigade of Kobinson's divi- 
 sion of the fifth corps. All the while the Con- 
 federates were bearing down upon their adver- 
 saries with all their might, driving them back 
 through this terra incognito upon their re- 
 serves. 
 
 The arrival of the enemy's reinforcements in 
 a measure checked the advance of the Confed- 
 erates, still the battle raged with unabated 
 fury, well sustained by the Confederates, until 
 night put an end to the deadly conflict. Gror- 
 don's brigade of Ewell's corps and McGrOwan's 
 brigade of Hill's corps are specifically men- 
 tioned by their respective division commanders 
 in their reports of this engagement, as behav- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 3 1 
 
 ing with conspicuous gallantry throughout the 
 action, which is a distinction worthy of note, 
 especially when all behaved so well. In the 
 language of Gen. Wilcox, " McGrOwan's brigade 
 swept through the Wilderness like a tornado, 
 driving everything before it — far in advance of 
 the line — and had to be recalled.". Caldwell 
 writes, "The pressure became fearful on both 
 flanks, and for a time we had a front of but 
 a single brigade." Again, speaking of the 
 twelfth South Carolina regiment — same brigade 
 — he says : " They continued to advance until 
 they broke the enemy's line, which they fol- 
 lowed up, killing large numbers and capturing 
 more. Their charge was too impetuous, if any- 
 thing. They pushed ahead until they lost con- 
 nection with the rest of the brigade and found 
 themselves almost entirely surrounded by the 
 enemy. They captured, among others, a briga- 
 dier general. * * * Finding themselves thus 
 outflanked by their own exertions, they faced 
 about, put their prisoners before them and 
 drove back for our line, and succeeded in cut- 
 ting out with small loss." 
 
 Owing to the advanced position to which the 
 Confederates had forced their way into the 
 
32 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 woods, and the superior forces of the enemy 
 drawn across their front and overlapping both 
 flanks, when the curtains of night fell upon the 
 scene the lines of the two divisions lay in the 
 shape of a semi- circle, exhausted and bleeding, 
 with but little order or distinctive organization. 
 Anxious and uneasy, \inder a felt sense of in- 
 security, these gallant men spent the live long 
 night in this exposed and disorganized condi- 
 tion, momentarily expecting relief, but no relief 
 came. Longstreet was deliberately approach- 
 ing, but had not reached the field. 
 
 We were without rations and had but little 
 water during the night, and the only water we 
 had was obtained from a branch between the 
 lines, where both the Federals and Confeder- 
 ates got their supplies, and frequently had to 
 fight for that. 
 
 At early dawn on the morning of the 6 th 
 these two divisions were withdrawn from their 
 advanced positions and had nearly reached the 
 open field in their rear, when they were sud- 
 denly attacked by a fresh and overwhelming 
 force, which turned and crushed the right wing 
 and drove it in confusion back upon the left. 
 McGowan's brigade maintained the unequal 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 33-; 
 
 contest for a while, but it was in turn flanked 
 and rolled up from the right, and retired to the 
 open grounds in rear, where it rallied and re- 
 formed on Poague's artillery. The sharpshoot- 
 ers held their ground on the left until the last 
 Confederate regiment retired, when they slowly 
 fell back into the field above referred to. The- 
 moment the front was clear of Confederates, 
 the gallant Poague, realizing the importance 
 and peril of the moment, trained his guns ac- 
 curately upon the wheeling columns of the 
 enemy and poured into their crowded ranks 
 such a storm of grape and canister as for a 
 moment to paralyze their movements. Recov- 
 ering from the shock in a few moments, the 
 dark lines of Federals, with shouts of victory ,^ 
 again surged forward through the woods into- 
 the open field, and the day seemed irretrievably 
 lost. But just at this critical juncture the- 
 " Old War Horse " appeared on the scene, and, 
 like Dessaix at Marengo, "just in time to win 
 a victory." 
 
 For a moment Longstreet consulted the com- 
 manding general and surveyed the field, then 
 poising his intrepid battalions one after another 
 as they came into line, hurled them, as witk 
 
34 Lee^s Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 the right hand of Mars, against the crowded 
 columns of the enemy just as they emerged into 
 the open ground. The throat splitting huzzahs 
 of the exultant Federals were answered back 
 by the ominous cry of the rebel countercharge. 
 One deadly volley and a sweeping charge, and 
 Longstreet's lines were buried in the Wilder- 
 ness. The veteran corps of Winfield Scott 
 Hancock was beaten and driven back with fear- 
 ful slaughter to his original position on the 
 Brock road. Suspending his charge for the 
 purpose of rectifying his alignment and ob- 
 serving the situation in front, Gen. Longstreet 
 rode forward with Gen. Jenkins of- South Caro- 
 lina to reconnoitre, when, unfortunately, they 
 were mistaken for the enemy and fired upon by 
 his own men. Gen. Jenkins was killed out- 
 right, and Gen. Longstreet severely wounded. 
 This fatal accident necessitated the suspension 
 of pursuit for the time, which gave the Federal 
 ■commander time to rally and reinforce his 
 broken columns ; and but for this unfortunate 
 misadventure Grant's left wing would have 
 been crushed and routed. 
 
 Heth and Wilcox, when relieved by Long- 
 street, were placed in position some distance to 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 35 
 
 the left and somewhat retired. They now con- 
 fronted Burnside's corps, which lay concealed 
 in a dense pine thicket not exceeding six hun- 
 dred yards in front. The position taken was 
 on a commanding ridge in an open field, which 
 the men proceeded to strengthen by a slender 
 line of breastworks constructed of fence rails 
 and what earth could be dug ap with the 
 bayonets and shoveled with the hands. The 
 sharpshooters were deployed and thrown for- 
 ward about three hundred yards in front. 
 Here, under a misapprehension of the strength 
 and position of the enemy, the sharpshooters 
 were ordered to go forward and drive the Fed- 
 erals out of the pine thicket. Instantly they 
 sprang to duty and moved down upon the 
 thicket. Silently the beautiful line swept 
 across the field until it reached a point not more 
 than fifty yards from the edge of the woods, 
 when it received a withering volley from a solid 
 line of battle just within the pines. The bat- 
 talion responded with a will, and volley after 
 volley was received and delivered until an or- 
 der came to withdraw. A section of artillery 
 was now sent forward to assist the sharp- 
 shooters, and again the attempt was made, and 
 
36 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 twice repeated, to dislodge the enemy, with the 
 same result. The ninth Federal corps could 
 easily repel the assaults of the small force 
 while it lay concealed in the dense thicket 
 awaiting an attack from Heth and Wilcox^ 
 which was not made. 
 
 About 4 o'clock in the afternoon the troopa 
 of Anderson and Longs treet, led by the incom- 
 parable Lee on the right and Ewell's forces on 
 the left, simultaneously assaulted the enemy 
 in their now fortified position ; and after terrific 
 fighting, partially succeeded in doubling both 
 wings of the Federal army back upon the 
 center, when night closed the contest. The op- 
 posing armies occupied substantially the same 
 ground upon which the action was begun, and 
 the battle of the Wilderness was ended. The 
 Confederate loss was heavy, but not to be com- 
 pared to the damage inflicted upon the Union 
 forces. McGowan's brigade lost in killed, 
 wounded and missing 481 officers and men, in- 
 cluding the battalion of sharpshooters, which 
 contributed its fall quota of brave men to the 
 list of casualties reported, but the number and 
 names of the unfortunates, I regret to say, can 
 not now be given. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 37 
 
 A certain Southern writer thus vividly de- 
 scribes the battle of the Wilderness and the 
 field upon which it was fought: "The land 
 was sombre — a land of thicket, undergrowth, 
 jungle, ooze; where men could not see each 
 other twenty yards off, and assault had to be 
 made by the compass. The fights there were 
 not so easy as night attacks in open country, 
 for at night you can travel by the stars. Death 
 came unseen; regiments stumbled on each 
 other and sent swift destruction into each 
 others' ranks, guided by the crackling of the 
 bushes. It was not war — military manceuvre- 
 ing ; science had as little to do with it as sight. 
 Two wild animals were hunting each other; 
 where they heard each other's steps they 
 sprang and grappled — the conqueror advanced 
 or went elsewhere. * * * Here in blind wrestle, 
 as at midnight, did two hundred thousand men 
 in blue and gray clutch each other — bloodiest 
 and weirdest of encounters. On the low line 
 of the works, dimly seen in the thicket, rested 
 the muzzles spouting flame; from the depths 
 rose cheers ; charges were made and repelled, 
 the lines scarcely seeing each other; men fell 
 and writhed and died unseen, their bodies lost 
 
38 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 in the bushes, their death groans drowned la 
 
 the steady, continuous, never ceasing crash." 
 
 As, to results, Brev. Maj. Gen. Webb of the- 
 (Jnion army bears this significant testimony in 
 his article in the Century War Series : " The 
 6 th of May was the last day of the battle of 
 the Wilderness. Ewell had most effectually 
 stopped the forward movement of the right 
 wing of Meade's army, and Hill andLongstreet 
 had defeated our left under Hancock. The fact 
 is that the whole of the left was disorganized. 
 From Hancock down through Birney and Gib- 
 bon, each general commanded something not 
 strictly in his command. Hancock had the 
 left, Gibbon the left of Hancock ; Birney had 
 his own and Mott's divisions, and Wadsworth 
 had Webb's and Stevenson's. The troops of 
 these division commanders were without proper 
 leaders. We had seen the mixed second and 
 ninth corps driven in in detail on our left. 
 We knew that the fifth and sixth corps were 
 blocked, and we felt deeply the mortificatiott 
 consequent upon our being driven back upon 
 the Brock road. From personal contact with 
 the regiments who did the hardest fighting, I 
 declare that the individual men had no longer 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 3^ 
 
 that confidence in their commanders which had 
 been their best and strongest trait during the 
 past year." 
 
 Swinton, in his " Twelve Decisive Battles," 
 says : " The Union troops, wearied and cha- 
 grined, sent up no cheer of victory through the 
 Wilderness. Many, indeed, believed we would 
 recross the Rapidan. * * * But there was one 
 man otherwise minded. * * * The battles might 
 have been fought by any other commander ; but 
 the diflference in results was this : That while 
 any other commander we had thus far seen 
 would have fought the battle of the Wilderness 
 and gone backward. Grant fought the battle of 
 the Wilderness and went forward." 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 BATTLE OF SPOTTSTLVANIA COURT 
 HOUSE. 
 
 Ez f er war, I call it murder — 
 
 There you hev it plain an' flat ; 
 
 I don't want to go no furder 
 
 Than my Testyment fer that. 
 
 — Jambs Russell Lowell. 
 
 The initial battle of the " On to Richmond " 
 having Ibeen fought, and the attitude of these 
 two great armies remaining unchanged, the. two 
 champions lay all day of the 7th ija the midst 
 of their "baffled yet defiant troops, like two ex- 
 . hausted giants of the forest, foaming and pant- 
 ing and bleeding; each watching with wild 
 suspicious eye the movements of his antagonist, 
 lest, peradventure, some advantage might be 
 gained unawares and the contest renewed be- 
 fore he was ready. On the afternoon of the 
 7th, however, the two divisions of Heth and 
 Wilcox, preceded by the sharpshooters, had 
 
42 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 advanced upon Burnside's position in the pines 
 and discovered that Ms lines had been with- 
 drawn. Here they were ordered to fortify, but 
 had scarcely begun the work when they were 
 ordered to desist and prepare for the march. 
 Early after nightfall the Federal commander 
 withdrew his forces from Gren. Lee's front and 
 began his second movement by the left flank, 
 in the hope that now at least he could turn the 
 Confederate right and, under cover of night, 
 throw himself unobserved across their line of 
 march somewhere in the neighborhood of Spott- 
 sylvania court house. But the very first step 
 taken in the execution of this secret design 
 was discovered and promptly reported to the 
 Confederate commander by that sleepless 
 guardian of the Confederate flanks, J. E. B. 
 Stuart, who planted his cavalry squarely across 
 the pathway of the Union forces and contested 
 every inch of the ground. Meanwhile Long-' 
 street's corps, now under command of Gen. 
 Anderson, was withdrawn from the lines and 
 ordered to hold itself in readiness to move in 
 the direction of Spottsylvania court house. 
 About 8 o'clock the army began to move by 
 the right flank. The leading division of Long- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 43 
 
 street's corps took up the line of march 
 promptly at the command, followed after some 
 delay by the second ; and each successive divi- 
 sion took the road as soon as the way was 
 clear. The rear divisions meanwhile were clos- 
 ing np, and then giving back to the next in 
 front — so that Hill's corps had not moved more 
 than two hundred yards at 10 o'clock. Such 
 delays are always annoying even to the veteran 
 soldier, although he knows it to be an inevit- 
 able necessity in the movements of every large 
 army, it matters not what may be the exigen- 
 cies of the case ; yet a good soldier will submit 
 to any necessity and make the best of it. In 
 this case our patience was beginning to weaken 
 just a little, when away to the right, from the 
 depths of the forest, in the stillness and dark- 
 ness of night, a sound is heard — the sound of 
 a charge or good cheer, which we could not tell. 
 In the hush of expectancy we listened to catch 
 the significance of the strange outburst ; when 
 lo ! here came the swelling tide of ten thousand 
 voices sweeping down the lines of Longstreet. 
 to Hill's right. We lifted our voices as our 
 turn came, and sent the grand chorus echoing 
 along the lines of Ewell to the distant left. 
 
44 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or. 
 
 Thrice repeated, this overflow of enthusiasm 
 mxia voce, issuing from Anderson's column, swept 
 down through the Confederate lines from right 
 to left, when the last vestige of impatience 
 and complaint seemed to have been removed, 
 and every man stood ready to do and to dare 
 for the honor of his country. It was the grand- 
 est vocal demonstration ever witnessed on this 
 continent ; under the inspiration of which Gen. 
 Anderson urged forward his troops toward 
 Spottsylvania, while the other corps went into 
 bivouac for the night. 
 
 To remove all doubt as to the designs and 
 movements of the enemy, early on the morning 
 of the 8th the battalion of sharpshooters 
 was ordered to make a reconnoisance of the 
 Federal lines in front. We deployed and 
 moved forward through the woods in the direc- 
 tion of Sedgwick's position on the Federal 
 right, until we struck the line of breastworks. 
 Here we discovered the evidence of a hasty 
 withdrawal of the enemy from our front, in the 
 shape of abandoned fly tents, knapsacks, oil- 
 cloths, and the like. Continuing our advance, 
 we ascended a commanding ridge which over- 
 looked the country for some distance beyond. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 45 
 
 Here we encountered tlie richest field of spoils 
 we had ever seen. The whole face of the earth 
 was literally covered with valuable plunder 
 and the signs of demoralization. Tempted by 
 the vast amount and endless variety of army 
 stores scattered around in every direction, and 
 the entire absence of the enemy, and consider- 
 ing the urgent needs of the command for the 
 very articles that lay scattered around us, the 
 assembly was sounded and the battalion or- 
 dered to stack arms, break ranks and help 
 themselves. Instantly the command, from a 
 compact body of daring men, was converted 
 into a wild and reckless mob, rushing hither 
 and thither in search of plunder. The danger 
 of the situation became manifest at once, and 
 an effort made to reform. For a period of half 
 an hour every effort to rally and reform proved 
 ineffectual and vain — during which an organ- 
 ized body of twenty men, if present, could have 
 captured the entire command. Fortunately 
 there was no enemy present. After awhile, 
 when the raid was completed, the officers re- 
 covered control of the men, reformed the bat- 
 talion, and we proceeded on our drive. Wheel- 
 ing to the right, we swept down the enemy's 
 
46 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 deserted lines to the Orange plank road, where 
 changing again to the right, we drove out and 
 rejoined the brigade. All questions as to the 
 movements of the Federal commander had thus 
 been settled, and now the brigade took up the 
 line of march with other troops for Spottsyl- 
 vania. 
 
 While Gen. G-rant was pushing his immense 
 columns along the Brock and Chancellorsville 
 roads against the strenuous eflForts of the un- 
 tiring Stuart, to delay him as much as possible, 
 Anderson was urging forward the Confederate 
 van with all possible dispatch toward the point 
 of convergence and the objective point of both 
 commanders. The race for position was an 
 exciting one, but Anderson won. Reaching the 
 field before daylight, he placed his leading 
 division in position on the range of hills cover 
 ing Spottsylvania court house, and upon it 
 formed the rear divisions as they successively 
 arrived on the field. So that when the 8th of 
 May dawned, and Gen. Grant essayed to sweep 
 from his front the cavalry force which had 
 hung upon his advancing columns and seize the 
 range of hills north of town, what should he 
 behold but the "stars and bars" defiantly 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 47 
 
 floating ia the morning breeze over a solid line 
 of Confederate infantry firmly established upon 
 the coveted hills, quietly awaiting his arrival. 
 
 Warren's corps was the first to confront An- 
 derson, and while other troops on both sides 
 were rapidly approaching the field, two divi- 
 sions of Warren's corps advanced against the 
 Confederate position. This attack was easily 
 met and repelled, and resulted in considerable 
 loss to the attacking column, including its 
 leader, Gren. John C. Eobinson, who was 
 severely wounded by the first volley and car- 
 ried oflf the field. Sedgwick's corps joined 
 Warren about noon, and late in the afternoon 
 was thrown heavily against Anderson's right, 
 which, assisted by the timely arrival of a part 
 of Ewell's corps, repulsed the attack with great 
 slaughter. Thus ended the first day of the 
 battle. 
 
 Hill's corps reached the field early on the 
 morning of the 9 th, and was placed in position 
 east of the court house, on the Confederate 
 right. This day was principally spent by both 
 armies in active preparations for the impend- 
 ing conflict, with now and then a sharp fusilade 
 between the opposing skirmish lines, as when 
 
48 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 one or the other of the great captains pressed 
 his lines here and there too far to the 
 front and trespassed upon the territory claimed 
 "by the other. In the settlement of these pre- 
 liminary difficulties the sharpshooters took a 
 lively interest; and whenever or wherever their 
 services were needed for the adjustment of any 
 misunderstanding as to the rights of parties, 
 they were freely contributed. 
 
 As soon as McGrowan's brigade was assigned 
 its place on Hill's line the sharpshooters were 
 ordered out, with instructions to cross the small 
 stream in front and sweep through the thicket 
 beyond, until the position and strength of the 
 enemy were discovered. 
 
 The order was promptly obeyed, and we 
 drove forward across the stream and through 
 the woods until we reached the backbone of the 
 ridge, near the edge of a field which lay out 
 beyond. Here we could plainly see Sedgwick's 
 corps in line of battle on the crest of another 
 hill, busily engaged in rectifying their lines 
 and constructing breastworks, with their skir- 
 mishers well advanced. Upon these we opened 
 a scattering fire with some eflfect. We discov- 
 ered an angle protruding from their main line 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 49^ 
 
 towards the right of the battalion, which 
 brought a four gun battery with its infantry 
 supports placed there for the defense of the 
 salient, barely within reach of our long range - 
 rifles. And to these Ben Powell with his 
 "Whitworth" and a few files on the right paid: 
 their respects. Presently an officer of rank 
 with his staff approached the salient, and ad- 
 justing his field glasses began to take observa- 
 tions of the front. A few shots only had been 
 fired at the group, when the ringing peal of 
 Powell's " Whitworth " was heard some dis- 
 tance to the right ; the officer was seen to stagger 
 and fall ; and the brilliant career of that gallant 
 and distinguished soldier, Maj. Gren. Sedgwick,, 
 commandant of the fifth Federal army corps, 
 was closed and closed forever. Powell reported 
 at once that he had killed a Federal general,, 
 but we knew not his name or rank until it came 
 out a few days later in the Northern papers, an- 
 nouncing that Gen. Sedgwick had been killed 
 by a Confederate sharpshooter ; which fact, so 
 published at the time, has gone into history, 
 but the name of "the man behind the gun" 
 has never before been mentioned. Upon the 
 death of Gen. Sedgwick, Maj. Gen. Wright 
 
-50 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 took his place, and the Federal sharpshooters 
 opened on us with increased animation, while 
 a column of infantry on our left and a column 
 -of cavalry on our right were discovered swing- 
 ing forward upon our flanks, with the evident 
 intention of cutting us off from the main line 
 and bagging the entire command. To avoid 
 -such a disaster we threw back our wings and 
 retired to the little stream before mentioned, 
 where Watson's company engaged, at long 
 range, the column on our left until it was with- 
 drawn. We maintained our position here with- 
 out further trouble until some time after night- 
 fall, when we were relieved. 
 
 Baffled by the genius and audacity of the 
 ■Confederate commander, and chafing under de- 
 feat and disaster, Gen. Grant determined to 
 mass his forces before the Confederate position 
 -and by sheer weight of numbers to overwhelm 
 and crush his opponent, regardless of costs, and 
 at once addressed himself to the disposition of 
 his troops to that end. With Hill's corps on 
 the right, Ewell in the center, and Anderson 
 with Longstreet's corps on the left, in a strong 
 position carefully selected and well fortified, 
 •Gen. Lee awaited the movements of his adver- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 5 1 
 
 flary . These positions were substantially main- 
 tained during the struggle, though brigades 
 and sometimes divisions were detached from 
 their proper commands and sent to other parts 
 of the field to meet pressing emergencies. 
 
 Early in the morning of the 10th the move- 
 ment of Hancock's corps against the Confed- 
 erate left and rear was gallantly met and 
 defeated by Heth and Mahone under Early, on 
 the banks of the Po. Meanwhile Grant was not 
 idle on other parts of the field. Pursuing his 
 determination, to crush Lee, by 10 o'clock the 
 Federal commander had organized a column of 
 assault in front of Anderson's right, consisting 
 of Warren's and Burnside's corps. This column 
 moved promptly and with great intrepidity 
 against the position occupied by Field's divi- 
 sion, which received the attack with a galling 
 fire, followed by volley after volley with such 
 deadly eflfect that the front lines recoiled upon 
 the second, when both retired. 
 
 About 3 o'clock in the afternoon the attack 
 was renewed with still more disastrous results. 
 A lull of something more than two hours suc- 
 ceeded the last attack, but proved to be only a 
 breathing spell preparatory to the culminating 
 
52 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 effort of the day. These repeated and unsuc- 
 cessful assaults against the Confederate lines 
 seemed only to exasperate the Federal com- 
 mander and to goad him to a more desperate 
 determination to carry the works at this point. 
 Hence, about 5 o'clock, increasing the dimen- 
 sions and weight of his assaulting columns, by 
 the addition of Wright and Hancock, with all 
 the energy of his indomitable will, Gren. Grant 
 hurled the flower of the Federal army against 
 the Confederate left center. One after another 
 the dark lines came rushing forward, at first in 
 quick time, then at a full charge, as if nothing^ 
 could stay their impetuous onslaught. Th& 
 front lines dissolved before the pitiless storm 
 that beat against them, but the succeeding 
 lines, rushing forward over the prostrate forms 
 of their fallen comrades, succeeded in pene- 
 trating our lines at two points ; the one where 
 stood the gallant Texas brigade of Anderson's 
 corps, the other where stood Dole's brigade on 
 Ewell's left. These gallant brigades s tubbornly 
 yielded to the weight of overwhelming numbers, 
 but promptly rallying upon the supports at 
 hand, succeeded in forcing the enemy back 
 through the breach with terrible slaughter. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 53 
 
 Again repulsed on every part of the line, the 
 assailants fell back in disorder to their works, 
 leaving the ground thickly strewn with their 
 killed and wounded * 
 
 The 11th was a wet and disagreeable day, 
 with little or no serious fighting. During these 
 two days, however, the battalion of sharp- 
 shooters occupied a position in front, some dis- 
 tance to the left of its ' former position, and 
 where the opposing lines were drawn much more 
 closely together. The Federal sharpshooters 
 were in our immediate front, and displayed an 
 animus of vindictive spite, which the boys in 
 gray were not slow to reciprocate. The per- 
 petual cry of their deadly rifles — as from every 
 tree and bush and boulder they spurted fire 
 and smoke and death, which to be understood 
 needed the aid of no expert or scientific inter- 
 preter — aroused in the Confederate sharp- 
 shooters a glow of patriotic ardor which could 
 be restrained only by the most peremptory or- 
 
 * Throughout the day the divisions of Heth, Field, 
 Kershaw and Wilcox * * * maintained a firmness and dis- 
 played a valor that well became the veterans of a hun- 
 •dred battles. The Army of the Potomac never fought 
 with more desperate courage, nor had its ranks ever been 
 vis ited with such frightful havoc. — Long. 
 
54 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 ders ; and, although the activity of the litter 
 bearers on the other side testified to the skill 
 of these trained riflemen, to stand and fire was. 
 not to their mind like the sweeping charge. 
 The ground between the lines at this point was 
 for the most part in the woods, covered with 
 underbrush and seamed with sharp ravines and 
 gullies, which meandered abruptly hither and 
 thither across the interval. These furnished an 
 inviting field and fair protection to the adven- 
 turous on both sides to crawl upon the rifle pita 
 of the other side and get in some good shots be- 
 fore their movements and whereabout could b& 
 discovered, and were utilized with fatal eflfect 
 by each upon the lines of the other. In one in- 
 stance two men in Young's North Carolina bat- 
 talion were killed by a Federal sharpshooter 
 with a single ball fired from one of these 
 ditches ; and many a gallant soldier of the gray,^ 
 as well as the blue, paid the forfeit of his life 
 for the part he took in this unremitting fusilade. 
 The sharpshooters occupied this line for some- 
 thing over two days, being relieved at night 
 after dark, and going on duty again before day- 
 light in the morning. 
 
TTie Forefront of Battle. 55. 
 
 Our rations were scant and sometimes un- 
 savory, but our appetites bold and aggressive. 
 I devoured the hindquarter of a muskrat with 
 vindictive relish, and looked with longing eyefr 
 upon our adjutant general's fat young pointer. 
 One day, during these fights at Spottsylvania^ 
 when the Federals were making an assault on 
 our lines and the onset was persistent and 
 furious, while passing along the lines to encour- 
 age the men, I discovered in a little branch a 
 turtle of the loggerhead variety. I stopped,, 
 threw him out of the water with my sword,, 
 turned him on his back, a«id when he poked out 
 his head to recover his all fours I popped my 
 sabre through his neck and pinned him to the 
 ground, and went on. When the fight was over 
 and the hour of relief came, I went and got 
 him, and such a stew as I had that night ! It 
 does me good t» think of it to this day. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 BATTLE OF SPOTTSYLVANIA. 
 
 [Continued.] 
 
 In the thick of the fight, 
 
 When the incessant roar 
 
 Of the volleying g-uns 
 
 Grew clearer, louder ; 
 
 And the deadly storm 
 
 Of shot and shell 
 
 Swept back before it 
 
 The sharply smitten 
 
 Confederate legions. 
 
 Sudden is heard 
 
 Through the clang and the roar 
 
 Of sabres and guns. 
 
 The peal of a bugle 
 
 That sounds the charge, 
 
 And the cry of one 
 
 (Who laughs the while), 
 
 "Forward the flag of the battalion I" 
 
 X(ike a stream of light. 
 Of red, red light. 
 The red, red flag 
 lyeaps forth to the front, 
 By the hands upborne 
 ■Of a boy in years 
 But a veteran old 
 
58 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 In the ways of war, 
 
 Whose face has never 
 
 By the edge of a blade 
 
 As yet been shorn, 
 
 Save as a scar 
 
 On his cheek betrays 
 
 The stroke of a horseman's sabre^ 
 
 (That horseman sleeps 
 
 In his grass grown grave 
 
 By the edge of a wood 
 
 On the Rapidan.) 
 
 Lfike a stream of light, 
 Of red, red light. 
 The red, red flag 
 Leaps forth to the front, 
 A shining mark 
 To the foe advancing. 
 Forth, but no faster. 
 Then speeds the battalion, 
 With voices uplifted 
 In cheer on cheer. 
 As they follow the course 
 Of the meteor bright, 
 That pauses never 
 Until it has launched 
 Them, reckless of death, 
 Full on the enemy's breast. 
 
 Then the lines of battle, 
 The blue and the gray. 
 Are mixed together ; 
 And the air is filled 
 With shouts and groans, 
 And with curses wild 
 And mocking laughter, 
 And the clash of steel : 
 And the roar of guns 
 Grows deeper, louder. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 59. 
 
 In the heat of the fray 
 The flag' goes down — 
 The flag of the battalion— 
 And is trampled 
 Under the feet of men. 
 But a hand uplifts it, 
 It is held aloft, 
 All dripping wet 
 With the blood of the slain. 
 L(0, now it is one 
 Whose wrinkled cheeks 
 A gray beard hides, 
 Whose hand upbears 
 The flag of the battalion. 
 
 And the fight grows fiercer 
 
 And deeper and louder ; 
 
 And with shouts unceasing. 
 
 Mid cursing and laughter, 
 
 And the clash of sabres, 
 
 And the roar of guns. 
 
 The conflict rages. 
 
 Till the foe relaxing 
 
 Their strong endeavor. 
 
 Yields at length 
 
 To the impetuous tide 
 
 That beats against them. 
 
 Forth to the front 
 
 As the foe gives way 
 
 The flag is pushed 
 
 By the hand that bears it ; 
 
 Forth in pursuit 
 
 Like a leash-hound slipt. 
 
 It follows them fleeing. 
 
 Answering ever 
 
 The cry and the laugh 
 
 That are heard through the din, 
 
 "Forward the flag of the battalion !"• 
 
6o. Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 As the sound dies away 
 
 Of the shifting battle, 
 
 There is one draws near 
 
 To the boy that lies 
 
 On the wet, red field, 
 
 Who bathes his wound 
 
 With water and tears, 
 
 The wound in his breast 
 
 By a bayonet made. 
 
 Too- late to save, 
 
 But still he may bear 
 
 Some message of love 
 
 To father or mother, 
 
 Or sister or brother. 
 
 Or other, yet dearer. 
 
 In his far away hom.e. 
 
 He kneels to listen, 
 
 The plainer to hear 
 
 The mutterings low 
 
 That echo the visions 
 
 Of life that are flitting 
 
 Through the wandering sense 
 
 Of the dying boy. 
 
 But his dreams they are never 
 
 Of home or of love. 
 
 Of father or mother, 
 
 Or sister or brother. 
 
 Or other, yet dearer ; 
 
 But still he is fighting 
 
 The fight of today,— 
 
 Still he is bearing 
 
 The flag that he bore, — 
 
 And the words that come forth 
 
 From his lips in a murmur. 
 
 As fearless he passes 
 
 The portals of death, are 
 
 "Forward the flag of the battalion I" 
 
 — Berry Benson. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 6 1 
 
 Late in the afternoon of the 11th an impres- 
 sion prevailed that G-rant was about to take 
 another step to the left, and the constant stir 
 and shifting of troops on the Federal lines 
 somewhat justified the impression. Our trains 
 were therefore placed under marching orders ; 
 the artillery posted in the salient occupied by 
 Johnson's division was withdrawn, and every 
 arrangement made for a move during the night, 
 if necessary. The Federal commander readily 
 discovered the mistake of his opponent and 
 determined to make an attack at this point 
 early the next morning, and to that end massed 
 a heavy column during the night in front of 
 Johnson, consisting of the second and sixth, 
 with two divisions of the fifth corps. Gen. 
 Johnson became aware of the enemy's designs 
 against him, and realizing the peril of his po- 
 sition without artillery in the event of an attack 
 in its absence, dispatched a courier with orders 
 for the return of his batteries to the front by 
 daylight in the morning. The orders were 
 promptly delivered, and the dangers fully ap- 
 preciated by the artillerists ; but the numerous 
 difficulties of the way, added to the darkness 
 of the night, greatly delayed their execution of 
 
62 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 the orders. In the meantime the brave men 
 stood to arms in the angle, in deep anxiety- 
 awaiting the approach of day and the return 
 of their guns — which was their only safety. 
 
 The morning dawned — the morning of the 
 eventful 12th — and just as the rays of light 
 began to penetrate the blinding mist which had 
 settled down upon the field, an immense column, 
 well saturated with Dutch courage, led by Gfen . 
 Hancock, emerged from the pines in front and 
 rushed forward to the attack. The little divi- 
 sion defended its position with commendable 
 gallantry, but could not stay the onward rush 
 of the Federal column, which stormed over the 
 works, capturing Gen. Johnson himself and 
 nearly the whole of his division, with about 
 twenty pieces of artillery, which reached the 
 field just in time to be gobbled up by the ex- 
 ultant Unionists. Amazed at the completeness 
 of his own success, the Federal commander 
 stood for a moment bewildered at the mad rush 
 of his confused columns as they crowded into 
 the breach. But recovering his self possession, 
 as well as the formation of his divisions, Han- 
 cock urged forward his men to the attack of 
 the interior lines, driving further and further 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 63 
 
 apart the severed wings of the Confederate army 
 as he advanced. Lane's brigade of Hill's corps , 
 which occupied a position to the right of the/o 
 salient, and RonooB t's^brigade of Ewell's corps, 
 which occupied a position to the left of the 
 angle, each throwing back their exposed wings, 
 poured into the Federal column such a storm 
 of withering fire that they began to stagger and 
 recoil. At the same time the heroic Grordon, 
 planting his division (Early's) across the base 
 of the salient, effectually checked the rolling 
 tide of battle and held it back within the tri- 
 angular area, while Perrin's Alabama, Harris's 
 Mississippi and McGowan's South Carolina 
 brigades were hurried forward to the rescue. 
 
 G-en. Lee determined to drive the Federals 
 out, if possible, and recover his lines ; but di- 
 rected the construction of a new line of works 
 some distance in the rear, upon which to rally 
 and reform his troops in the event of failure. 
 He therefore ordered up all the artillery that 
 could be spared from other parts of the field to 
 assist in the restoration of his broken center. 
 
 Everything ready, about 9 o'clock the artil- 
 lery opened from the adjacent hills, right and 
 left, and poured into the compressed masses of 
 
64 Lee^s Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 the enemy a perfect storm of shot and shell. 
 As many guns answered back from the other 
 side. The roar of artillery fairly rent the air and 
 shook the earth as the infantry lines be^an to 
 move. The attack was by brigades en echelon 
 against the two sides of the salient at the same 
 time. Lane on the right, and Ramseaur on the 
 left, first sprang forward with a rousing cheer, 
 and swept the trenches the full length of their 
 brigades. Then rushed the fiery Gordon into 
 the breach with his Georgians and Virginians, 
 and cleaned out the right face of the angle to 
 the left of Lane. At the same time the dashing 
 Perrin launched his brave AlabamianB, closely 
 followed by Harris's Mississippians, each carv- 
 ing his way across the seething chasm, and 
 landed successively in full breast on the outer 
 line to the right of Ramseaur. Then came our 
 own intrepid McGowan with his gallant Caro- 
 linians — sharpshooters and all — like a blazing 
 meteor rushing through the blinding storm, and 
 planted his brigade on the outer line to the 
 right of Harris and in the very heart of battle. 
 Gren. Perrin fell dead just as he leaped bis 
 horse over the first line of works, and Ramseaur 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 65, 
 
 and McGrowan were both seriously wounded in 
 the charge. 
 
 When the troops were ready to move to the 
 recovery of the lost salient, Gen. Lee rode to 
 front of Gordon's division — as he had of 
 Gregg's Texans at the Wilderness — and pro- 
 posed to lead the charge. He uttered not a-, 
 word — he was not the man for display — hut as 
 he quietly removed his hat and sat his war 
 horse, the very personification of the genius of ~ 
 battle, the great purpose of his great soul was 
 evident. Just then Gen. Gordon spurred to his 
 side, seized the reins of his horse and exclaimed : : 
 " Gen. Lee, this is no place for you ! Go to the 
 rear ! These are Georgians and Virginians,, 
 sir ! — men that have never failed, and will not 
 fail now; will you, boys'«" Loud cries of 
 " No ! No ! Gen. Lee to the rear ! Gen. Lee 
 to the rear!" burst forth from the ranks.. 
 While two soldiers led Gen. Lee's horse to the 
 rear, Gordon placed himself in front of his di- 
 vision, and his clarion voice rang out above the- 
 roar of battle, "Forward! charge!!" and "re- 
 member your promise to Gen. Lee." Not 
 Napoleon's words to his old guard, " The eyes 
 of your emperor are upon you," produced a. 
 
■66 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 happier effect. The right face of the angle was 
 swept clean, and Gordon and Lane reoccupied 
 ■our lines nearly to the center of the breach. 
 
 ' ' Never hand waved sword from stain so free, 
 Nor purer sword led a braver band, 
 Nor braver bled for fairer land. 
 Nor fairer land had a cause so grand, 
 Nor cause a chief like I^ee." 
 
 The interior of the salient was now effectually 
 rid of the obnoxious Federals, but rallying 
 «pon their supports they firmly held on to the 
 vertex or tip of the angle, the possession of 
 which now became the single issue of the des- 
 perate struggle. The gaping incision made in 
 the Confederate lines at early dawn had been 
 partially closed — as the physician would say — 
 by first intention, but the center of the wound 
 could not be healed. Gren. Lee, however, con- 
 tinued to press his wings toward the broken 
 center, in the hope that by persistent effort he 
 might be able to expel his adversary and re- 
 store his lines completely. But the Federal 
 commander, by massing his forces around the 
 protruding angle and concentrating the fire of 
 his immense columns upon that point, success- 
 fully resisted every attempt to close the breach, 
 -and ever and anon himself thrust forward his 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 67 
 
 I'ight or left, in the vain hope of retaking that 
 part of the lines which the Confederates had 
 recovered from him. Neither side could gain 
 any advantage or make any impression npon 
 the other, and therefore both settled down to 
 ■their work of death and destruction. Hour 
 after hour the livelong day and far into the 
 succeeding night " the incessant roll of the vol- 
 leying guns " proclaimed the desperate nature 
 •of the felaiady conflict going on in the " bloody 
 angle." 
 
 Fortunately the works at this point were 
 strongly traversed and mounted by heavy head 
 logs, beneath which the contestants aimed and 
 fired, otherwise no living thing could have sur- 
 vived for a moment the terrific cross current of 
 musket balls, which literally combed the para- 
 pets from every point of the compass. Around 
 this storm center the battle surged and swayed, 
 and men fell by scores and hundreds, like 
 leaves before an autumn gale. Indeed, so close 
 was the fight that the rival standards were fre- 
 quently planted on opposite sides of the breast- 
 works, and men were seized and dragged across 
 the lines as prisoners of war, while the call to 
 surrender was repeated again and again by the 
 
68 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 determined Confederates, each time receiving a 
 defiant answer with the same demand. During 
 the day diversions were made by both sides, 
 with the hope of relieving the pressure in the 
 center. "Wright attacked Anderson on the left 
 and was repulsed with heavy loss, while Early, 
 who with Hill's corps was moving to strike the 
 Federal flank on the other side, met and de- 
 feated Burnsides, who was advancing at the 
 same time to attack the Confederate right. 
 Still the storm raged with unabated fury around 
 the famous salient until a short while before 
 daylight on the morning of the 13th, when the 
 Confederates sullenly retired, by order of the 
 commanding general, to the new line of works 
 erected some half a mile in the rear and across 
 the base of the salient. 
 
 An incident which illustrates the fierceness 
 of this battle, and which by various writers has 
 received historical notice, may properly be 
 mentioned in this connection. A large oak tree, 
 eighteen inches in diameter (besides a num- 
 ber of smaller trees of different varieties and 
 dimensions), standing some twenty feet or more 
 in rear of the Confederate works, was literally 
 shot down by the incessant converging' fire of 
 
The Forefront, of Battle. 69 
 
 the Federal musketry — to the truth of which 
 the writer, as an eye witness of the fact, here 
 bears testimony. The trunk of the tree is now 
 preserved in Washington as a memento of the 
 desperate struggle. 
 
 Gren. McAllister, of the Union army, writes : 
 " It was in our immediate front that the large 
 tree was cut down by rifle balls, the stump of 
 which was exhibited at the Centennial exposi- 
 tion at Philadelphia." James L. Bowen, his- 
 torian of the thirty-seventh Massachusetts 
 regiment, says : " This regiment was in action 
 continually for more than twenty hoursi during 
 which time it fired over four hundred rounds 
 per man. * * * It was in front of the 
 right wing of this regiment, and almost in the 
 rear of the apex, that the oak tree, twenty-one 
 inches in diameter, was cut down by bullets 
 and fell within the Confederate lines. * * * 
 The tree fell after midnight, and after the firing 
 had ceased everywhere except at this vital 
 point." Several men ol the twelfth South Caro- 
 lina regiment, which occupied the right of 
 the line on the left face and near the tip of the 
 angle, were crushed down and severely stunned 
 
70 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 by the lap of the falling tree, but not perma- 
 nently injured. 
 
 Swinton writes : " Of all the struggles of the 
 war, this was perhaps the fiercest and most 
 deadly. * * * The enemy's most savage sallies 
 were directed to retake the famous salient, 
 which was now become an angle of death, and 
 presented a spectacle ghastly and terrible." 
 
 The ground was literally covered with the 
 dead and dying, and the water that rippled 
 along the trenches from incessant rain, ran red 
 with the blood of the slain. In the absence of 
 specific orders, the sharpshooters had thrown 
 themselves into the line of the brigade at their 
 proper intervals and fought like tigers through- 
 out the struggle, sharing the perils and dividing 
 the honors with their sturdy comrades of the 
 brigade: and contributing withal their full 
 pro rata of heroic men to the roll of 451 fallen 
 braves, which constituted the aggregate number 
 of casualties reported in McGowan's brigade. 
 Indeed, so large was the list of casualties in 
 the sharpshooters to this juncture that Gen. 
 Wilcox, our division commander, ordered that 
 thereafter the sharpshooters should not be re- 
 quired to fight in the line of battle, as tliereto-- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 71 
 
 fore, except in cases of extreme necessity, but 
 should confine themselves to their legitimate 
 duties as skirmishers. 
 
 Upon retiring from their position in the 
 " bloody angle," these grimy, blear eyed vet- 
 erans, finding Longstreet's corps occupying the 
 new line of works, went into bivouac some dis- 
 tance in their rear, where we were permitted to 
 rest and recuperate. On the afternoon of the 
 14th we were moved to the little church east of 
 town, but on the next afternoon were ordered 
 back and went into position west of the court 
 house. Here we remained several days await- 
 ing the movements of the enemy. The sharp- 
 shooters again took the front and resumed their 
 practice upon the enemy's skirmish lines. 
 
 Never was respite more welcome than the 
 comparative rest that followed the terrible 
 battle of the 12th, and which continued up ta 
 the 18th, for we had been marching and fighting^ 
 without intermission since the 4th of May ; and 
 our comfort was materially enhanced by the 
 supply of sugar and coffee and other delicacies 
 obtained from Federal haversacks during the 
 campaign. These luxuries contributed afr 
 much as any other material agency to recover 
 
-72 Lee' s Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 and sustain the spirits and physical energies 
 of the men in a campaign that had taxed both 
 -to their utmost limit. 
 
 Longstreet's corps had been moved to the 
 -right, and now lay beyond the Fredericksburg 
 road, while Ewell occupied the lines in rear of 
 the salient. On the morning of the 18th a last 
 effort was made to force the lines at the only 
 point where previous eflfbrts had partially suc- 
 ceeded, and this was destined to a more signal 
 failure than any of the other attacks. Under 
 'the fire of thirty guns, which swept every ap- 
 proach to Ewell's lines, the attacking force was 
 broken and driven back in confusion before it 
 came within range of our musketry of the line. 
 On the next morning it was discovered that 
 'Gen. Grant had begun his third movement by 
 the left flank, and in the afternoon Ewell's corps 
 was thrown round the Federal right to ascer- 
 tain the extent of the movement. After a 
 severe engagement, which lasted until night, 
 -lEwell withdrew with some loss. This attack 
 delayed Grant's movement for twenty -four 
 hours. On the afternoon of the 19th, however, 
 while Ewell was engaged in his movement 
 .-against the Federal right, the sharpshooters 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 7J^ 
 
 "were thrown forward to cover the interval be- 
 tween his right and Hill's left. This brought 
 the sharpshooters across the line of works in 
 the famous salient, at the very point where we- 
 had fought on the memorable 12th, and 
 where the timber had been cut down by Federal 
 musketry, as heretofore mentioned ; and while 
 here I took it upon myself to measure the 
 stump of the " large oak tree," and found it to 
 be exactly fifty-five inches in circumference, or 
 a little more than eighteen inches in diameter. 
 Every tree and bush and shrub were literally 
 riddled with bullets. The ground was covered 
 with the debris of battle. Small arms of every 
 variety, bent and broken, with every conceiv- 
 able article of accoutrement and clothing, were 
 scattered in every direction. Horses lay as 
 they fell; and the bodies of the thousands 
 slain, expanding under the process of putre- 
 faction, and bursting the thin covering of earth 
 which had been thrown upon them in their 
 hasty burial, emitted a stench that was almost 
 stifling. The whole scene was a perfect picture of 
 gloom, destruction and death — a very Golgotha 
 of horrors. For the next two days the sharp- 
 shooters, like the "Fierce Demoniac," lived 
 
74 Lee's Sharf&haoters ; or, 
 
 among the tombs and deserted Federal breast- 
 wQr^^s, driving their rear guard from one posi- 
 tion after another until late in the afternoon of 
 the 21st, when they made an obstinate stand, 
 covering the house which had been occupied by 
 Gen. Warren as his headquarters. Their posi- 
 tion was a strong one and well fortified, but we 
 thought it could be carried. So adjusting our 
 lines to the work in hand, we gathered up our 
 fall strength and sounded the charge. Instantly 
 the whole battalion sprang forward, stormed 
 over the breastworks, and swept the field of the 
 last trace of the Union army in our front. The 
 troops of the line, in the meantime, had been 
 shifted from left to right, and now the race be- 
 gan for a position on the banks of the North 
 Anna. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 BATTLE OF HAKOVER JUNCTION, OR 
 JERICHO FORD. 
 
 And when the fight becomes a chase, 
 Those win the day that win the race, 
 And that which would not pass in fights 
 Has done the feat with easj flights. 
 
 —Butter. 
 
 The consciousness of personal courage, which 
 alone had animated the members of the bat- 
 talion at the opening of the campaign, and 
 which soon extended to the coTivrades de hataille, 
 or groups of four, now embraced the entire 
 command, and, as Bancroft said of Morgan's 
 Scotch-Irish riflemeii, the sharpshooters were 
 " fashioned into one life, one energy and one 
 action." When ordered into the fight they 
 moved as a unit. No skirmish line, or force of 
 equal numbers, could withstand the momentum 
 of one of their headlong charges ; and even a 
 line of battle was often made to squirm, and 
 sometimes to break, under the fiery impact of 
 
76 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 their splendid esprit de corps. To hold them 
 in control in presence of the enemy, and to re- 
 strain them from pursuing a broken column 
 beyond the limits of safety, constituted the 
 principal difficulties experienced by their offi- 
 cers in the management of this gallant corps. 
 And their reckless impetuosity on the field 
 caused the needless sacrifice of many a brave 
 man, whose services were afterwards needed, 
 but sadly missed, in the prosecution of the 
 pending vigorous and unremitting campaign. 
 One member alone failed to stand the test of 
 of battle, and his place was promptly supplied 
 with another man. 
 
 Sergeants Madison F. Hawthorn and Berry 
 Benson, two regularly commissioned scouts of 
 the battalion, had rendered valuable service to 
 the army in gathering information for the com- 
 manding general as to the position and move- 
 ments of the enemy, both in the Wilderness and 
 around Spottsylvania court house. Their discov- 
 eries were always promptly reported to Gen. Lee, 
 and had their influence upon the movements of 
 the army. They were sometimes too reckless 
 in their adventures, and subjected themselves 
 to dangers nob contemplated in their commis- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 77 
 
 sions and beyond the necessities of the service. 
 They operated not only closely upon the front 
 and flanks of the Union army, observing critic- 
 ally their position and movements, but fre- 
 quently entered their lines and conversed inti- 
 mately with the Federals themselves with regard 
 to the progress and prospects of the campaign. 
 On one such occasion (I believe it was the night 
 of the 10th of May) they went into the Federal 
 lines, and after gathering all the information 
 they could get, Benson mounted a general's 
 horse, a magnificent animal, and right before 
 their eyes deliberately rode him off into the 
 Confederate lines, while Hawthorn retired 
 from a different part of their lines afoot. Both 
 landed safely within our lines and reported. A 
 few nights later they attempted the same thing, 
 when Benson was caught, and for six long 
 months was heJd in restless confinement in a 
 Northern prison, from which he made his escape 
 by tunneling some time in the fall or early part 
 of the succeeding winter, and rejoined his com- 
 mand in the trenches before Petersburg. Haw- 
 thorn was not so unfortunate, but succeeded 
 in eluding detection and returned to our lines 
 in due time — ever afterwards a wiser and more 
 
78 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 cautious scout. Benson's place was filled by 
 his brother, B. K. Benson, and the campaign 
 progressed. 
 
 Gren. Grant having received heavy reinforce- 
 ments, again disappeared from our front and 
 began his third movement \)j the left flank. 
 But Gren. Lee, with his usual alertness, had his 
 depleted columns in motion the instant Grant be- 
 gan to move. Gen. Bwell led the van, followed 
 by Anderson, with Hill's corps bringing up the 
 rear. McGowan's brigade, now under command 
 of Col. Brown, of the fourteenth South Carolina 
 regiment, took up the line of march soon after 
 dark on the night of the 21st, and continued 
 the march until after midnight, wh,en it went 
 into bivouac. I had been seized with a violent 
 form of dysentery and had to retire from the 
 front, and hence the command of the sharp- 
 shooters devolved upon Capt. Brunson. Re- 
 suming the march at daylight the next morn- 
 ing, the brigade crossed the North Anna in the 
 afternoon on a bridge near Noel's Station, and 
 went into bivouac about a mile beyond the 
 river. " Lee had the inside track this time, as 
 the Telegraph road on which he moved was the 
 direct route, while Grant had to swing round on 
 
The Forefront of Battle. ' 79 
 
 the arc of a circle of which this was the chord." 
 So that when Grant approached the north bank 
 of the river on the morning of the 23rd, he 
 found that his third movement against the line 
 of Lee's communications had been completely 
 circumvented. There stood his opponent with 
 forty -five thousand muskets, occupying a strong 
 position on high ground south of the river, cov- 
 ering Hanover Junction. The hammering pro- 
 cess was again his only alternativej so Grant 
 got his mallets ready. McGowan's brigade 
 continued the march toward the Junction on 
 the morning of the 23rd, but had not reached 
 the position on the line it was designed to oc- 
 cupy, when it was suddenly halted. Gen. 
 Warren, who commanded the Federal right, 
 had succeeded, in driving off the small cavalry 
 force which guarded the crossing at Jericho 
 Ford, and had crossed his whole corps to the 
 south side of the river, and was taking position 
 on the Confederate left. Gen. W. H. F. Lee, 
 who commanded the cavalry on that flank, un- 
 der a misapprehension of the strength of this 
 movement, reported a small Federal force south 
 of the river, and McGowan's brigade was or- 
 dered to report to Lee. When the brigadR 
 
8o Lee's Sharpshooters ; or^ 
 
 reached the position occupied by the cavalry, 
 the rifle regiment was ordered forward to make 
 a reconnoissance. Capt. Cothran, who com- 
 manded the regiment, promptly advanced, but 
 had gone but a short distance when he encoun- 
 tered a heavy force of Federal infantry, and his 
 regiment was driven back in confusion. Call- 
 ing the sharpshooters. Col. Brown ordered 
 Brunson to advance and feel the enemy. Noth- 
 ing daunted by the failure of Cothran's experi- 
 ment, Brunson moved to the front and deployed, 
 and the feeling process now began. Cautiously 
 advancing until the Federals were fully discov- 
 ered, then delivering a volley and sounding the 
 charge, the sharpshooters went crashing 
 through their lines like an Alpine avalanche, 
 dispersing the force and capturing a number of 
 prisoners. Again resuming their carefulness, 
 the sharpshooters continued the advance until 
 a second and much stronger line was discov- 
 ered, posted in an old roadbed on a command- 
 ing ridge in an old field, thinly clad in scrubby 
 pines and broomsedge, and halted. The light 
 division was now brought up and formed, with 
 Lane's brigade on the right, McG-owan in the 
 center, and Thomas on the left. Scales's brigade 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 8i 
 
 "was held in reserve. It was now about 5 o'clock 
 in the afternoon, and the sharpshooters were 
 -again ordered to drive in the Federal advance 
 line and prepare the field for action. Accord- 
 ingly Branson led his men across the ravine in 
 front, and ordered them to dispose of the Fed- 
 eral sharpshooters on short notice, which they 
 did, sending them flying through the pines and 
 broomsedge up the hill to their front line in the 
 old roadbed. Without hesitation Branson at- 
 tacked and carried this line, and engaged their 
 second line, which was covered by a strong line 
 of earthworks at the edge of the woods, and be- 
 hind which the first line rallied and formed. 
 The division now advanced to the attack. The 
 assault was gallantly made and vigorously 
 maintained by the Confederates, and as gal- 
 lantly met and repelled by the Federals until 
 long after nightfall, when the firing ceased and 
 the division was withdrawn. The sharpshooters 
 were left in position to cover the withdrawal, 
 and continued their lonely vigils the livelong 
 night, while the division retired to a well fa- 
 vored position near Anderson's Station, where 
 the commanding general had planted his left, 
 and where he designed to make the fight. 
 
82 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 About daylight on the morniDg of the 24tb 
 Branson swung back his left flank and retired 
 at the run, back to cover of the woods behind 
 him, pursued by a heavy line of infantry. The 
 instant they reached the woods the sharpshoot- 
 ers turned and opened on their pursuers. The 
 Federals continued their advance, but with 
 abundant caution, while the sharpshooters 
 stubbornly contested every inch of the. ground 
 back to the station. For four mortal hours this 
 ■ gallant corps detained the Federal line of battle 
 in a belt of timber not exceeding three miles 
 wide. The incessant cry of their deadly rifles, 
 rising from the depths of the forest and falling 
 upon the ears of their comrades of the line — at 
 first faintly, and by slow degrees more and more 
 plainly, as they slowly fell back— proclaimed 
 the obstinacy of their resistance to the Federal 
 advance. At length, reaching a point some 
 four hundred yards in front of the line of battle, 
 the sharpshooters made a stand in a strong po- 
 sition and effectually held up the advancing 
 line. 
 
 Meanwhile Hancock had succeeded in over- 
 powering a small detachment of Kershaw's 
 division, and crossed the river below, and now 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 85 
 
 confronted Anderson and Ewell on the Confed- 
 erate right, while Wright had crossed above 
 and with Warren confronted Hill's corps on the 
 left. The two wings of the Union army were 
 on the south side of the river, but there was na 
 connection between them. Lee had purposely 
 thrown back his flanks and let them cross on 
 either side, while he held the river between. 
 Burnside, who confronted Lee's center, threw 
 forward a strong division against the sharp 
 angle, in the hope that he might gain a foothold 
 on the south bank of the river and establish 
 connection between the severed wings of th& 
 Union army, but was driven back by Mahone 
 with heavy loss. "The game of war seldom 
 presents a more effectual checkmate than was 
 here given by Lee. For after Grrant had made 
 the brilliantly successful passage of the North 
 Anna, the Confederate commander, thj^usting 
 his center between the two wings of the ,Army 
 of the Potomac, put his antjigonist at an enor- 
 mous disadvantage, and compelled him, for the- 
 reinforcement of one or the other wing, to make 
 a double passage of the river." Whereas, Lee 
 could readily transfer his troops from one wing 
 to the other across the narrow space between 
 
§4 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 them whenever necessary; and but for the 
 necessity of economy in men — and expecting 
 the Federals to attack — Q-en. Lee could have 
 ruined the Union army right here. Gen. Grant 
 saw the point, and after a formidable demon- 
 stration withdrew his army during the night of 
 the 26 th to the north bank of the river, and 
 moved again by the left flank down the river — 
 defeated without a battle. 
 
 Brunson says : " During the night of the 
 125th the enemy made several attempts to cap- 
 ture our lines, with his usual success ; and 
 finally, when drowned out of their pits during 
 a thunder storm and giving us a view of their 
 heads, we drove them back upon their main 
 line." 
 
 The brigade lost in this engagement, inolud ■ 
 ing the casualties in the battalion, 211 officers 
 a,nd men — killed, wounded and missing ; and 
 among the missing Col. J. N. Brown, the brig- 
 ade commander, who was captured in the fight 
 of the 23d. Lieut. Col. J. F. Hunt, being the 
 senior officer present, took command of the 
 brigade. 
 
 On the morning of the 27th it was discov- 
 ered that the Army of the Potomac had disap- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 85 
 
 peared from Lee's front, and was already on its 
 march for the Pamonkey river at Hanovertown, 
 where the leading division had crossed early in 
 the day. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 TILT ON THE TOTOPOTOMOY AT AT- 
 
 LEB'S, ACn) BATTLE OF COLD 
 
 HARBOR. 
 
 Cease to consult, the time for action calls; 
 War, horrid war, approaches to your walls. 
 
 — Pops. 
 
 The Confederates began to move at once to 
 head oflf their opponents. Crossing Little river 
 and South Anna, Lee hurried forward his army 
 toward Atlee's Station, on the Central railroad, 
 where he arrived early on the morning of the 
 28th, and foi'med his lines in a strong position 
 fronting the Totopotomoy creek. Gren. Wade 
 Hampton had succeeded the lamented Stuart 
 (who, it will be remembered, had been mortally 
 wounded in a cavalry engagement at Yellow 
 Tavern on the 11th, and had subsequently died), 
 and now commanded Lee's cavalry corps. 
 Hampton planted a strong division of cavalry, 
 under Fitzhugh Lee, across the main line of 
 
88 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 approach to the army at Atlee's, at Haw's shop^ 
 between the Totopotomoy and Pamonkey, and 
 here fought successfully one of the severest 
 cavalry engagements of the war. Sheridan was 
 defeated, but the Federal infantry coming up^ 
 Hampton retired, and the two armies again 
 confronted each other on the banks of the 
 Totopotomoy. 
 
 The sharpshooters again took the front and 
 resumed their rifle practice upon the Federal 
 lines. Grant had evidently grown sick of hi& 
 hammering process, and here concealed his 
 mallets and resorted to a game of small 
 strategy. For two days there was constant 
 shifting of troops in the Confederate front, witk 
 now and then, and here and there, a demonstra- 
 tion. But Gen. Lee was master of the situation 
 and readily confronted his adversary at every 
 point. Again thwarted in his attempt to thrust 
 his army between Lee and the Confederate 
 capital, Gen. Grant moved oflf by the left flank,, 
 with the battlefield of Cold Harbor as his ob- 
 jective point. 
 
 Gen. Long writes with regard to the movements- 
 of the Union army : " Proceeding on his march 
 from the Pamonkey, Grant found his advance 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 89! 
 
 upon Richmond again arrested by Lee, wha 
 awaited him on the Totopotomoy, in the neigh- 
 borhood of Mechanicsville and Atlee's Station. 
 Grant did not attempt at this point to force his 
 opponent from his path, but moved slowly by 
 his left flank toward the Chickahominy, while 
 Lee, by a similar movement by his right, kept 
 pace with him and constantly confronted him 
 at every stage, until the flank of each army 
 rested on the Chickahominy on the first day of 
 June. The old battlefield of Cold Harbor was 
 again occupied by the contending forces, 
 though in an inverse order ; and was about to 
 become the theater of a second conflict more 
 desperate than the first." 
 
 When Gen. Lee moved from Atlee's Station, 
 however, Sergt. B. K. Benson writes: "The sharp- 
 shooters were left in position facing the enemy, 
 with instructions to hold the position at all haz- 
 ards until night. The line occupied was on a 
 commanding ridge, covered with heavy timber, 
 which broke off abruptly in front into a short 
 valley below, then gradually rose again to 
 another hill of equal height beyond. The 
 Federal sharpshooters occupied this hill in 
 strong force, well protected by rifle pits. Sev- 
 
go Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 eral times during the day they made ineffectual 
 attempts to dislodge us, and as many times were 
 repelled and forced back to their rifle pits. 
 Late in the afternoon orders were received to 
 withdraw quietly and follow the army. To 
 save himself from the annoyance of pursuit, 
 Capt. Brunson determined to drive the Federal 
 pickets from their position by a dash and then 
 retire. So the order was given, and about dark 
 the sharpshooters descended the hill into the 
 valley, and after rectifying their alignment 
 sounded the charge, and at a full run mounted 
 the hill in front, cheering and firing as they 
 advanced, stormed the Federals out of their 
 works and drove them in confusion into the 
 darkness beyond, capturing a number of pris- 
 oners and considerable spoil. Among others 
 was a noble specimen of Yankee soldier, who 
 fearlessly asserted his honest convictions as to 
 the final results of the war, and supported his 
 views with such potency of argument that the 
 officers, fearing the effect of his reasoning upon 
 some of the men, hurried him off with other 
 prisoners to the rear under guard. The bat- 
 talion was withdrawn without molestation, and 
 rejoined the brigade." 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 91 
 
 Brunson himself, writing of the same period, 
 condenses his report into a single paragraph, 
 and modestly says : " We were at our usual 
 trade, marching, watching, fighting, somewhere 
 on the face of the earth in the State of Vir- 
 ginia, between Hanover Junction and the old 
 battlefield of Cold Harbor." 
 
 SECOND BATTLE OF COLD HARBOR. 
 
 The two great armies of the civil war again 
 confronted each other on the historic field of 
 Cold Harbor. The army of Northern Virginia, 
 with the reinforcements of Breckinridge's, 
 Hoke's and Pickett's divisions, numbered about 
 50,000 men, while the Army of the Potomac, re- 
 inforced by the eighteenth army corps from 
 Butler's army and other troops, notwithstand- 
 ing its enormous losses, still numbered 140,000 
 men. Lee occupied the lines from which Mc- 
 Clellan was driven two years before, with his 
 back upon Richmond, while Grant confronted 
 him, with his face turned longingly towards 
 the Confederate capital. Hancock held the 
 Federal left, Wright and Smith the center, and 
 Warren and Burnside the right. Hill's corps, 
 with Breckinridge's division, confronted Han- 
 
92 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 cock and Wright on the Confederate right ; 
 Longstreet in the center confronting Smith, and 
 Ewell on the left confronting Warren and Burn- 
 side. McGowan's brigade occupied the right 
 of Hill's corps and the extreme right of the 
 Confederate lines, holding the last shoulder of 
 the ridge which rises from the Chickahominy 
 swamp on McClellan's military road. Both 
 armies spent the first and second days of June 
 in erecting fortifications and making general 
 preparations for the impending conflict, with 
 now and then a slight collision barren of re- 
 sults. The Confederate lines ran . in general 
 directions north and south, but the works were 
 angular throughout ; so that no line could ap- 
 proach the front without subiectlng itself either 
 to a converging fire, or to both a direct and en- 
 filading fire at the same time. No doubt prep- 
 ara,tions on the other side were just as formid- 
 able and complete ; but Gen. Lee would not 
 make but awaited the assault. 
 
 Accordingly, on the morning of the 3d, with 
 the seeming intention of blotting out the mem- 
 ory of the defeat of the Federal arms on the 
 former occasion, Gen. Grant massed the flower 
 of his army for battle, and on they came. " The 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 93 
 
 battle that succeeded was one of the most des- 
 perately contested and murderous engage- 
 ments of the war. Along the whole Federal 
 line a simultaneous assault was made on the 
 Confederate works, and at every point with the 
 same disastrous results. Bank after rank was 
 swept away until the columns of assault were 
 almost annihilated. Attack after attack was 
 made, and men fell in myriads before the mur- 
 derous JBire of the Confederates. While Hill 
 Breckinridge, Anderson and Pickett repulsed 
 Grant's desperate assaults on the right, Early, 
 with Rodes, G-ordon and Bamseaur on the left, 
 successfully opposed Burnside and "Warren. 
 In the brief space of one hour the bloody bat- 
 tle of the 3d of June, 1864, was over, and 13,000 
 dead and wounded lay in front of the lines, be- 
 hind which little more than 1000 of the Confed- 
 erate forces had fallen." Grant ordered a re- 
 newal of the attack shortly afterwards, but the 
 men, silently protesting against the useless 
 slaughter to which they had been subjected, 
 refused to move. Thus the second great bat- 
 tle of Cold Harbor was ended, and the curtain 
 dropped upon the fifth and last act of Grant's 
 bloody drama, "On to Richmond," by the 
 
94 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 overland route. That part of the line occupied 
 by McGowan's brigade was not attacked, and 
 hence the sharpshooters had nothing to do but 
 guard the front and gather up fragments of 
 Hancock's broken columns as they scattered 
 out and came within their grasp. 
 
 "But the June of 1864," says a certain 
 Northern writer, " found Grant almost in sight 
 of the city, upon the very ground which McClel- 
 lan had held on the banks of the Chickahominy 
 two years before. Four times he had changed 
 the line of operations, chosen in obedience to 
 Lincoln's strong desife, on which he had de- 
 clared his intention to fight it out on this line 
 if it takes all summer. Four times he had re- 
 coiled from the attempt to force his way direct 
 to the rebel capital, for his indomitable and 
 watchful adversary ever barred the way. Once 
 more, on the morning of June 3d, he flung his 
 masses fiercely against the line held by Lee, 
 which ran across the very field of battle where 
 that general had won his first triumph over 
 McClellan. The result was so fearful and use- 
 less a slaughter that, according to the chief 
 Union historian, when later in the day orders 
 were issued to renew the assault, the whole 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 95 
 
 army, correctly appreciating what the in- 
 evitable result would be, silently disobeyed." 
 * * * " Not even the vast resources on which 
 he had power to draw could spare long 20,000 
 men a week for the continuance of the experi- 
 ment. He had lost in the first three weeks of 
 battle with Lee 60,000 men; and as Lee had 
 commenced the campaign with only 63,000, 
 Grant could not but reflect that had their armies 
 been equal Lee would not have left him a vestige 
 of his army with which to retreat." 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 BATTLE OF RIDDLE'S SHOPS. 
 
 Be stirring as the time ; be fire with fire ; 
 Threaten the threat'ner, and outface the brow 
 Of brag-g-ing horror : So shall inferior eyes, 
 That borrow their behaviors from, the great, 
 Grow great by your example, and put on 
 The dauntless spirit of resolution. 
 
 — Shakespeare. 
 
 Grrant now determined to lay siege to the 
 Confederate capital and accomplish its down- 
 fall by the slow process of investment, which 
 he had most signally failed to do in a deter- 
 mined campaign of more than thirty days in 
 the open field, and so began the movement of 
 his troops to that end. On the 7th of June, 
 Sheridan with two divisions of cavalry was 
 dispatched to cut the Virginia Central rail- 
 road, join Hunter at Charlottsville, and after 
 cutting off and destroying the sources of Con- 
 federate supply in that direction, to rejoin the 
 
98 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or. 
 
 Army of the Potomac "wherever it might 
 
 then be. 
 
 On the'lOfeh, Gilmore, with a strong force of 
 infantry, and Kautz's division of cavalry were 
 dispatched from Butler's army to capture 
 Petersburg and to destroy the railroads there,, 
 together with the bridges across the Appomat- 
 tox, thus to sever the lines of communication and 
 sources of supply in that direction. Both these- 
 expeditions. failed. Gen. Smith, with the 
 eighteenth army corps, was next ordered to- 
 Petersburg by water, via the White House, in 
 the hope that he might reach there before the- 
 Confederates were aware, and capture the city 
 in advance of the army. This expedition also 
 failed; 
 
 On the 12th, Warren's corps and Wilson's 
 cavalry crossed the Chickahominy at Long: 
 Bridge and moved to White Oak Swamp tO' 
 cover the passage of the other corps to the- 
 James. The advance corps of the Federal 
 column crossed the James river for Petersburg^ 
 at Charles City court house and Wilcox's. 
 Landing on the 13th, followed by a large parfe 
 of Grant's army. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 99- 
 
 Gen. Lee, of course, was advised of these 
 movements the instant they began, and promptly 
 reinforced Beauregard who was in command at 
 Petersburg. At the same time he began ta 
 crowd and harass Grant's rear. The Confed- 
 erate cavalry and the several battalions of 
 sharpshooters hung like a festering incubus 
 upon the retiring Unionists, persistently annoy- 
 ing their columns, and ever and anon precipi- 
 tating a sharp engagement — driving in their 
 covering detachments and capturing their men. 
 About this time Gen. James Connor, of 
 Charleston, S. C, was temporarily assigned to 
 the command of the brigade (Gen. McGowan 
 being still disabled by wounds received at 
 Sp.ottsylvania court house), and on the morning 
 of the 13th, at the request of Capt. Branson,, 
 relieved the sharpshooters from duty for one 
 day, to wash their shirts, which had not been 
 off their backs for more than five weeks. They 
 had about gotten their washing under good 
 headway when they were ordered to assemble- 
 and prepare to move at once. The battalion 
 was promptly formed and moved off, followed 
 by the brigade, and after a march of some 
 twelve miles through the woods and along ob- 
 
noo Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 •scure bypaths, the sharpshooters reached the 
 
 -Charles City road at or near Riddle's Shops. 
 
 Here they met Gen. Gary's brigade of cavalry 
 
 in full retreat before a heavy line of Federal 
 
 infantry. 
 
 Gen. Connor ordered the sharpshooters to 
 advance and feel the enemy, but be very cau- 
 tious and not go beyond supporting distance 
 from the brigade, which would follow in line of 
 battle. The battalion advanced at once, sup- 
 ported by one company of the line from the 
 fourteenth regiment in rear of the right flank. 
 It met the Federal skirmishers as they slowly 
 pursued the retiring horsemen, and drove them 
 back upon their main line, which was posted 
 behind an improvised line of breastworks built 
 of earth and fence rails. The company in re- 
 serve was now ordered up ; but before it could 
 be brought into line, the sharpshooters, led by 
 Hasell, whose company extended beyond the 
 Federal left, swung forward his right, and strik- 
 ing the enemy in flank drove him from cover. 
 
 The whole line now moved forward, and 
 ^iespite their obstinacy, drove the Federals 
 through the woods mile after mile to their 
 original position, recovering all the ground 
 
The Forefront of Battle. iol 
 
 that Gary had lost. About sunset Gen. Con- 
 nor ordered the battalion to halt and dig rifle 
 pits. The position on which the sharpshooters- 
 were ordered to halt was not at all satisfactory 
 to Gapt. Brunson, who discovered some dis- 
 tance in front a much more eligible position- 
 for a permanant line — a wooded hill which was 
 still in the hands of the enemy ; and therefore 
 dispatched a courier to Gen. Connor for per- 
 mission to charge the hill. Before the courier 
 had time to obtain the order and return, the 
 position was carried and the enemy driven 
 back upon a second and more formidable line 
 supported by a section of artillery. Here they 
 rallied and made a stand. The two battalions 
 of Scales and Thomas now came into line on 
 Branson's leffc; and, together, the three 
 battalions advanced to the attack. The 
 Federals received the sharpshooters with a gall- 
 ing fire from the full length of their line, and 
 turned loose their artillery with grape and can- 
 ister at short range. 
 
 Onward moved the beautiful line through the 
 leaden storm that swept the face of the hill, 
 until it was almost lost to view in the smoke of 
 the enemy's guns. So close was the fight that,. 
 
J02 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 viewed from a distance, the contending lines 
 seemed to merge, and for a moment the issues 
 seemed doubtful; but the Confederates were 
 determined. At this critical moment Hasell 
 -again swung forward his right across the road 
 -and struck the enemy squarely in flank, crush- 
 ing their line and closing upon their artillery, 
 which was almost within his grasp, when they 
 broke and fled the field in every direction. 
 The artillery made its escape by the opposite 
 •end of the road, which, but for the failure of 
 the left battalion to seize the road as Hasell had 
 done, would have fallen into our hands and 
 ■completed the already brilliant afiair. 
 
 Mght intervened and the sharpshooters were 
 withdrawn. 
 
 Gen. A. P. Hill had witnessed the operations 
 •of the day and complimented the battalion 
 very highly for the splendid successes 
 achieved. 
 
 The losses of the brigade in the battles of 
 Cold Harbor and Eiddle's Shops, which fell 
 almost exclusively upon the sharpshooters, 
 were only twenty-five men. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 FIRST BATTLES OF PETERSBURG; BEAU- 
 REGARD IN COMMAND. 
 
 " Soldiers of the South ! Defenders of our soil ! 
 Who from destruction save us ; who from spoil 
 Protect the sons of peace, who traffic or-who toil ; 
 Would I could duly praise you, that each deed 
 Your foes might honor, and your friends mig-ht read. " 
 
 By this time the entire army had been with- 
 drawn from the lines of Cold Harbor, and now 
 ■extended from the south bank of the Chicka- 
 hominy on the left to the neighborhood of Mal- 
 vern Hill on the right. On the 15th of June 
 McGowan's brigade was advanced a few hun- 
 dred yards and fortified — the sharpshooters in 
 front, but not disturbed. Here the troops en- 
 joyed for a few days a restful respite from the 
 arduous duties of the campaign. But the con- 
 stant exposure to sun and rain, scant rations, 
 lack of clothing, miserable water, miasma of 
 the swamps, and constant anxiety for the con,- 
 
I04 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or^ 
 
 tinued success of our arms, had begaa to tell 
 upon the health of the men. Numbers of them 
 were attacked with malarial fever, dysentery 
 and other forms of disease, and had to retire- 
 from the front ; some never more to return. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 17th the light divi- 
 sion, in obedience to orders, marched oflf in the- 
 direction of the James river, went into bivouac 
 about dark, resumed the march at daylight the 
 next morning, crossed the river on the pontoon* 
 at Drury's BluflF, and hurried on, as for the life 
 of the Southern Confederacy, toward Peters- 
 burg. The small force under Beauregard had 
 been confronted by the eighteenth army corps 
 under Smith and other Federal troops from 
 Butlers army on the 15th. Hancock and 
 Wright had joined Smith on the day following, 
 and the entire Union army seemed to be con- 
 centrating upon the lines of Petersburg. Al- 
 ready a part of Beauregard's outer line had 
 yielded to the weight of Grant's superior col- 
 umns, and the second and interior line attacked. 
 It therefore behooved the Southern commander 
 to hurry forward his troops with all possible- 
 dispatch to the rescue. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 105 
 
 The boom of distant cannon saluted the ears 
 of the light division the moment it emerged 
 from the valley of the James, and continued at 
 intervals throughout the day, as the division 
 pressed forward toward the scene of action. 
 The spirit of lofty patriotism alone sustained 
 the men as they struggled on through clouds of 
 dust, under a burning sun, in great distress, to 
 the point of conflict, and the exceeding scarcity 
 of water along the route added no little to the 
 suffering endured on this hurried march. The 
 head of the column met a train of box cars 
 about five miles out, and as many as were up 
 mounted the train and were soon landed in the 
 •city. Others came in during the night, and 
 others still, of less physical energy, did not re- 
 port until some time the next day. The divi- 
 sion reached Petersburg late in the afternoon 
 of the 18th, marched through the city to the 
 front, and went into position on the right of our 
 line. The right of McGrowan's brigade rested 
 on or near the Weldon railroad. The sharp- 
 shooters were ordered to the front and took 
 position some four hundred yards in advance 
 of the brigade, enjoyed a good night's rest, and 
 were ready for business the next morning. 
 
io6 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 Kershaw's division had arrived early in the 
 morning of the 18th, about 5000 strong, and two 
 hours later Field's division, of about the same 
 strength, had marched into Petersburg. 
 
 The arrival of these reinforcements surprised 
 the enemy and saved the city. Other troops 
 followed the light division, and very soon our 
 lines of defense were complete. 
 
 The past several days constituted an exceed- 
 ingly critical period for the Confederates in 
 their great struggle for independence ; and, but 
 for the masterful genius of Gen. Lee and the 
 sturdy valor of his veteran battalions, the 
 Southern cause must have suffered. 
 
 The city of Richmond was universally recog- 
 nized as the grand objective of the Federal 
 commander, notwithstanding the energy with 
 which he pressed his heavy columns against 
 the lines of Petersburg. These demonstrations 
 were regarded at first by the Confederate com- 
 mander as so many movements in strategy to 
 divert him from his purpose to defend the Con- 
 federate capital, and to scatter his forces, that 
 the gates might fall ajar and the downfall of 
 our citadel be accomplished before he was aware. 
 And there is but little doubt that these sur- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. lo^' 
 
 mises were correct as to the incipiency of this, 
 movement. But his sad experiences at Cold 
 Harbor and the failure of Butler's movement, 
 from Bermuda Hundred, led Gren. Grant to 
 convert his ruse de guerre into a genuine pur- 
 pose to reduce Petersburg. 
 
 Gren. Beauregard was in command of the 
 Confederate forces confronting Butler between 
 the rivers and covering Petersburg. He had 
 only about 2000 men south of the Appomattox 
 when the eighteenth army corps under Smith 
 confronted him east of the city on the 15th of 
 June ; and these were largely transient troops 
 and local militia, drawn out to a thread and 
 covering a line of some four or five miles in 
 length. Smith advanced to the attack about 
 8 o'clock in the morning, but was met by these 
 untrained Confederates with the resolute forti- 
 tude of veterans, and repulsed. Smith rein- 
 forced his columns of assault and repeated his 
 attacks again and again ; and as many times 
 was driven back with heavy loss. The enemy, 
 continuing to mass his columns toward the 
 center of the Confederate lines, pressed it more 
 and more, concentrating his heaviest assaults, 
 upon batteries five, six and seven. Thinned out 
 
io8 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 and exhausted as they were, the heroic Confed- 
 erates resisted still, with such unflinching 
 stubbornness as to equal the veterans of the 
 Army of Northern Virginia. Shortly after 7 
 o'clock p. m. the enemy entered a ravine 
 between batteries six and seven, flanked battery 
 five and made a breach in our lines. The fall 
 of Petersburg seemed inevitable. 
 
 Meanwhile the seriousness of the situation 
 had induced Gen. Beauregard to call for rein- 
 forcements again and again, which were not 
 furnished ; and the alternative was upon him, 
 either to withdraw troops from Butler's front, 
 between the rivers, or give up Petersburg. He 
 elected to hold Petersburg, and therefore 
 ordered Hoke to report at once with his 
 splendid division, which he did, and soon 
 marched into the city. These reinforcements 
 were shown their position, on a new line, a 
 short distance in rear of the captured works, 
 and were kept busy, with the other troops, all 
 night in throwing up breastworks. 
 
 Strange to say. Gen. Smith contented himself 
 with breaking the outer Confederate lines, and 
 attempted nothing further that night. Stranger 
 still was his inaction since Gen. Hancock with 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 109 
 
 Ms Strong and well equipped second army corps 
 had reached the city soon after dark. A little 
 later in the night Gen. Beauregard ascertained 
 that Gen. Burnside with the ninth Federal corps 
 was approaching the lines of Petersburg. He 
 further ordered Gen. Bushrod Johnson to with- 
 draw from Butler's front and march his division 
 as rapidly as possible to the assistance of 
 Petersburg. Johnson reported with his division 
 early on the morning of the 16th. Beauregard 
 now had an effective force of about 10,000 men, 
 which were confronted, after the arrival of 
 Burnside, by three full Federal army corps, 
 which mustered some 65,000 veterans. 
 
 Fortunately this heavy force was held inac- 
 tive during the day and did not attack until 5 
 o'clock in the afternoon. The Federals then 
 attacked with considerable vigor. The Con- 
 federates met them with great fortitude and re- 
 pulsed them again and . again for three mortal 
 hours. Finally Birney's division ofHancock's 
 corps broke into a part of our lines and effected 
 a lodgement. The contest was continued with 
 varying results long after nightfall, with ad- 
 vantage to the Confederates on the left and 
 
no Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 some serious loss on the right. It then slack- 
 ened and gradually came to an end. 
 
 In the meantime Butler had advanced from 
 Bermuda Hundred, seized and occupied the 
 Confederate works between the rivers, and "War- 
 ren's corps had been added to the forces in 
 front of Petersburg. The enemy now con- 
 fronted the 10,000 Confederates with an army 
 of some 80,000 men. Hostilities were resumed 
 early on the morning of the 17th. 
 
 Here quoting from Gfen. Beauregard : " Three 
 times were the Federals driven back, but they 
 as often resumed the offensive and held their 
 ground. About dusk a portion of the Confed- 
 erate lines was broken and the troops in that 
 quarter were about to be thrown into a panic, 
 which might have ended in irreparable disaster, 
 when happily * * * Grade's brigade of John- 
 son's division, consisting of about twelve hun- 
 dred men * * * came up from Chaffin's Bluff, 
 whence, at last, the war department had or- 
 dered it to move. It was promptly and oppor- 
 tunely thrown into the gap on the lines and 
 drove back the Federals, capturing about two 
 thousand prisoners. The conflict raged with 
 great fury until after 11 o'clock at night." 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 1 1 1 
 
 When the Federals had become quiet in his 
 front, Gren. Beauregard, realizing his inability 
 further to resist the immense Federal columns 
 concentrated in his front, and the peril of his 
 position, with his inadequate force on his ex- 
 tended lines, determined to withdraw during 
 the night to an inner, shorter, stronger and per- 
 manent line of works, which had been laid off 
 some distance in rear of his present position. 
 Accordingly, a while after midnight, he ordered 
 his picket lines advanced as far as possible 
 without provoking a conflict, his camp fires to 
 be lighted all along his lines, and the greatest 
 possible display to be made of his strength 
 and determination to continue the struggle at 
 this point, then withdrew to his interior lines 
 as aforesaid, and spent the remainder of the 
 night in strengthening his new position and 
 making preparations for a renewal of the con- 
 flict in the morning. 
 
 Meanwhile Gen. Lee had become convinced of 
 the seriousness of Grant's designs against 
 Petersburg and had sent forward to the support 
 of Beauregard the three splendid divisions of 
 Kershaw, Field and Wilcox, two of which 
 reached Petersburg early on the morning, the 
 
112 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 third late in the afternoon of the 18th. Before 
 these reinforcements were assigned their several 
 positions on the line, Gen. Lee himself ap- 
 peared and took command. 
 
 The Federals, however, advanced to the 
 attack early in the morning, but when they 
 came upon our deserted outer lines they were 
 surprised and disconcerted, and hence called 
 a halt to take new bearings. About 12 o'clock 
 m., or perhaps a little later, the grand attack 
 was made. The immense columns moved for- 
 ward in a half hearted, disconnected and des- 
 ultory manner, and were repulsed all along 
 the lines. 
 
 At 4 o'clock in the afternoon another grand 
 attack was made with Hancock's, Burnside's 
 and Warren's full corps, and, as Gen. Meade him- 
 self says, " Without success." And he adds, 
 " Later in the day attacks were made by the 
 fifth and ninth corps, with no better results." 
 
 The truth is, that despite the overwhelming 
 odds against us, every Federal assault on the 
 18th was met with most signal defeat, 
 " attended," as Swinton says, " with a mournful 
 loss of life." This was, in fact, very heavy, 
 and exceeded the Confederate loss in the pro- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 1 1 3; 
 
 portion of nine to one. Gen. Humphries, of 
 the Union army, in his Virginia campaign of 
 1864 and 1865 places the Union losses at 10,000 
 men killed, wounded and missing in the several 
 engagements from the 15 th to the 18th. 
 
 Gren. Grrant seemed to be satisfied that 
 further eflForts, at present, against the lines of 
 Petersburg would prove as disastrous to his- 
 army as previous attacks, and hence addressed 
 himself to rectifying, entrenching and protect- 
 ing his own lines. Therefore, everything be- 
 came quiet in front of Petersburg. When the 
 body of the Army of Northern Virginia had 
 concentrated in front of the five army corps 
 of Smith, Hancock, Burnside, Warren and 
 Wright, Gen. Beauregard conceived the plan 
 of massing the Confederate forces on the banks- 
 of the Appomattox, east of Petersburg, attack, 
 and break the Federal right, take their lines 
 in reverse and sweep them out before they 
 could fortify. This plan was suggested to the- 
 commanding general, but declined on the 
 ground of the great fatigue of the troops, and 
 the further objection that the defensive policy 
 theretofore pursued had been so successful and' 
 satisfactory, he thought it unwise to change to- 
 
1 14 Lee^s Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 the aggressive at this stage of the game. 
 Heaven forbid that the humble author should 
 presume to criticise the movements of any of our 
 great leaders in the " lost cause," much less to 
 tarnish the lustre of a single star that blazes in 
 the crown of glory, which, by universal verdict, 
 has been placed upon the brow of our immortal 
 chieftain ; yet, I am constrained to believe that 
 this was one of the few . errors committed by 
 the incomparable Lee. This conception of 
 Gren. Beauregard and the distinguished ability 
 with which he conducted the defense of Peters- 
 burg, if he had done nothing more, is sufficient 
 to stamp his name in high relief in the annals 
 -of our great struggle among the names of our 
 greatest Southern heroes. 
 
 To go back a little : On or about the 15th 
 of June Gen. Lee had despatched Early and 
 Breckinridge with a column of about 10,000 
 men to meet Gren. Hunter, who with a large 
 Federal force was marching up the Shenandoah 
 valley toward Lynchburg, laying waste the 
 •country as he advanced. Early met Hunter in 
 front of Lynchburg on the 18th, and sent him 
 scurrying down the valley to the Potomac. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 115 
 
 When Grant set out for the James, Lee threw 
 a corps of observation between him and Rich- 
 mond. Grrant moved his troops rapidly in 
 order to capture Petersburg by a cowp de main, 
 as heretofore recorded. On the night of the 
 15th Lee tented on the south side of the James, 
 near Drury's Bluflf. On the 16th and 17th, his 
 troops coming up, he superintended personally 
 the recapture of Beauregard's Bermuda Hun- 
 dred line, which had been seized by Butler's 
 forces as soon as Hoke and Bushrod Johnson 
 had been withdrawn. After taking the left of 
 the line evacuated by Beauregard, there re- 
 mained a portion, the approach to which was 
 more formidable. The order had been issued 
 to Gren. Anderson, commanding the corps, to re- 
 take this portion of the lines by joint assault 
 of Field's and Pickett's divisions. Soon after- 
 wards the engineers, upon a careful reconnois- 
 sance, decided that a good line could be occu- 
 pied without the loss of life which might result 
 from the recapture. The order to attack was 
 therefore withdrawn. This rescinding order 
 reached Field but failed to reach Pickett. 
 Pickett's division, therefore, began the assault 
 under the first order. The men of Field's divi- 
 
ii6 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 sion, hearing the firing and seeing Pickett's men 
 engaged, leaped from their trenches — first the 
 men, then the officers and flag bearers — rushed 
 forward and were soon in the formidable 
 trenches, which were held by only a small force. 
 Our lines, therefore, were complete and fully 
 occupied not only in front of Petersburg, but 
 also between the rivers and north of the James 
 covering Richmond. 
 
 Both armies were engaged for several days 
 in building and strengthening their respective 
 lines of protection and defense, with no fight- 
 ing save between the sharpshooters and oppos- 
 ing picket lines ; so that we had time to cast 
 about, take our bearings and note the attitude 
 of the armies and progress of the struggle. 
 
 We found that Butler had been re-bottled at 
 Bermuda Hundred, and the bottle re-corked ; 
 Hampton had met and defeated Sheridan at 
 Fravillians ; Early and Breckinridge had wiped 
 the earth, with Hunter, liberated the valley, and 
 were preparing to invade Maryland ; while Lee, 
 with Beauregard, Hill and Anderson, for the 
 sixth time had eflfectually circumvented Grant's 
 movements, and now stood between the Union 
 
The Forefront of Battle. - 117 
 
 army and the city of Petersburg ready for 
 battle. 
 
 The pertinacity with which the Federal com- 
 mander had pursued his purpose to overwhelm 
 and crush Lee, even in the face of failure and 
 defeat, had inspired the Federal administration 
 with a hope that, with the vast resources of the 
 government now pledged to his support. Grant 
 would finally destroy the Army of Northern 
 Virginia and seize the Confederate capital. 
 And so the siege was laid, the burrowing be- 
 gun, and "why should we war without the 
 walls of Troy." 
 
 The anti-war element had been silenced or 
 coerced, and the great North, now practically 
 an unit, stood pledged to the overthrow of the 
 Southern Confederacy. The earth and the full- 
 ness thereof had entered into a q^uasi-alliance 
 with the Federal government, and even the 
 forces of nature were laid under contribution to 
 compass the destruction of the South and her 
 institutions. 
 
 With will and muscle the spade, pick and 
 ax were plied with such vigor that within a 
 very few days there sprang up before the Con- 
 federates a vast cordon of redoubts of powerful 
 
ii8 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 profile, connected by heavy infantry parapets, 
 stretching from the south bank of the Appo- 
 mattox to the Jerusalem plank road, where 
 rested the Federal left. A military railroad 
 was constructed for the supply of the army and 
 the rapid transit of troops, beginning at City 
 Point and sweeping around the rear of Grant's 
 lines their full length. Telegraphic communi- 
 cation was established between the command- 
 ing general and every division and corps com- 
 mander, for the prompt transmission of orders 
 and instructions. 
 
 A tower, like unto that which was built some 
 years ago in the land of Shinar, suddenly rose 
 up from the depths of the forest in rear of 
 Grant's lines, and stood some 300 feet above 
 the tops of the tallest trees, to be occupied by 
 some faithful sentinel, and from which to ob- 
 serve and report the position and movements 
 of the different divisions of the Southern army. 
 The interval between the lines, and every 
 approach to the more vital points of their 
 works, especially, were covered with abatiSy 
 cheveaux de /rise and other entanglements, to 
 stay the Confederates and protect their own 
 troops in the event of an attack. And, besides- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 119. 
 
 all this, the sappers and miners of Barnside's 
 corps were busily engaged in the constructio» 
 of a mine, to be charged with 8000 pounds of 
 giant powder, for the purpose of blowing up 
 Fort Elliott — sometimes called Battery Pegram 
 — which occupied a strong salient on the Con- 
 federate left center, and supposed to be the 
 key to the whole position. 
 
 "Their wits larded with malice, and malice 
 forced with wit," day and night the work went 
 on. Notwithstanding these vast preparations 
 for the final struggle, and the concentration of 
 forces in his front, on the one hand, and the 
 depleted ranks of his own army, on the other 
 hand — to say nothing of the fatal paralysis 
 which had seized upon the extremities of his 
 own beloved South land — the great Lee, in the 
 full consciousness of the gravity of the situa- 
 tion, moved along the thin lines of his gaunt 
 and ragged but spirited battalions with the 
 mien of a master in the arts of war — that he 
 was — without the least apparent anxiety, as if 
 only waiting another opportunity to encounter 
 and defeat his adversary ; which he did time 
 and again, as his lines were assaulted here and 
 there, and day after day, for months to come. 
 
i20 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 The calm and dignified bearing of their be- 
 loved chieftain inspired the men with the same 
 Invincible determination to stand to their 
 colors and fight it out to the bitter end. The 
 alan of the Army of Northern Virginia was 
 never better. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 MAHONE'S FIGHT; SHARPSHOOTEKS EN- 
 GAGED ; WILSON AND KAUTZ RAID. 
 
 "A thousand glorious actions, that might claim 
 Triumphant laurels, and immortal fame, 
 Confused in crowds of glorious actions lie. 
 And troops of heroes undistinguished die." 
 
 Gen. Grant, having completed his fortifica- 
 tions to the Jerusalem plank road, as before 
 stated, was free to begin that series of attempts 
 against Lee's communications which, despite 
 his numerous and disastrous failures, he con- 
 tinued with slight intermissions to the end. 
 And hence, on Tuesday, the 21st day of June, he 
 ordered the second and sixth corps to move to 
 the left, and, maintaining connection with War- 
 ren's left, to swing forward west of the Jerusa- 
 lem plank road, and if possible to strike and 
 hold the Weldon railroad, while Wilson with 
 6000 sabres should gallop round the Confed- 
 .erate right, cut the Weldon railroad farther 
 
122 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 to the south ; thence, sweeping westward, strike 
 and sever Lee's communications by the South 
 Side and Danville railroads. The second corps 
 under Birney, after some sharp ekirmishing 
 with the Confederate cavalry, succeeded in tak- 
 ing position on Warren's left, and the sixth 
 corps, moving out behind the second, took 
 position to the left, but some distance in rear, 
 with its right slightly covering the left of the 
 second corps. But the next morning Grrant 
 discovered such an array of Confederate cavalry 
 confronting the sixth corps, that he suspended 
 his movement against the railroad and ordered 
 Birney to swing forward his left so as to en- 
 velope the Confederate right. Discovering this 
 change of plan, and the opportunity the new 
 movement would likely aflFord him to strike his 
 opponent a telling blow, Lee ordered Mahone 
 to take his own and two other brigades of An- 
 derson's division, pass along a certain ravine 
 that ran out from the Confederate right and 
 which would screen him from view, form his 
 line in the neighborhood of the Johnson house 
 and await Birney's swinging movement. A 
 section of artillery was to assist Mahone on the 
 left. By the time Mahome had gotten into 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 125, 
 
 position Biruey had so far progressed with his 
 movement — which was made without reference 
 to the sixth corps, and left an ever widening 
 gap between the two lines — that the naked flank 
 of the wheeling column stood almost directly 
 in front of Mahone's line, inviting attack. The- 
 gallant Yirginian was not the man to decline a. 
 good thing ; so, with the suddenness and swift- 
 ness that startles and paralyzes, Mahone's men 
 burst, " like a clap of thunder on a clear day,"" 
 upon Birney's flank. A rousing cheer and a 
 pealing volley awoke the echoes of the forest^ 
 and with a stream of wasting fire the brawny 
 veterans swept forward, shrivelling up brigade 
 after brigade and division after division as 
 lightning shrivels the autumn leaves. Cleav- 
 ing their fiery pathway diagonally across 
 Birney's front, and spreading dismay and de- 
 struction without check, they rolled up the- 
 second corps and swept it from the field. Four 
 pieces of artillery, eight standards and over 
 1700 prisoners, besides other trophies, fell into 
 the hands of Mahone's men in this brilliant 
 affair. Mahone returned to the lines soon after 
 dark. 
 
124 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 Gren. Wilcox was sent out at the same time 
 with the light division to relieve our cavalry 
 and attend to Gen. Wright and the sixth corps, 
 but for some reason, unknown to the writer, 
 failed to attack. When the division had 
 marched down the Weldon railroad some two 
 miles, however, it changed direction to the 
 east and approached the position occupied by 
 the sixth corps. The sharpshooters were 
 thrown forward and deployed across the nar- 
 row country road, along which the division 
 moved in column of route, and were ordered to 
 advance until they reached a small farm house, 
 which Gen. Wilcox discovered some distance in 
 front. 
 
 The battalion moved forward at once, and 
 with difficulty made its way through the tangled 
 brushwood. Watson's company soon became 
 engaged ; but with his usual promptness and 
 gallantry, that accomplished young officer 
 drove the enemy's sharpshooters before him, 
 slightly breaking his connection with the bat- 
 talion; which meeting no opposition on the 
 right of the road, outmarched him. When 
 Watson recovered his position on the line, 
 however, he had somewhat lost his temper and 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 125'. 
 
 began to upbraid his commander and comrades 
 on the right for deserting him in the hour of 
 need; but when they assured him of their con^ 
 fidence in his ability to take care of himself; 
 and furthermore, that in this instance his action 
 was so prompt and successful, " they supposedi 
 that he had only encountered a flock of wild 
 turkeys, which they saw flying from his front," 
 he withdrew his complaint, and with a smile 
 on his countenance resumed his place in line. 
 Continuing the advance, the battalion sooa 
 found larger game, well covered by a line of 
 breastworks near the farmhouse on which it 
 was ordered to advance, and with a right good 
 will went at it with a yell and a charge. 
 
 The line of battle from behind the breast- 
 works received the charge with a galling fire, 
 which surprised the sharpshooters and caused 
 them to stagger and recoil. The assault was 
 renewed again and again, and maintained with 
 great gallantry by the sharpshooters for more 
 than an hour, but was finally repulsed with 
 considerable loss, Capt. Brunson himself re- 
 ceiving a painful wound in the foot, which 
 caused him to retire, and from which he was 
 disabled for service for some two months. The 
 
126 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 command of the battalion, therefore, devolved 
 upon Capt. Hasell, who dropped back to a safe 
 position, from which he continued the fire and 
 contented himself with holding the Federal 
 sharpshooters close under their guns. The di- 
 vision was withdrawn after dark without a 
 fight, and returned to its position on the lines, 
 leaving the sharpshooters to cover the move- 
 ment. The failure of the light division to 
 attack may have been a part of the program : 
 to hold the attention of Wright while Mahone 
 skinned Birney. 
 
 The enemy soon discovered the absence of 
 the division ; and, knowing the insufficiency 
 of the slender line in front, advanced upon 
 the sharpshooters and drove them back: 
 biit not being satisfied with this, concluded 
 to cut them off from the road in their rear 
 — which was their only way of escape — and 
 capture the whole command. The darkness 
 was intense and the underbrush thick and 
 tangled, yet, when the purpose of the enemy 
 was discovered, the sharpshooters delivered a 
 stinging volley and made a dash for the road, 
 with the Federals upon each flank and close 
 upon their heels. A furious race ensued, in 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 127 
 
 which a number of vicious curs from the Fed- 
 eral liaes participated, but the light weighted, 
 clean heeled Confederates won by half a neck, 
 and made good their escape to the main lines. 
 
 The brigade lost in this expedition, while 
 lying under fire, and in the part played by the 
 sharpshooters, some thirty-five or forty men, 
 more than half of whom were sharpshooters. 
 
 On the same day Wilson struck the Weldon 
 railroad at Ream's Station and destroyed the 
 track for several miles ; then pushed on to the 
 South Side railroad. Having sent Kautz to 
 Burkville, he (Wilson) was assailed by the 
 Confederate cavalry under W. H. F. Lee and 
 the road wrested from destruction. He then 
 made a dash for Meherrin, on the Richmond 
 and Danville railroad, where, uniting with 
 Kautz, the two struck out for the Staunton 
 river bridge. Here the local militia defended 
 the bridge with great gallantry and held Wil- 
 son in check until Lee again interposed his 
 fiery squadrons, when Wilson was again de- 
 feated. Lee pursued his retreating columns as 
 they fled before him, now in the direction of 
 Petersburg. Hampton, from the north side of 
 the James, joined Lee in the pursuit at Sap- 
 
128 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 pony church, where Wilson was inclined to 
 make a stand ; but discovering the increased 
 number of his pursuers, spurred onward toward 
 Ream's Station. The chase now became wild 
 and exciting. Mahone, with two brigades of 
 infantry and two batteries of artillery, had 
 been hurried forward to Ream's Station for the 
 purpose of intercepting the raiders, and now 
 stood squarely across their line of retreat. But 
 Wilson, discovering the trap set for him, 
 abandoned his artillery, set fire to his trains, 
 and ridding himself of all unnecessary impedi- 
 menta, eluded the grasp of the Confederates 
 and made good his escape to Grant's lines, 
 with the additional loss of a few hundred 
 prisoners. 
 
 Maj. J. T. Brame, of Helena, Ark., one of 
 the boys who participated in the gallant defense 
 of Staunton river bridge, thus describes that 
 encounter : 
 
 Hei,Bna, Akk., March 25, 1899. 
 Coi,. W. S. DUNi,OP, I<ittle Rock, Ark. 
 
 Dear Sir and Comrade : At your request I send you a 
 few notes drawn altogether from memory, and bearing on 
 events leading up to and including the battle of Staunton 
 river bridge, which was fought on the 17th of June, 
 1864. I do not remember that I have ever seen, since the 
 war, any mention of this battle in print, though for in- 
 equality of numbers, and a further fact that an over- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 129-- 
 
 whelming force of veterans were pitted against a handful^ 
 of inexperienced boys, and the further fact that the supe- 
 rior force was not only held at bay, but defeated with 
 heavy loss, and that they (the enemy) utterly failed in 
 every assault made to break our line, I think that under 
 the circumstances this fight should rank under the most 
 desperate minor engagem.ents of the war. The first regi- 
 ment of Virginia reserves, commanded by Col. B. F. 
 Farenholt, and numbering about six hundred, composed, 
 mostly of boys under eighteen years of age, was en- 
 camped on the south side of Staunton river, about seventy- 
 miles from Richmond. On the south side of the river the 
 hills rose almost abruptly from the water's edge. On- 
 said hills we had planted a few pieces of obsolete artillery ,. 
 which proved in the coming battle to be a disadvantage- 
 to us for want of experienced gunners, as several times 
 in firing, while using grape and schrapnell, they fired too- 
 low, thus endangering our own men. On the north side 
 of the river there was a level bottom perhaps three-quar-- 
 ters of a mile wide, with hills beyond. Through this- 
 level stretch of bottom land had been cut four or five 
 ditches which ran parallel with the river. Said ditches . 
 were perhaps two miles long and four or five feet deep. 
 So much for the lay of the field. 
 
 About two days prior to the battle our commander re- 
 ceived information that a large force of Federal cavalry 
 and field artillery had gotten in the rear of Gen. Lee's 
 army, and were rapidly approaching with the intention of " 
 burning the bridge and destroying the Richmond and 
 Danville railroad. Our force was at once thrown across- 
 the river, where we soon threw up a slight line of earth 
 works on each side of and at right angles to the railroad . 
 bridge. About 2 p. m. the Federals got six or eight, 
 pieces of artillery planted on the hills, about one mile inr- 
 front of us, and commenced shelling. In the meantime- 
 their cavalry had dismounted and made their way unseen 
 by us to the head of the aforementioned ditches, got in- 
 them and marched down opposite our line. They then> 
 charged, coming three columns deep at once. We sue-- 
 
13° Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 ■ceeded in beating them back as often as they came. It 
 was charge after charge from 3 o'clock till dark. We 
 often fought across the breastworks, but never did they 
 succeed in breaking our line. The artillery in the mean- 
 time kept up a continuous fire, and many times it looked 
 as if it were folly for us to longer resist. The Federals 
 were armed with the latest make of improved Henry re- 
 peating rifles, the first we had ever seen, and quite a 
 number of which we captured. Late in the evening of 
 the second day we noticed a cloud of dust in a north- 
 westerly direction ; whether friend or foe we knew not. 
 Friends they proved to be, and we soon saw our enemy in 
 full retreat. After burning the railroad depot at Roanoke 
 they continued a running fight with the cavalry command 
 of Gen. W. H. F. Lee, who had given us such timely succor. 
 The Federals were under command of Gen. Wilson, and 
 we learned that they numbered about five thousand. The 
 loss on the Federal side was very heavy both in killed 
 and wounded. I there saw wounded men who could not 
 -speak the English language — mercenaries, of course. 
 Was it any wonder that we were finally overpowered ? I 
 do not remember our exact loss, but the army records 
 should show exact numbers engaged and losses on both 
 sides. Had Gen. Wilson succeeded in burning the bridge 
 the war would have been at an end so far as the Army of 
 Virginia was concerned, as Gen. Lee could have gotten 
 neither supplies or ammunition. The Richmond and 
 Danville was the only railroad open from Richmond 
 south, the Petersburg and Weldon railroad having been 
 captured by the Federals. A few days after the fight I 
 heard Gen. Walker say to a field officer of our regiment 
 that had our command been composed of veterans we 
 would not have held out an hour ; that the Federals had 
 us whipped often during the engagement, but did not 
 know it ; and that owing to our inexperience we did not 
 know when we were whipped, but held on with bulldog 
 -tenacity till the last. He did not give us credit for any 
 unusual amount of bravery, but thought it more a lack of 
 sense of danger, or rather the foolhardiness of youth. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 131 
 
 At any rate the bridge was saved and communication 
 with Lee's army maintained. If you can make the above 
 or any part of it of use to you, you are welcome to use 
 it as you may see fit. 
 
 With kindest regards, I am very truly yours, 
 
 J. T. Bramb. 
 
 On the 23d McGowan'a larigade was moved 
 about a mile to the left, and took position on 
 the right of Bushrod Johnson's division, where 
 the hostile lines approached much more closely 
 together. The change was made in daylight, 
 in full view of the enemy on our left, who 
 opened on the brigade an enfilading fire from 
 one of his batteries, as it approached the 
 works. A rapid plunge into the works behind 
 the traverses saved the brigade from any casu- 
 alties. The sharpshooters were ordered to the 
 front, and, deploying in the trenches, dashed 
 forward and threw themselves into the rifle pits 
 without loss. Here the two skirmish lines 
 were uncomfortably near to each other, and 
 opened at once, and maintained a sharp fire, 
 day and night, for about a week; which re- 
 sulted in considerable loss to both sides. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 30th McGrowan's and 
 Lane's brigades received orders to prepare for 
 a move to the north side of the James. Accord- 
 
132 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 ingly, as the shadows of night began to settle 
 upon the beleaguered city, the two brigades 
 withdrew from the lines, marched through 
 Petersburg, crossed the Appomattox, and 
 moved off ^Se^ Richmond. All night long in 
 great suffering this blear eyed, struggling col- 
 umn pressed forward along the dusty roads to- 
 ward their destination. Bearing eastward from 
 the Richmond and Petersburg railroad, we 
 crossed the James at Drury's Bluff early the 
 following morning, and reached the lines at 
 Chaffin's farm about 10 o'clock, completely 
 broken down. McGfowan's brigade took posi- 
 tion on the line with its right resting on Fort 
 Harrison, with Lane's brigade on the left — re- 
 lieving Heth's division, which moved off for 
 Petersburg. The sharpshooters were thrown 
 forward some three or four hundred yards in 
 front; and, there being no enemy present, dis- 
 posed themselves for a season of quiet and re- 
 pose, and for several weeks were not disturbed. 
 
 Having recovered from a protracted spell of 
 sickness, I returned to the front about the 1st 
 of July and resumed command of the battalion. 
 
 Beside the small force of cavalry on our left, 
 and the garrisons of Forts Harrison, Gillmore, 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 1 33 
 
 Chaffin's Bluff and the supporting batteries 
 along the river, there were no troops on the 
 north side other than the two brigades of Mc- 
 Gowan and Lane, except the Richmond city 
 battalion and perhaps a few regiments of re- 
 serves. Notwithstanding our small force, we 
 felt ourselves strong enough (in the absence of 
 the enemy) to hold the position at all hazards, 
 and for the first time in two months we un- 
 buckled our armor, relaxed our high nervous 
 tension and laid ourselves down to rest. The 
 days were hot but the nights were delightful ; 
 hence we had no occasion to invoke the aid of 
 Morpheus or other somnolent deity to steal 
 away our senses and soothe us to sleep ; for 
 nature was exhausted, and we had not a care. 
 
 Caldwell, in his history of McQ-owan's brig- 
 ade, in describing the condition of the troops at 
 this period, says : 
 
 " The contentment of the troops here was a 
 sad commentary on their previous existence. 
 We had no tents except scraps of Yankee flies ; 
 we were fed on wretched bacon, wormy peas 
 and cornmeal, with a small, sprinkling of coffee ; 
 we lacked shoes and clothing; we were ex- 
 posed to great heat and kept constantly on 
 
134 Lee's Skarf shooters ; or, 
 
 some sort of duty ; yet we constructed arbors 
 of branches, picked blackberries, smoked pipes 
 (when we had tobacco), and felt very comfort- 
 able indeed. We did not envy the city 
 battalion their fine clothes ; we did not envy 
 the heavy artillery their vegetable gardens or 
 their pig pens ; we did not even envy the boat 
 hands on the river, who fattened on government 
 bacon ; we were perfectly satisfied to be left in 
 the shade for a while. * * * But in spite' 
 of the one-third pound of crawling bacon, the- 
 pint of cornmeal, and the peas alive with worms,^ 
 we improved wonderfully both in mind and 
 body. Our numbers also increased by the re- 
 turn of recovered sick and wounded, so that 
 the brigade now numbered about a thousand 
 men, all told." 
 
 The sharpshooters, however, were not 
 seriously aflfected by the scarcity or poor 
 quality of grub furnished the army ; for, be it 
 known, they were just as faithful foragers as 
 they were furious fighters. A chicken, turkey, 
 goose or pig, prowling about their camp or 
 picket lines, night or day, or trespassing upon: 
 the territory over which they exercised juris- 
 diction, was in just as much danger as the full 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 135 
 
 panoplied blnecoat who was so unfortunate as 
 to fall within their clutches. 
 
 During this lull in active hostilities they 
 traversed the country for miles around in quest 
 of food to supplement their rations ; and if per- 
 chance they should stumble on a Yankee, they 
 took him in, all the same. Lying along th& 
 James river in front of our lines was a large 
 field of wheat just ready for the harvest, but it 
 lay immediately under the guns of Butler's 
 men of war patrolling the river and protecting 
 his operations in Dutch Gap canal, and the 
 Federals laid claim to the entire crop by virtue 
 of the rights of conquest. The sharpshooters,, 
 however, were not disposed to respect their 
 rights, and ever and anon would slip into the 
 field and gather sufficient wheat to cover, in ex- 
 change at the mills, a peck or half a bushel of 
 flour. 
 
 On one occasion, during our stay here, John 
 Parrott, Isaac Daley, James Wood, Crockett 
 
 Henderson and Bundricks slipped out to 
 
 get a turn of wheat. When they reached the 
 edge of the field they discovered' one of But- 
 ler's best equipped boats lying in the river 
 alongside of the field and covering with its 
 
=336 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 'heavy guns every acre of wheat ; they also had 
 three men stationed as sentinels on the yard 
 arms near the top of the main mast, to watch, 
 -and report to the gunners below, any trespasser 
 who might enter the field. 
 
 They (the sharpshooters) also discovered a 
 large ditch 6x6 feet in width and depth, run- 
 ning diagonally across the field from the road 
 where they stood to the bank of the river, a 
 little above where the boat lay. 
 
 Henderson and Bundricks were, by agree- 
 ment, set oflF to cut wheat, while Parrott, Daley 
 and Wood should slip down the. ditch and 
 attend to the sentinels on the boat. They 
 ^reached a point not exceeding 400 yards from 
 >the boat, when, by lot, it was determined that 
 •Parrott should pick off the top man and Daly 
 and Wood the other two. At a given signal 
 they all fired, and the three men dropped from 
 the rigging as if struck by lightning. The 
 guns of the boat were opened on the ditch and 
 the field, but the boys got their wheat and 
 made good their escape to our lines. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 BATTLE OF LONG BRIDGE, OR DEEP 
 BOTTOM. 
 
 "The death-shot hissing- from afar — 
 The shock — the shout — the groan of war — 
 Reverberate along- the vale, 
 More suited to the shepherd's tale : 
 Though few the numbers — their's the strife, 
 That neither spares, nor speaks for life." 
 
 On the 23d of Jaly Kershaw's division ar- 
 rived from Petersburg and joined ns on the 
 right, bat moved to our left the next day to 
 meet a demonstration of the enemy, who had 
 also returned in considerable force to the north 
 side of the James. There was some manoeuvre- 
 ing of troops on our lines for several days, 
 which finally resulted in a collision on the 28 th. 
 Early in the morning McGowan's brigade with- 
 drew from the lines and moved rapidly to the 
 left, passing in. rear of Kershaw's division, 
 which now occupied the trenches from the 
 Williamsburg road to Fussell's Mill. The 
 
138 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 Federal batteries were playing on Kershaw's 
 lines, and occasionally dropped a shell into the 
 road along which we moved, but without dam- 
 age. Lane's brigade was in front, and a short 
 distance beyond the mill formed to the right 
 into line. McGowan's brigade, following by 
 the same movement, formed on Lane's left. It 
 now transpired that the enemy's designs were 
 against the Confederate left ; Kershaw there- 
 fore moved and formed to the left of McGrowan. 
 Skirmishers were thrown forward, and a short 
 distance in front became engaged. The line of 
 battle now advanced through the swamp and 
 tangled underbrush. The numerous difficulties 
 and exceeding roughness of the ground over 
 which the lines moved soon resulted in the 
 separation of brigades one from the other, and 
 even the different regiments lost connection 
 with their neighbors, right and left. All moved 
 forward, however, and each went at whatever 
 appeared in front. The enemy gave way be- 
 fore the determined Confederates as they tore 
 and plunged through the tangled woods. 
 McGowan's brigade soon cleared the woods and 
 entered a cornfield, where the vigor of their 
 assault was increased. The Federals gave way 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 139 
 
 before the furious onset of the gallant Caro- 
 linians, leaving one piece of artillery in our 
 hands, the honor of capturing which both the 
 twelfth and thirteenth regiments claimed. 
 Reaching a skirt of timber beyond the corn- 
 field, the retiring Federals rallied and reformed. 
 The brigade halted in the valley to retake its 
 bearings, water, and adjust its alignment. 
 
 Meanwhile Lane's brigade came struggling 
 forward through the swamps on the right, en- 
 deavoring to recover its connection with McGrow- 
 an's line. It came up just in time to strike the 
 enemy a vigorous blow and save McGowan's 
 right. Smarting under the stinging fire which 
 the Federals had poured into its naked flank, 
 just as Lane struck and drove them back, and 
 before the North Carolinians had made the con- 
 nection sought, McGowan's brigade again 
 moved to the attack, followed by Lane. The 
 enemy received the charge with a galling fire 
 which caused the brigade to stagger. Seeing 
 the eflfect of their fire upon McGrowan's line, and 
 discovering the interval between the two brig- 
 ades, the enemy inserted between the two an 
 active, compact body of riflemen, which struck 
 first one and then the other brigade in the flank. 
 
140 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 driving them farther and farther apart, while a 
 heavy column moved directly against each 
 brigade, and drove them one after the other 
 from the field, and recovered their original posi- 
 tion. Kershaw] was more successful on the left, 
 and drove his opponents from one position 
 after another, until ordered to desist. 
 
 Gen. Connor, who was in command of Mc- 
 Gowan's brigade, was greatly mortified at the 
 failure of his last attack, but attributed his 
 defeat to the difficulties of the field and the 
 failure of his regimental commanders to observe 
 the movements of the battalion of direction, to 
 which they should have conformed, but failed 
 to do. The lines were reformed with consider- 
 able difficulty on the original position. About 
 this time the battalion of sharpshooters, which 
 had been left on picket, reached the field and 
 was ordered to the front. We deployed and 
 advanced, and struck the advance line of the 
 enemy some three hundred yards in front of 
 the brigade, and opened. The familiar cry of 
 our deadly rifles, reverberating through the 
 forests, fell upon the ears of our comrades of 
 the main line like vesper music at the close of 
 day, and contributed materially to the restora- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 141 
 
 tion of order. In a little while the formation 
 of the regiments was complete and the brigade 
 stood ready to meet the enemy in the event of 
 an attack, which seemed imminent. 
 
 The Federal advance line responded to our 
 fire with spirit, but the deliberate and accurate 
 aim of these trained riflemen soon began to 
 puncture their resolution as well as their ranks, 
 when they began to yield. The sharpshooters 
 steadily pressed them back until night inter- 
 vened, when they were recalled, and both sides 
 retired to their respective original positions on 
 the general line. The loss of the brigade, in- 
 cluding the few casualties in the sharpshooters, 
 was 239 officers and men — in killed, wounded 
 and missing. 
 
 The Confederates had failed to recover pos- 
 session of the Long Bridge road across Deep 
 Bottom, which was their objective, and the 
 Federals had failed to gain ground on our left 
 towards Eichmond, which was their purpose ; 
 hence both sides were defeated. 
 
 Nothing of importance was done on the 29th. 
 There was some shifting of positions on the 
 30th and 31st, but all finally settled in their 
 same positions on the line — the sharpshooters 
 
142 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 in front. Here we remained again without 
 disturbance for ten days or two weeks, with 
 nothing to do beyond the quiet routine of com- 
 pany drills, dress parade and picket duty. 
 
 About this time an expedition was planned 
 against Butler's forces, now busily engaged in 
 the construQtion of the Dutch Gap canal. Our 
 artillery, supported by a strong detachment of 
 infantry, was to move out under cover of dark- 
 ness to a strong position selected by scouts, 
 surprise and attack the gunboats supporting 
 the working force, drive them off or sink them, 
 and thus put a stop to the work. 
 
 Accordingly, late in the afternoon of the 11th 
 of August, the two brigades of McQ-owan and 
 Lane were sent some distance in advance of the 
 fortifications, with instructions to entrench dur- 
 ing the night, and on the next morning to sup- 
 port and assist the artillery in dispersing the 
 Federal squadron. "We took our position and 
 made every preparation for the work assigned 
 us, but for some reason, unknown to the writer, 
 the es:pedition was abandoned ; and after re- 
 ceiving a good shelling from the Federal gun- 
 boats, the brigades returned to the lines, with 
 the loss of several men. Upon our return to 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 143 
 
 the works we found that Field's division ha4 
 arrived from Petersburg, and now occupied the 
 position of Kershaw's division, next on our left, 
 Kershaw returning to Petersburg. 
 
 Late in ,the afternoon of the 13th the enemy 
 appeared in large force in front of Field's divi- 
 sion, and early the next morning advanced and 
 drove in his skirmishers and occupied their 
 line. Mcfirowan's skirmishers, being left with- 
 out support on that flank, also retired upon the 
 brigade. The sharpshooters, who were off duty 
 at the time, were ordered out with instructions 
 to re-occ,upy the line abandoned, which they 
 did. 
 
 This line was upwards of half a mile in ad- 
 vance of the breastworks and covered by thick 
 woods. But, when we took position, it was 
 discovered th,at our left flank rested mid air, 
 near the edge of an open fleld, in which there 
 stood a large two story frame tenement house, 
 just beyond which in the field and on the same 
 line, the enemy had planted a four gun bat- 
 tery; which, with their skirmishers in front, 
 had opened fire on Field's line. Their line of 
 battle was in the woods a short distance in the 
 rear, where they were making preparations to 
 
144 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 fortify. To guard against a movement against 
 our flank or rear, now so invitingly exposed to 
 attack, Sergts. Hawthorn and Benson (B. K.) 
 with one other — whose name I cannot recall — 
 were ordered to take position in the house, and 
 observe closely every movement of the enemy 
 and to report promptly any disposition shown 
 to disturb our flank. When they reached the 
 house and surveyed the field, it was discovered 
 that the Federal battery was not more 
 than four or five hundred yards off and could 
 be easily reached with their long range rifles ; 
 and they began at once to tease and fret the 
 artillerists by picking off their men and 
 horses. 
 
 The effect of their unerring aim was so pun- 
 gent and disastrous that the artillerists turned 
 their guns upon the house, to dislodge them. 
 But the ready witted sharpshooters evaded the 
 effect of their shells by dropping into the base- 
 ment while the artillerists fired ; then, mount- 
 ing the second story while they loaded, they 
 let them have it again. This movement was 
 repeated again and again, and the sharpshoot- 
 ing continued so persistently and with such 
 fatal effect that the artillerists could stand it 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 145-, 
 
 no longer, and hence began to limber their guns 
 for a change of position. Instantly, upon the 
 discovery of this movement, the trio sounded 
 the charge, raised the Confederate battle cry,, 
 and at a full run — yelling and firing as they 
 ran — made for the battery ; the battery, at a 
 sweeping gallop, made for the rear ; and charg- 
 ing through under whip and spur, broke and 
 stampeded the line of battle ; when the whole 
 force — artillery, infantry and engineering corps- 
 fled the field, in wildest panic, pursued by the- 
 three Confederate dare devils, leaving the 
 ground literally covered with cartridge boxes,, 
 knapsacks, haversacks, oil cloths, fly tents, 
 cooking utensils and ditching tools. Each mani 
 returned with a prisoner or two and loaded 
 down with valuable plunder. A detail was- 
 made from the battalion and sent out, which 
 soon returned with a complete outfit for the en- 
 tire command. 
 
 The sharpshooters were not otherwise en- 
 gaged, and Field's division was relieved of fur- 
 ther annoyance. 
 
 Of course, the ferocious bellowing of these- 
 audaoious sharpshooters impressed the Fed- 
 erals with the conviction that Field's whole- 
 
1^6 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 ■division in front, with McGrowan and Lane on 
 
 their flank, were after them; otherwise the 
 
 three sharpshooters would have been 
 .gobbled up. 
 
 The 15th was a day of perfect quiet along 
 
 our lines; the sharpshooters were relieved 
 -about 9 o'clock in the morning and dr9pped 
 
 43ack in the rear to rest. 
 
 " It is a sultry day ; the sun has drunk 
 The dew that lay upon the moruingf grass ; 
 There is no rustling in the lofty pines 
 That canopies our bivouac, and their shade 
 Scarce cools us. ^11 is silent, save the fa.int 
 And uninterrupted murmur of the bee, 
 Settling on the sick flowers, and then again 
 Jnstautly on the wing, is gone." 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 BATTLES OF FUSSELL'S MILL. 
 
 On the morning of the 16th a courier reported 
 the enemy, in strong force, again moving 
 against our left. "We moved at once, and rap- 
 idly, to the left ; passing in rear of Field's di- 
 vision, the two brigades of McGowan and Lane 
 went into line of battle on his left — ^Lane first, 
 and McQ^owan on the left of Lane. McG-owan's 
 brigade was deployed into one rank, to cover 
 the Federal front and to intercept any move- 
 ment that might be made against our flank. 
 
 The sharpshooters were deployed and ad- 
 vanced, and soon became engaged. The main 
 attack, however, was made on the right against 
 Field and Lane. The enemy massed a heavy 
 column in front of Field, charged and drove 
 the Confederates from their works . McGf-owan 's 
 brigade was withdrawn from the left and hur- 
 ried to the rescue. 
 
148 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or. 
 
 The brigade, forming into two ranks as it 
 marched, moved rapidly to the right, in rear of 
 the lines, a distance of about half a mile — halt- 
 ing about opposite the captured works. 
 
 Here it was fronted and ordered to advance. 
 The works, now in the hands of the enemy, ran 
 obliquely across McGowan's front, approaching 
 his line more closely on the left than on the 
 right. The brigade advanced in splendid 
 order, but with great caution, for the strength 
 and position of the Federals were not definitely 
 known. 
 
 The enemy opened on the advancing line at 
 long range, and were answered by a slow and 
 deliberate fire. 
 
 The twelfth regiment, which was on the left, 
 first struck the works, and by a desperate 
 plunge, succeeded in driving the enemy out. 
 But the other regiments failing to carry their 
 part of the works, the Federals turned a with- 
 ering fire into the naked flank of the regiment 
 and drove it out. This was repeated the sec- 
 ond time with the same results. The gallant 
 regiment, again rallying on the brigade, pushed 
 forward with unabated ardor in a third assault ; 
 when the whole brigade was repulsed, leaving 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 149 
 
 their killed and wounded between the lines. 
 Rallying again a short distance back, and hear- 
 ing their wounded comrades calling to them to 
 charge, a wild impulse of desperate determina- 
 tion seized the entire brigade, when it rushed 
 forward against the fortifications, stormed out 
 the dense lines crowded there, and slew them 
 by scores and hundreds as they fled in irre- 
 trievable panic. There had been two lines of 
 Federals crowded into the works — one of whites 
 and one of blacks — numbers of whom fell into 
 our hands, with an immense amount of plunder. 
 
 After a few faint attempts to retake the 
 works, the enemy sued for a truce to bury their 
 dead, which was granted. And so the battle 
 of Fussell's Mill was ended. 
 
 The sharpshooters held the Confederate left 
 against every assault, and justly claimed a fair 
 pro rata of the honors won by the gallant 
 brigade and other troops engaged. 
 
 Gen. Lee was present in person during the 
 action, and pronounced the results a brilliant 
 victory to Southern arms. The brigade lost in 
 killed, wounded and missing, including the 
 casualties in the sharpshooters, 119 officers and 
 men. 
 
150 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 On the next day the brigade moved some 
 distance to the left, and Gen. Hampton, with a 
 strong division of cav&lry, moved round on 
 the Federal right and made an attack — for 
 what purpose and with what results, I am not 
 informed. This I know, however, that at the 
 very hour when Hampton's guns were thunder- 
 ing aWay to the left, the sharpshooters were 
 ordered to advance. We drove forward, struck 
 and routed the Federal sharpshooters, and sent 
 them scurrying through the woods to cover of 
 their main line. Here we found their main 
 line of battle fully intrenched behind a solid 
 line of earth works, protected by acres of 
 abatis and defended by a solid line of infantry, 
 with here and there a field piece placed in bat- 
 tery along the line of works. "We halted at 
 the edge of the abatis and engaged the line of 
 battle ; which, from the confusion produced by 
 our fire, I am satisfied we could have carried 
 but for the entanglements in front, and the or- 
 ders of the brigade commander, restraining fur- 
 ther effort. 
 
 Oar line of battle was not advanced, and the 
 sharpshooters were at length withdrawn. We 
 lost seven men in this encounter. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 1 5 v 
 
 Late in the afternoon of the same day, Lane's- 
 brigade joinied McGowan on the right; and 
 Major Wooten with his sharpshooters united 
 with us iii front, when both battalions were 
 ordered to advance. We moved forward again,, 
 with somewhat of caution, upon their breast- 
 works, but found the enemy gone. There were 
 evidences of a hasty withdrawal all along the- 
 works, and we quickened our pace and pur- 
 sued. "We overtook their rear guard some dis- 
 tance back and openied fire. The Federals re- 
 sponded with spirit but continued to retreat. 
 We pressed forward and drove them mile after 
 mile through the forests of Deep Bottom, until 
 the shadows of evening began to settle down, 
 upon the dark valley, when the lines were 
 ordered to halt. A consultation Was held 
 between the two battalion commanders as to 
 what should be done for the protection of our 
 lines in their advanced and isolated position, 
 in the absence of orders ; and it was determined 
 to post a stroflg chain of videtties and bivouac- 
 in line^— rifles in hand— rintil morning, or until 
 orders should reach us. Wooten's scouts, who- 
 had been sent forward to reconnoitre, returned 
 and reported the enemy gone. To make assur- 
 
J52 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 ance doubly sure, I concluded to take a view 
 of the front in person, and so advanced some 
 hundred yards or more along a narrow path 
 leading to the front, when the cry of two wicked 
 JFederal rifles a short distance in front, and the 
 whistling of bullets, reminded me of danger, 
 and I beat a hasty retreat to the lines. Orders 
 were now received, and the sharpshooters with- 
 ^3rew to their proper position in front of the 
 brigades. 
 
 The next day M. F. Hawthorn and J. Gr. 
 liove, with one other — whose name I cannot re- 
 call — were sent to the front on a scout, with in- 
 instructions to ascertain, if possible, the atti- 
 tude and temper of our Union friends, whose 
 courtesies for the last several days we had re- 
 ceived and so highly appreciated ; especially, 
 -to discover the position of their right flank. 
 They approached the Federal lines in front, 
 then turning to the left had gone some distance, 
 when voices were heard in the woods to their 
 right. Then cautiously approaching a road 
 which ran perpendicularly across the interval 
 between the lines, they discovered a Federal 
 vidette post of five men some distance down the 
 road. They also saw a woman coming from 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 153 
 
 that direction with a number of canteens, which 
 she was to fill with milk and return to the vi- 
 dettes. Concealing themselves in the hushes un- 
 til she came up, they sprang out and captured 
 the woman and canteens. To get rid of their fair 
 captive, after examination, as well as to avoid 
 the possibility of her giving notice of their 
 presence, she was informed that they were go- 
 ing to fire on the videttes, and of course they 
 would return the fire. 
 
 Being released, and already frightened, the 
 woman beat a hasty retreat for home. By this 
 time the vidette post was definitely located, 
 and instead of firing, they set about to capture 
 the entire squad. By making a detour of some 
 distance, they gained the rear, then cautiously 
 approaching, they got nearly to the post before 
 they were discovered, when by a brisk charge 
 they captured the five men without firing a 
 gun, and marched them into the Confederate 
 lines. 
 
 In pursuance of orders, the two brigades of 
 McGowan and Lane returned to Petersburg on 
 the 20th. McGowan's brigade was placed on 
 the lines near the " Crater " — an immense mine, 
 sprung early on the morning of July the 30th, 
 
154 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 170 feet long by 65 feet wide and 30 feet deep, 
 
 which was conceived in malice and consecrated 
 
 in blood, and which remains today an abiding 
 
 monument to Grant's folly and failure, as well 
 
 as to the unswerving valor of the Southern 
 
 soldier. 
 
 The hostile lines at this point were not ex- 
 ceeding one hundred and fifty yards apart, 
 with a strong line of rifie pits in front scarcely 
 beyond the width of a good lane, into which 
 the sharpshooters were thrown and at once be- 
 gan their work. For two or three days the 
 shrill music of their rifles, punctuated by the 
 deep tones of opposing mortars, ceased not day 
 nor night. Much damage resulted to both 
 sides from the unerring aim of these trained 
 riflemen, both Federal and Confederate, in this 
 sharp and unremitting fnsilade. In one in- 
 stance two of my most skillful and daring 
 sharpshooters — William Kennedy and C. W. 
 Parrish — were instantly killed by a single 
 shot, fired by a Federal rifleman jast as they 
 were passing each other in their pit. 
 
 Fortunately we vjQr% moved to the right on 
 the 22d, and were placed in position near the 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 155 
 
 Weldon railroad— the brigade on the line, the 
 sharpshooters in front. 
 
 A period had now been reached in the prog- 
 ress of the great struggle where the extraor- 
 dinary conditions which prevailed all along 
 the lines seemed to demand some modification 
 in the rules of official responsibility, which 
 would justify the commanding general in dis- 
 tributing to his lieutenants, and through them 
 to the diflferent divisions and brigade com- 
 manders, such power and discretion in their re- 
 spective commands as would authorize them 
 to strike whenever in their judgment an 
 effective blow could be delivered, without for- 
 mal authority from their superiors in rank. 
 And now that the enemy were constantly in 
 our immediate presence, the importance of an 
 active, vigilant and spirited picket line, largely 
 free from control of the officers of the line, be- 
 came more and more vital and indispensable 
 to the safety of our lines. These exigencies of 
 the service were fully appreciated by Gen. Lee, 
 and the liberty suggested, with proper limita- 
 tions, henceforth became the rule in the Army 
 of Northern Virginia. The movements of the 
 different brigades from this time, therefore, as 
 
i$6 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 well as the operations of the battalions of 
 sharpshooters, became much more distinctive 
 and independent. 
 
 About this time Gen. McGowan returned to 
 the front and resumed command of the brigade, 
 and Gen. Connor was temporarily assigned to 
 the command of Lane's brigade. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 22d, and immediately 
 after the sharpshooters had taken position on 
 the Weldon railroad, Sergt. B. K. Benson was 
 sent forward through the woods in front to re- 
 connoitre, and when the enemy was discovered 
 to return and report their position and strength, 
 if the same could be ascertained. About two 
 hours later Benson returned and reported that 
 a heavy line of Federal skirmishers was posted 
 at the opposite side of the woods, some half a 
 mile off, well covered with rifle pits, with a 
 strong vidette occupying the Davis house, 
 about 100 yards in advance of their line. This 
 isolated vidette post was a tempting bait to the 
 sharpshooters, and soon after dark Watson's 
 company was ordered to hold themselves ready 
 for service at 4 o'clock next morning. Accord- 
 ingly, awhile before daybreak on the morning 
 of the 23d, the company moved out and 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 157 
 
 Stealthily passing aronnd the Davis house, 
 between the pickets and videttes, completely 
 surrounded and quietly captured the entire 
 force consisting of fourteen men, without firing 
 a gun, and returned to our line before daylight 
 in the morning.* 
 
 There existed an active spirit of rivalry be- 
 tween the different battalions of sharpshooters, 
 as to which should perform the greatest num- 
 ber and the most daring feats in the line of 
 legitimate duty, to the annoyance and damage 
 of their opponents operating in their respective 
 neighborhoods ; and each kept a sharp lookout 
 for opportunities to make a dash into the 
 enemy's lines, stampede their pickets, or cap- 
 ture their men. 
 
 * Sergt. Bensoa insists that Watson made the capture 
 as above stated, but my impression is that Maj. Wooten, 
 of L(ane's sharpshooters, anticipated Watson's movement 
 and captured the post just before Watson g-ot there. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 BATTLE OF THE CRATER. 
 
 The morning's still ; th' artillery strangely quiet 
 On Pegram Hill, where Elliott's men stood by it ; 
 Where nothing stirred, not e'en a bird ; 
 Nor sound is heard, to mar the hellish fiat. 
 
 The hilltop quakes, and suddenly bursts asunder 
 The silence breaks in tones of deepest thunder ; 
 When earth and men in tons ascend, 
 To meet the end, of Grant's gigantic blunder. 
 
 Fort Elliott, or Battery Pegram, as it was 
 sometimes called, occupied a prominent eleva- 
 tion on the Confederate left center, somewhat 
 south of east from the city of Petersburg, which 
 projected, point foremost, toward the Federal 
 lines, and constituted a conspicuous salient in 
 the wide circular sweep of the Confederate 
 lines. The four gun Tbattery of Gapt. Pegram 
 of Virginia, Coit's battalion of artillery, occu- 
 pied and defended the fort, while Elliott's South 
 Carolina brigade supported the battery and 
 manned the trenches to the right and left of the 
 
i6o Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 fort. The city cemetery was also on high 
 ground, about five hundred yards in rear of 
 Fort Elliott, and between the two ran a deep 
 depression, in which reserves could be held in 
 comparative security from the enemy's guns, or 
 along which reinforcements could be brought up 
 without the knowledge of the enemy operating 
 in front of the salient. Ransom's brigade of 
 North Carolinians and Wise's G-eorgia brigade 
 occupied the trenches to the left and right of 
 Elliott, respectively. Wright's four gun bat- 
 tery assisted Bansom on the left, while a single 
 gun of Maj. Gibbs' battalion aided Wise on 
 Elliott's right. 
 
 The Federal works in front of Fort Elliott 
 were occupied by the ninth army corps, under 
 Gen. Bufnside, at a distance of not exceeding 
 one hundred and thirty yards, and on much 
 lower ground, with abundant artillery placed 
 in battery here and there along his lines. 
 
 During our absence on the north side of the 
 Jame9 but little had transpired to emphasize 
 the progress of the siege in front of Petersburg. 
 The roar of hostile guns and the perpetual cry 
 of the sharpshooters' rifles, which ordinarily 
 stiffens the sinews and summons up the nerves, 
 
'The Forefront of Battle. i6i 
 
 had become commonplace and monotonous, and 
 evoked but slight consideration either in mili- 
 tary or civil circles in this section. 
 
 On the 25 th day of June, however, Gen. 
 Burnside, at the suggestion of Col. Pleasants, 
 of the forty-eighth Pennsylvania volunteers, 
 who was a mining engineer of considerable ex- 
 perience and reputation, began the work of 
 constructing a tunnel underneath Fort Elliott, 
 with the view of blowing up this Confederate 
 stronghold and making a breach in our lines 
 at this point. Gen. Grant having failed to 
 make ahy considerable or permanent breach in 
 the Confederate lines by the ordinary methods 
 of warfare above ground, readily approved 
 Bnmside's plan of tackling the Confederates 
 by the underground route. The work was 
 therefore begun and vigorously prosecuted for 
 more thah a month ; day and night the work 
 went on. About the last of July the mine was 
 completed. The- main tunnel was 510 feet in 
 length. The lateral galleries were built per- 
 pendicularly across the farther end of the main 
 gal]ery in the shape of a T, and extended on 
 either side a distance of some 38 or 40 feet. 
 The magazines, eight in number, were placed 
 
1 62 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 in the lateral galleries, two at each end, a few- 
 feet apart, in branches at nearly right angles, 
 to the side galleries, and two more in each o% 
 the side galleries, similarly placed in pairs, 
 were situated equi-distant from each other and; 
 the end of the galleries. These magazines- 
 were charged severally with one hundred, 
 pounds of giant powder and strung to the main- 
 fuse, which ran from the entrance the full lengtb, 
 of the main gallery, by so many tributaries or, 
 short branches, which reached out into the lat-- 
 eral galleries, and entered into the several, 
 magazines in direct connection with the powder^ 
 and ready for the match. 
 
 Gen. Perrero's division of colored troops was- 
 selected by Gen. Burnside to lead the chargei. 
 and were thoroughly drilled and instructed iifc 
 all the details of the intended movement. At 
 the last moment, however, Gen. Grant inter- 
 posed serious objections to the selection ; when, 
 the order was countermanded and Gen. Ledlie's- 
 white division was designated to lead the 
 attack. Four divisions of Burnside's corps^. 
 towit : Ledlie's, 0. B. Wilcox's, Potter's and. 
 Ferrero's, were set off as the column of assault \. 
 and were to succeed each other, in open column,. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 163 
 
 in the order in which they are named. Sup- 
 ported by the fifth and eighteenth corps, this 
 column was to move forward through the 
 breach made by the explosion, seize Cemetery 
 Hill ; and, as soon as a sufficient force could be 
 brought up, to strike the Confederate lines in 
 flank and reverse and sweep them out, right 
 and left. Meanwhile, the whole Federal army 
 was to stand to arms and be ready to strike the 
 final blow, which now seemed just at hand. 
 
 The Confederates were not altogether ignor- 
 ant of this fiendish plot, and had sunk several 
 shafts in a vain effort to strike the mine and 
 neutralize the work. But they failed utterly 
 to locate the mine, and hence the work went on 
 to completion. For sometime after the tunnel- 
 ing had been discovered, the Confederates were 
 considerably exorcised as to where the blow 
 would fall and what would be the result ; but 
 as the days passed by and nothing occurred^ 
 they ceased to prepare for the uncertain emer- 
 gency and relaxed into their wonted careless- 
 ness. 
 
 The hour fixed for the explosion was 3:3Q 
 o'clock on the morning of the 30th. The col- 
 umns of assault were organized and in their 
 
164 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 jplacea by 3 o'clock. The brazen mouthed can- 
 nona, which from a hundred hostile batteries 
 had roared in perpetual thunder for more than 
 ~a month, grew suddenly strangely quiet at this 
 fateful hour; and the sensitive sharpshooters, 
 whose nervous vigilance had not relaxed, nor 
 ■the ceaseless clatter of their faithful rifles for a 
 moment abated since the siege was laid, in 
 ominous silence hushed their practice, to spec- 
 ulate upon the significance of the strange still- 
 
 41688. 
 
 The hour arrived and no explosion. The 
 assaulting column stood to arma in painful sus- 
 pense awaiting the signal for action. The Con- 
 federates slept. Everything ready! At 4:30 
 •o'clock the match is applied to the fuse. The 
 "fire speeds along the main gallery and out into 
 the wings and touches the magazines. The earth 
 -^quakes, the hilltop writhes and bellows. And 
 Fort Elliott shoots up into the air a hundred 
 feet-dearth, guns, tents and men ; — trembles in 
 -awful poise; parts asunder and descends in 
 broad sheets, covering everything, dead or alive, 
 in tons of earth for acres around the gaping 
 -chasm. Dust and smoke fill the air. Sulphur- 
 ous gas stifles the men, and dismay and 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 165. 
 
 terror seizes the minds of all, both Federals^ 
 and Confederates. Everybody stood in mo- 
 tionless consternation for several minutes, in 
 contemplation of the awful catastrophe. At 
 length the opposing forces began to recover 
 their senses as well as their attitude and bear- 
 ings, and began to shape themselves for the- 
 impending conflict. 
 
 Col. McMaster, who commanded Elliott's- 
 brigade after Gen. Elliott fell, thus describes- 
 the scene : 
 
 "The mine was exploded one-quarter of 5- 
 a. m., 30th of July, 1864, with 8000 pounds of 
 powder. It overwhelmed the battery, the whole 
 of the eighteenth, three companies of the 
 twenty-third, and part of Company A, seven- 
 teenth regiment. For some minutes there 
 was the utmost consternation among our 
 men. Some scampered out of the lines ; some,, 
 paralyzed with fear, vaguely scratched at the- 
 counter scarp as if trying to escape. Smoke 
 and dust filled the air. 
 
 "A few minutes afterwards Gen. Ledlie's divi- 
 sion began to charge. This aroused our offi- 
 cers ; they began to cheer ; and our men bounded 
 on the banquette and commenced firing on the- 
 
1 66 Lee^s Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 ranks of men who were rushing in without 
 
 firing a gun. 
 
 " By this time some of the men of the gallant 
 eighteenth, who had extricated themselves from 
 the bank which covered them, came rushing 
 down the trenches, and as many as could 
 picked up guns and began firing. For a con- 
 siderable time the firing was done entirely by 
 the infantry. In a few minutes after the explo- 
 sion Maj. Coit, who commanded the most effec- 
 tive artillery on our side, came up to see if any 
 of his guns were uninjured. As soon as he 
 could reach Wright's battery of four guns in 
 the ravine to the rear Ransom's brigade, which 
 was at least half an hour after the explosion, 
 he began to fire, and shot six hundred balls 
 into the divisions of Potter, "Wilcox and Fer- 
 rero, which succeeded Ledlie's division. These 
 guns were the only ones on our lines which, 
 besides enfilading the enemy at close range, 
 could also fire on the Crater and part of our 
 lines. Maj. G-ibbs, who had only one gun on 
 the right of the Confederate line capable of 
 enfilading the enemy, began with this gun 
 about one hour after the explosion and killed 
 many of the enemy. One or two hours later 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 167 
 
 Maj. Gibbs and Maj. Haskell moved their 
 inortar batteries and dropped a number of balls 
 -in the Crater and lines. 
 
 "In fifteen or twenty minutes after the explo- 
 sion Gren. Elliott came up through the crowded 
 'ditch, followed by Col. Smith of the twenty- 
 -aixth regiment, with a few of his men, and or- 
 dered the twenty-sixth and seventeenth to form 
 a line on the crest of the hill and charge the 
 Orater. He and a few men gallantly jumped 
 -upon the crest of the hill, about fifty yards of 
 the Crater ; • he pointed out the line, and was in 
 less than five minutes shot down and brought 
 back. The command then devolved on your 
 -colonel (McMaster), who countermanded the 
 order to form on the crest of the hill, which 
 was utterly impracticable, and formed some of 
 the men in the ditches which went to the rear 
 -and commanded some yards in rear of the 
 Orater. Courier after courier was sent to the 
 division commander, and one courier to the 
 regiments on the right of the Crater. I ordered 
 ■Col. Smith to take his regiment, with three 
 xjompanies of the seventeenth under Capt. 
 -Crawford (which then were larger than the 
 twenty-sixth regiment), to form in the ravine 
 
i68 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 in the rear of the Crater and cover up the gap, 
 there to lie down, and rise up and fire when 
 necessary, so as to prevent the enemy from 
 rushing down the hill and getting in the rear 
 of our lines. This order was promptly ex- 
 ecuted and gave the remainder of the seven- 
 teenth in the main trench more room to use 
 their guns." 
 
 As to the damage, let the enemy tell. Gen. 
 Meade says : " The assault came principally 
 from the right (our left) of the Crater. The 
 enemy brought guns from all points and threw 
 shells into the Crater. Gen. Potter began his 
 movement towards the crest, and was met by 
 another force of the enemy and was compelled 
 to fall back." 
 
 Gen. Potter says : " The next fire I saw 
 came from the right ; there was a battery be- 
 hind some timber which it was very difficult 
 for our batteries to reach. I ordered my own 
 batteries to turn their whole attention to that 
 one, but they apparently produced no effect." 
 
 Many officers testify that repeated assaults 
 were made to secure the crest. Some say they 
 saw them make two distinct charges early in 
 the morning, but were repelled by men who 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 169 
 
 rose up in the ravine. One fixes the number of 
 these men at 200, some as high as 500. These 
 men who repelled these charges were the seven- 
 teenth and part of the twenty-sixth. 
 
 The negroes, numbering 4300 muskets, under 
 Gen. Ferrero, rushed to the mine at 8 o'clock, 
 and one distinct charge, as alleged, occurred 
 soon after. Some of the officers allege their 
 men got 200 yards toward the crest, which was 
 500 yards in the rear, but this is a clear mis- 
 take. None ever advanced fifty yards beyond, 
 for I watched their efforts with great anxiety 
 up to about 9 o'clock, as I believed the fate of 
 Petersburg depended on it. The officers fre- 
 quently attempted to urge their men forward, 
 and some would rush across a few yards and 
 then run back. Col. Smith informed me after 
 the battle that the enemy made a charge, and 
 upon his men rising and pouring a volley, they 
 did. not make the attempt again. 
 
 Capt. Crawford, who commanded the detach- 
 ment of the seventeenth, says : 
 
 "The Federal officers succeeded in getting 
 about 200 men, three different times, outside of 
 the Crater, and they never advanced more than 
 thirty yards before they were driven back." 
 
170 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 We saw at one time fourteen beaatlfnl ban- 
 ners waving in the Crater, and gallant officers, 
 trying to urge their men on in the direction of 
 the Cemetery Hill. But all efforts to reach this 
 point, from the rear of the Crater, failed by 
 9 o'clock. And they then attempted to effect 
 their purpose by taking the lines north of the 
 Crater, which would secure them a chance to 
 reach the point of their destination, by the ra- 
 vine which passed through Ransom's lines. 
 This, together with the conformation of the 
 ground, necessarily forced the burden of the 
 battle on the Confederate line north of the Cra- 
 ter and in close proximity to it ; and espe- 
 cially on Elliott's brigade, the right of Ran- 
 som's brigade and the artillfery under the com- 
 mand of Maj. Coit. 
 
 The enemy, having thus changed their tac- 
 tics, would occasionally rush on our right flank. 
 We made barricades to oppose them. Then they 
 would run down the front of the line and jump 
 over, and were met with the bayonet and clubbed 
 with the musket. G-enerally they were repelled ; 
 occasionally they succeeded and captured some 
 men. Private Hoke, of Company A, was thus 
 cut off, and refused to surrender, and struck 
 
The Forefront of Battle. i*jt 
 
 down several of the enemy before lie was bay- 
 oneted. Few battles coald show more bayonet 
 wounds than this. After a severe hand to hand 
 fight, disputing every inch, and losing the gal- 
 lant Lieuts. Lowry, Pratt, McCorwell and 
 Capt. Dunovant, whose arm was shot oflF, and 
 many brave men, we were driven down the hill 
 to Ransom's brigade, which at this time was 
 pouring in an enfilading fire. 
 
 The four divisions in front of the lines of 
 Elliott's brigade must have numbered 16,000. 
 Besides this, G-en. Turner with 4000 men 
 charged Hansom's brigade on our left, and was 
 driven back. * * * 
 
 Some time after, Mahone came up ; when the 
 seventeenth South Carolina regiment was 
 turned over to him, by order of Gen. Johnson. 
 Mahone's men were formed in the line already 
 there. It took probably two hours before all 
 of Mahone's men came into line, and then a 
 splendid charge was made. The final charge 
 which captured the works was made about 
 1 o'clock p. m. * * * Elliott's brigade lost 
 677 men — more than half its strength, and fully 
 half of the Confederate loss; whereas, the 
 enemy's loss, according to Gen. Grant's esti- 
 
172 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 mate, was above 5000 men, including twenty- 
 three regimental commanders and two com- 
 manders of brigades. 
 
 Major J. C. Coit, in his account of the part 
 taken by his artillery in this desperate conflict, 
 thus describes the conduct of Elliott's brigade : 
 
 " The dread upheaval had rent in twain 
 Elliott's brigade, and the men to the right and 
 left of the huge abyss recoiled for a moment, in 
 terror and dismay. But when I reached the 
 Crater, which could not have exceeded ten min- 
 utes after the explosion, I found Elliott's men 
 standing firm and undaunted, almost up to the 
 very borders of the Crater. From my position 
 in Wright's battery, the whole of the line from 
 the ravine to the Crater was exposed to my 
 view, and I witnessed the hand to hand engage- 
 ment in each successive charge made by the 
 enemy, and I venture to say that more men 
 were killed with the bayonet and clubbed guns 
 than in any other engagement during the war. 
 The only thing separating our men and the 
 enemy in the same ditch were hastily thrown 
 up traverses, over the tops of which the oppos- 
 ing forces crossed their bayonets and delivered 
 their fire. So stubbornly did Elliott's men con- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 1 75 
 
 test every inch of the ground that the enemy, fail- 
 ing to press down the line from the direction of 
 the Crater, resorted to the expedient of rushing 
 from the Crater down the front of our works 
 and jumping pellmell upon Elliott's men in the 
 trenches. I witnessed this manoeuvre executed 
 several times ; sometimes with success, but 
 oftener they were repulsed or bayoneted as 
 they leaped the works. In this manner did 
 they gain the little ground they held of our 
 lines to the left of the Crater. * * * The 
 only mistaken movement I noticed was when 
 one of our regiments — the twenty-sixth 
 South Carolina volunteers; I think Smith's — 
 attempted to leave the line and occupy the 
 open ground between the Crater and Elliott's 
 headquarters. It was an effort gallantly made 
 to interpose and prevent the advance of the 
 enemy in the direction of Cemetery Hill and 
 the plank road. 
 
 " The whole of this ground was swept by the 
 enemy's artillery and musketry from their main 
 line, not to speak of the fire from those within 
 our works. No troops could stand a moment 
 exposed to such a fire, and such as did not fall 
 were immediately withdrawn. I think it was 
 
i74 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 at this time Elliott waa wounded. Tlie saddest 
 sight I saw was the wounded left in this ex- 
 posed position appealing for help until they 
 sank down in death. Any attempt to remove 
 them would have been vain under that fire. 
 
 " It was thus the battle raged from daylight 
 until the arrival of Mahone's division, which, 
 I think, was near 11 o'clock. The troops under 
 Mahone were formed in the ravine in rear of 
 Elliott's headquarters, extending from the cov- 
 ered way in a direction between the Crater and 
 the plank road. New hope was inspired by 
 the arrival of reinforcements, and not without 
 good cause, for no sooner did Mahone's men 
 emerge from the ravine at a double quick than 
 did the immense mass in rear of the Crater 
 break, and without standing upon the order of 
 their going, sought shelter in the cover of their 
 main line. The fire of the artillery was in- 
 creased, and as Mahone's men neared the 
 Crater Wright's guns were turned upon the fly- 
 ing masses in front of the salient. The 
 slaughter was terrific, and probably more men 
 were killed in the retreat than in the advance. 
 The victory was virtually won, but those of 
 the enemy within the Crater continued for some 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 175 
 
 time the desperate coittest. In my opinion 
 they remained in the Crater more from fear of 
 running the guantlet to their own lines than 
 from any hope of holding their position. At 
 1 o'clock p. m. the white flag was raised and 
 the final surrender of the Crater made. 
 
 "From the time of the explosion until the 
 charge of Mahone's division the men of 
 Elliott's brigade bore the brunt of the battle 
 and, with a portion of Ransom's, were the only 
 infantry troops that I saw opposing the advance 
 of the enemy to Cemetery Hill and the plank 
 road, at least to the left of the Crater. To the 
 bravery and skillful handling of the brigade 
 is due, more than to all other infantry troops, 
 the credit of saving Petersburg on that day." 
 
 Wise's brigade on the right doubtless did its 
 duty as faithfully and well as Bansom's brig- 
 ade on the left ; and with the assistance of the 
 artillery on their respective lines, together with 
 the enfilading fire of our heavy batteries north 
 of the Appomattox, confined the charging col- 
 umns of the enemy to a narrow field directly in 
 front of and covering the exploded salient ; so 
 that when Mahone arrived his division covered 
 the full Federal front, and thus the superior 
 
176 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 weight of the enemy's crowded columns was 
 neutralized. Hence, the crowded and demor- 
 alized condition of the enemy gave the heroic 
 Confederates the advantage, and they knew it. 
 Therefore, on the arrival of the reinforcements, 
 both the infantry and artillery on either side 
 of the Crater opened with increased zeal upon 
 the seething mass, while Mahone charged up 
 in front, and with a perfect cataract of consum- 
 ing fire swept out the entire Federal force and 
 re-estabished our lines completely. 
 
 Maj. Wm. H. Powell, of the Union army, an 
 active participant, describes this battle sub- 
 stantially as follows, to-wit : 
 
 " It was a magnificent spectacle, and as the 
 mass of earth went up into the air, carrying 
 with it men, guns, carriages and timbers, and 
 spread out like an immense cloud as it reached 
 its altitude, so close were the Union lines that 
 the mass appeared as if it would descend im- 
 mediately upon the troops waiting to make the 
 charge. This caused them to break and scatter 
 to the rear, and about ten minutes were con- 
 sumed in reforming for the attack. Not much 
 was lost by this delay, however, as it took 
 nearly that time for the cloud of dust to pass 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 177- 
 
 off. The order was then given for the advance- 
 As no part of the Union line of breastworks- 
 had been removed (which would have been an 
 arduous as well as hazardous undertaking)^ 
 the troops clambered over them as best they 
 could. This in itself broke the ranks, and they 
 did not stop to reform, but rushed ahead to- 
 ward the Crater, about 130 yards distant, the- 
 debris from the explosion having covered up- 
 the abatis and cTievaux de frise in front of the 
 enemy^s works. 
 
 "Little did these men anticipate what they 
 would see upon arriving there : An enormous- 
 hole in the ground about 30 feet deep, 60 feet 
 wide and 170 feet long, filled with dust ; great 
 blocks of clay, guns, broken carriages, project- 
 ing timbers, and men buried in various ways — 
 some up to the necks, others to the waists, and 
 some with only their feet and legs protruding- 
 from the earth. One of these near me was- 
 puUed out, and proved to be a second lieutenant 
 of the battery which had been blown up. The 
 fresh air revived him, and he was soon able to- 
 walk and talk. He was very grateful and said 
 that he was asleep when the explosion took, 
 place, and only awoke to find himself wriggling: 
 
178 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 ■up in the air ; then a few seconds afterwards, 
 
 he felt himself descending and soon lost con- 
 
 'Sciousness. 
 
 "The whole scene of the explosion struck 
 -every one dumb with astonishment as we ar- 
 rived at the crest of the debris. It was impos- 
 sible for the troops of the second brigade to 
 move forward in line, as they had advanced ; 
 and, owing to the broken state they were in— 
 -every man crowding up to look into the hole-i- 
 and being pressed by the first brigade, which 
 was immediately in rear, it was equally impos- 
 ■sible to move by the flank, by any command, 
 around the Crater. Before the brigade com- 
 manders could realize the situation the two 
 brigades became inextricably mixed, in the de- 
 •sire to look into the hole. 
 
 " However, Col. Marshall yelled to the second 
 brigade to move forward, and the men did so. 
 Jumping, sliding and tumbling into the hole, 
 over the debris of material, and dead and dy- 
 ing men, and huge blocks of solid clay. They 
 were followed by G-en. Bartlett's brigade. Up 
 -on the other side of the Crater they climbed, 
 and while a detachment stopped to place two 
 ■of the dismantled guns of the battery in posi- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 179 
 
 tion on the enemy's side of the crest of the Cra- 
 ter, a portion of the leading brigade passed 
 over the crest and attempted to reform. In do- 
 ing so members of these regiments were killed 
 by mnsket balls from the rear, fired by the 
 Confederates who were still occupying the 
 traverses and intrenchments to the right and 
 left of the Crater. These men had been 
 awakened by the noise and shock of the explo- 
 sion, and during the interval before the attack 
 had recovered their equanimity, and when the 
 Union troops attempted to reform on the 
 enemy side of the Crater, they had faced about 
 and delivered a fire into the backs of our men. 
 This coming so unexpectedly caused the form- 
 ing line to fall back into the Crater. * * * 
 After falling back into the Crater a partial for- 
 mation was made by Gen. Bartlett and Col. 
 Marshall with some of their troops, but owing to 
 the precipitous walls the men could find no foot- 
 ing except by facing inward, digging their heels 
 into the earth, and throwing their backs against 
 the side of the Crater, or squatting in a half sit- 
 ting posture, and some of the men were shot 
 «ven there by the fire from the enemy in the 
 traverses. It was at this juncture that Col. 
 
i8o Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 Marshall requested me to go to Gren. Ledlie and 
 explain the condition of affairs, * * * 
 which was done. 
 
 "While the above was taking place the 
 enemy had not been idle. He had brought a^ 
 battery from his left to bear upon the position, 
 and as I started on my errand the crest of the 
 Crater was being swept with canister. Special 
 attention was given to this battery by our ar- 
 tillery, but for some reason or other the ene- 
 my's guns could not be silenced. * * * But 
 the firing on the Crater was incessant, and it 
 was as heavy a fire of canister as was ever 
 poured continuously upon a single objective 
 point. It was as utterly impracticable to re- 
 form a brigade in the Crater as it would be to 
 marshal bees into line after upsetting the 
 hive ; and equally as impracticable to reform 
 outside of the Crater, under the severe fire in 
 front and rear, as it would be to hold a dress 
 parade in front of a charging enemy. * * * 
 Gen. Griffin's line, however, overlapped the 
 Crater on the left, where two or three of his 
 regiments sought shelter in the Crater. Those 
 on the right passed over the trenches, but owing 
 to the peculiar character of the enemy's works. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 1 8 1 
 
 which were not single, hut complex and invo- 
 luted, and filled with pits, traverses, and homb- 
 proofs, forming a labyrinth as difficult of 
 passage as the Crater itself, the brigade was 
 broken up, and meeting the severe fire of can- 
 ister, also fell back into the Crater, which was 
 then full to suflFocation. Every organization 
 melted away as soon as it entered this hole in 
 the ground, into a mass of human beings cling- 
 ing by toes and heels to the almost perpendic- 
 ular sides. If a man was shot on the crest he 
 fell and rolled to the bottom of the pit. 
 
 " From the actions of the enemy, even at this 
 time, as could be seen by his moving columns 
 in front, he was not exactly certain as to the 
 intentions of the Union commander; he ap- 
 peared to think that possibly the mine explo- 
 sion was but a feint and that the main attack 
 would come from some other quarter. How- 
 ever, he massed some of his troops in a hollow 
 in front of the Crater, and held them in that 
 position. * * * 
 
 " Orders were, however, being given con- 
 stantly to the division commanders of the white 
 troops to push the men forward as fast as could 
 be done, and this was, in substance, about all 
 
i82 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 the orders that were received by them during 
 the day, up to the time of the order for the 
 withdrawal. When Gen. Wilcox came with 
 the third division to the support of the first, he 
 found the latter and three regiments of his own, 
 together with the regiment of Potter's second 
 division, which had gone in on the right, so 
 completely filling up the Crater that no more 
 troops could be got in there, and he therefore 
 ordered an attack with the remainder of his 
 division on the works of the enemy to the left of 
 the Crater. This attack was successful so far 
 as to carry the intrenchments for about 150 
 yards ; but they were held only for a short time. 
 " Previous to this last movement, I had gone 
 to Gen. Ledlie, and urged him to try to have 
 something done on the right to left of the 
 Crater, saying that every man who got into the 
 trenches to the right or left of it used them as 
 a means of escape to the Crater, and the enemy 
 was re-occupying them as our men left. All 
 the satisfaction I received was an order to go 
 back and tell the brigade commanders to get 
 their men out and press forward to Cemetery 
 Hill. This talk and these orders, coming from 
 a commander sitting in a bomb-proof inside 
 
The Forefront of Battle. i8j. 
 
 the Union lines, were disgusting. I returned 
 again to the Crater and delivered the orders^ 
 which I knew beforehand could not possibly be 
 obeyed ; and I told Gen. Ledlie so before I left 
 him. Upon my return to the Crater I de- 
 voted my attention to the movements of the 
 enemy, who was evidently making dispositions- 
 for an assault. 
 
 "About two hours after * * * Gen. Ferrero,. 
 commanding the colored division of the ninth 
 corps, received an order to advance his divi- 
 sion, pass the white troops which had halted^ 
 and move on to carry the crest of Cemetery 
 Hill at all hazards. Gen. Ferrero did not think 
 it advisable to move his division in, as there 
 were three divisions of white troops already 
 huddled together, and he so reported to Col. 
 Charles G. Loring of Gen. Burnside's staff. 
 Loring requested Ferrero to wait until he could 
 report to Gen. Burnside. Gen. Ferrero declined 
 to wait, and then Col. Loring gave him an or- 
 der, in Gen. Burnside's name, to halt without 
 passing over the Union works, which order he 
 obeyed. Col. Loring went off to report to Gen.. 
 Burnside, came back, and reported that the 
 order was peremptory for the colored division: 
 
184 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 to advance at all hazards. The division then 
 started in, moved by the left flank, under a 
 most galling fire, passed around the Crater on 
 the crest of the debris, and all but one regi- 
 ment passed beyond the Crater. The fire upon 
 them was incessant and severe, and many acts 
 •of personal heroism were done by officers and 
 men. Their drill for this object had been un- 
 questionably of great benefit to them, and had 
 they led the attack, fifteen or twenty minutes 
 from the time the debris of the explosion had 
 settled would have found them at Cemetery 
 Hill before the enemy could have brought a 
 gun to bear on them. But the leading brigade 
 struck the enemy's force, which I had pre- 
 viously reported as massed in front of the 
 Crater, and in a sharp little action the colored 
 troops captured some two hundred prisoners 
 and a stand of colors, and recaptured a stand 
 of colors belonging to a white regiment. * * * 
 In this almost hand to hand conflict the colored 
 troops became somewhat disorganized, and 
 some twenty minutes were consumed in re- 
 forming; then they made the attempt to move 
 forward again. But, unsupported, subjected 
 to a galling fire from batteries on the flanks, 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 185 
 
 and front infantry fire in front and partly on the 
 flank, they broke up in disorder and fell back 
 to the Crater, the majority passing on to the 
 Union line of defenses, carrying with them a 
 number of the white troops who were in the 
 Crater and in the enemy's intrenchments. * * * 
 When they fell back and broke up in disorder 
 it was the closing scene of the tragedy. * * * 
 
 " The enemy's guns suddenly ceased their 
 long continued and uninterrupted fire on the 
 Crater, and the advancing column charged in 
 the face of feeble resistance oflfered by the 
 Union troops. * * * Over the crest and into the 
 Crater they poured, and a hand to hand con- 
 flict ensued. It was of short duration, how- 
 ever; crowded as our troops were, and without 
 organization, resistance was vain. Many were 
 bayoneted at the time — some probably that 
 would not have been, except for the excitement 
 of battle. About 87 officers and 1652 men of 
 the ninth corps were captured, the remainder 
 retiring to our own lines." 
 
 The above, added to the casualties in killed 
 and wounded, runs the Union loss up to about 
 5000; whereas the Confederate losses did not 
 exceed 1200, killed, wounded and missing. 
 
1 86 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 More than twenty centuries have elapsed 
 since the Spartan king and his little band of 
 heroes were crushed to death by the Persian 
 hosts in the bloody defiles of Thermopylae ; 
 still the fame of their exploits goes echoing 
 along the corridors of time to the distant future. 
 
 A little more than half a century has passed 
 since that immortal trio, Travis, Crockett and 
 Bowie, with the little garrison of Texas pa- 
 triots stood to death within the walls of the 
 historic Alamo, their mutilated bodies con- 
 sumed in one funeral pile, and from whose 
 ashes the fires of liberty sprang up to light the 
 infant republic to glory and independence ; 
 and who has not heard the blood curdling story 
 of their sacrificial death ? 
 
 Later still, we read of Lord Cardigan and 
 the immortal Six Hundred, who dashed to 
 death on the fatal field of Balaklava. 
 
 A halo of glory imperishable radiates from all 
 these honored names, which now grace and shall 
 forever adorn the pages of history while time 
 shall last. And I fain would say that the sturdy 
 heroism and unswerving valor of Pegram's ar- 
 tilerists and Elliott's Carolinians, who — after 
 they were blown up, then buried — rallied and 
 
The JForefront of Battle. \ 87 
 
 stood in the breach against the combined and 
 . persistent assaults of more than 16,000 veter- 
 ans for six mortal hours — and until relief 
 came, the enemy expelled, and Petersburg 
 saved — entitle them and each of them to a name 
 and a place alongside of Leonidas, Cardigan 
 and the Texas trio, and among the world's 
 greatest heroes. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 BATTLE OF BEAM'S STATION. 
 
 " Shall we g'O throw away our coats of steel, 
 And wrap our bodies in black mourning: gowns, 
 Numbering our Ave Marias with our beads ? 
 Or shall we on the helmets of our foes 
 Tell our devotion with avengeful arm.s ? " 
 
 The Weldon railroad had been seized by the 
 enemy during our absence on the north side, 
 and was now held by Warren's corps in the 
 neighborhood of the Globe Tavern. Hancock 
 had also been ordered back from Deep Bot- 
 tom and was operating on Warren's left, de- 
 stroying the Weldon railroad in the vicinity of 
 Ream's Station. We had met and defeated 
 Hancock at Deep Bottom on the Long Bridge 
 road and at Fussell's Mill on the north side, 
 and on the afternoon of the 24th of August 
 were ordered to tackle him again at Ream's 
 Station. Accordingly, at 2 o'clock the light 
 division — minus Thomas's brigade — accompa- 
 
190 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 nied by Heth's division and Pegram battalion 
 of artillery, all under command of our dash- 
 ing corps commander, A. P. Hill, moved out of 
 the works, and by a circuitous line of march, 
 west of the Weldon railroad, proceeded to dis- 
 charge the duty assigned us. 
 
 About dark we went into bivouac some three 
 miles west of Ream's Station, cooked rations 
 and spent the night. About 8 o'clock the next 
 morning we moved up to within half a mile of 
 the station and formed into line of battle, Wil- 
 cox on the right and Heth on the left. Scales's 
 brigade had led the light division, and before 
 McGowan's brigade could be placed in posi- 
 tion Scales's sharpshooters, under Maj. 
 John D. Young, had advanced and en- 
 gaged the Federal sharpshooters. McGrowan's 
 sharpshooters were called for the moment the 
 brigade came into line, and I was directed to 
 move to the front, and cover and support 
 Young while he disposed of the Federal cavalry 
 in his front. 
 
 Gen. Wilcox further directed that if on ad- 
 vancing it should transpire that the enemy 
 was too strong for Young, or overlapped him 
 on one or the other flank, I should uncover and 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 191 
 
 move up on the exposed flank, and assist him 
 in dispersing the insolent raiders. The battal- 
 ion was promptly deployed and moved for- 
 ward through the woods to a point some 
 seventy-five or one hundred yards in rear of 
 Young's line, when it was discovered that the 
 enemy was present in large force, and extended 
 indefinitely on both flanks of the battalion in 
 front. We therefore uncovered Young and 
 moved up on his right. After consultation 
 with Young, and a survey of the situation in 
 front, it was determined to make a drive at 
 whatever might oppose us, and orders were so 
 given. We advanced slowly through the 
 woods, struck a strong line of Federal sharp- 
 shooters at the edge of a field beyond, 
 well covered with rifle pits, and went at them 
 with a yell and a charge. The Federals re- 
 sponded to every shot, and defiantly clung to 
 their position until we were about to overwhelm 
 them, when they broke and fled across the field 
 to cover of their main line on the railroad at the 
 opposite side of the field. Here the roadbed 
 was graded up to the height of from three to four 
 feet, and behind which, instead of a small force 
 -of cavalry, lay Hancock's entire corps of in- 
 
192 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 fantry, with nine pieces of artillery placed in 
 battery along the line of the road. They re- 
 ceived us with a blizzard as we cleared the field 
 of their skirmishers. We engaged them at 
 short range for a few minutes furiously, and un- 
 til we developed their full strength — which was 
 too great for us — when we dropped back to the 
 crest of the ridge, a distance of about 400 
 yards, as our rifles measured it, where we set- 
 tled ourselves for business. Our line lay just 
 back of the crest, from which we delivered our 
 fire, and which offered us fair protection from 
 their guns. The line of battle lay some 600 
 yards behind us in the wood. Here, delib- 
 erately, but without malice, planning the de- 
 struction of their enemies, the sharpshooters 
 carefully estimated the distance between the 
 lines, the depression of the ground where the, 
 enemy lay, the course the ball would take 
 in its trajectory flight, and the exact point where 
 it would cut the line of fire ; then adjusting 
 their sights accordingly, they entered upon the 
 work in hand. 
 
 At the command the entire battalion stepped 
 forward to the crest and delivered a volley, 
 then dropped back to load. The enemy re- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 193 
 
 sponded from the length of their line with 
 musket and gun in full chorus, fairly raking 
 the crest of the ridge with shot and shell 
 and the deadly minnie. The sharpshooters, 
 continuing the fire at will, but rapidly, for five 
 mortal hours swept the Federal breastworks 
 with a perfect sheet of lead. A relay of active 
 couriers played between the front and main 
 line, and replenished our cartridge boxes from 
 the brigade from time to time as the battle 
 progressed. The battalion fired one hundred 
 and sixty rounds per man during the five hours 
 of conflict. At noon the roar and crash of the 
 Federal guns was terrific, but as the day de- 
 clined the vigor of their defense relaxed and 
 finally subsided. The sharpshooters mounted 
 the crest and with unerring aim proceeded to 
 split the scalp of every mother's son that dared 
 to lift his head above the breastworks. The 
 tenacity with which the gentlemen in blue 
 hugged the trenches, at first amusing, at length 
 began to touch the sympathies (just a little bit) 
 of these trained rifiemen, who now turned their 
 attention to the artillery horses hitched a short 
 distance in the rear ; and at almost every shot 
 some gay steed would rear and squeal and 
 
194 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 writhe and die, so that a great many of their 
 best horses were killed or disabled before the 
 final assault was made. 
 
 At the beginning of the action J. Gr. Love 
 and Oscar Bookman had been sent some dis- 
 tance to the right of our line, which was with- 
 out connection in that direction and therefore 
 exposed, with instructions to take position in 
 an old road which crossed the ridge we occu- 
 pied and ran diagonally across our front into 
 the enemy's lines, about opposite to the right 
 of the battalion, there to watch the enemy and 
 guard our flank. The road was hedged on 
 both sides by a heavy growth of bushes and 
 afforded ample cover to the videttes ; who, dis- 
 covering the advantages of their position, 
 slipped down the road some distance in advance 
 of the line and put in some good shots before 
 they were discovered. The artillerists at one 
 of the Federal guns spotted the videttes in the 
 road, then training the gun and cutting th& 
 fuse at proper length, awaited their oppor- 
 tunity. About this time B. K. Benson and an- 
 other man, whose name I cannot recall, who 
 had been sent to relieve Love and Bookman, 
 reached the post and were receiving ins true- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 195, 
 
 tions. The four were standing close together 
 when Love and Benson, seeing a puff of smoke 
 shoot out from the muzzle of the gun, sprang 
 as far as they could, fell flat to the ground and 
 escaped unhurt, while Bookman and the other 
 man, standing with their backs toward the 
 enemy, saw not the smoke, and were literally 
 riddled by a shrapnel shell thrown plump to- 
 the spot. A braver man than Oscar Bookman 
 never laid down his life for the Southern cause,., 
 and I fain would name the other, as the peer of" 
 Bookman or any other Southern soldier, but 
 cannot. This was about the last Federal gun- 
 fired before the final assault. 
 
 At 4 o'clock in the afternoon Maj. Pegram 
 brought up his artillery and placed it at proper 
 intervals along the crest of the ridge occnpied^ 
 by our left, and not a Federal dared to raise 
 his head above the works. The line of battle also 
 advanced, and Pegram opened, dropping shor 
 and shell just over the breastworks. The enemy 
 responded feebly. The sharpshooters had* 
 nobly done their duty, and as the line of battle 
 passed were ordered to cease firing and rest 
 upon their arms, while the brigade should com- 
 
^gS Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 jplete the work which they had so skillfully 
 
 ■conducted to this point. 
 
 But when the Confederate battle cry was 
 raised and the lines went sweeping across the 
 field amid the roar of artillery and the clash of 
 arms, the sharpshooters could not be held; so 
 they were turned loose, and the whole force — 
 sharpshooters and all — like a " rushing mighty 
 wind " stormed down upon the Federal lines and 
 ■over the breastworks, completely routing the 
 whole force, which fled through the woods in 
 the wildest confusion, leaving in our hands the 
 mne pieces of artillery, with such horses as 
 had not been killed, and more than two thou- 
 sand prisoners. As well might King Canute 
 have said to Old Ocean's swelling tide, " Thus 
 far and no further!" as to try to stay that 
 •determined onset. 
 
 Some of the captured guns were turned upon 
 the fleeing Federals ; and among others, Capt. 
 Hasell took charge of a captured gun on our 
 •right, but finding no lanyard, jerked off one of 
 his suspenders to supply the deficiency, and 
 sent the shells screaming and crashing through 
 the tops of the trees, more than fifty feet above 
 ;the heads of the tallest Yankees. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 197- 
 
 Heth's division had been repulsed in its first 
 assaults on the Federal right, but gallantly- 
 carried its part of the works in the final assault. 
 Our success was complete and our losses slights 
 The sharpshooters, besides a large number of" 
 prisoners, brought out some thirty or forty ex- 
 cellent horses, first choice of which Gren., 
 McGowan awarded to the battalion commander- 
 in acknowledgment of the valuable services- 
 rendered by that gallant corps in the brilliant 
 affair. The brigade only lost 22 men in killed- 
 and wounded, including the casualties of the- 
 sharpshooters. 
 
 Gren. O. B. Wilcox, of the Union army,, 
 writing of the results of this engagement, says r 
 "At 5 o'clock Hill had opened with his artillery,, 
 both shot and shell, some of which took the 
 works in reverse, but did little actual damage 
 other than demoralizing the men; of whom, 
 there were many, even of the old regiments, 
 who never had come to fight, but to run on the- 
 first chance, or get into the hospital — and ho !! 
 for a pension afterwards. ' Some of their offi- 
 cers could not speak a word of English,' says- 
 Hancock in his report, 'and were therefore- 
 without that mutual intelligence and support 
 
'198 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 which battle demands, and with nothing in 
 'Common with their men but panic' The first 
 assault came on Miles, opposite his fourth brig- 
 ade, and at a point of the line held by the 
 consolidation of material of different regiments, 
 ^or a time the severity of Miles's fire, the slash- 
 ing and other obstacles on the ground, stag- 
 -gered the assaulting column, and they must 
 have baffled it completely if the fire had con- 
 tinued only a few minutes longer. As it was, 
 the assailants were thrown into considerable 
 ^confusion, when suddenly our recruits gave way 
 and a break occurred of two regiments on the 
 right, and though Miles ordered up what little 
 reserve he had, these men would neither move 
 forward nor fire. Still Lieut. Geo. K. Dauchy, 
 of McKnight's twelfth New York battery, 
 turned his guns on the breach with effect, until 
 the enemy crept along the silent rifle pits, cap- 
 tured the battery, and turned a gun inside our 
 lines. Murphy's brigade of the second divi- 
 sion being likewise driven off, the enemy cap- 
 tured the tenth Massachusetts battery and 
 Battery B, first Rhode Island artillery, on his 
 front, though it was served with 'marked gal- 
 lantry ' to the last." * * * 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 199 
 
 " The Union loss was 140 killed, 529 wounded 
 and 2073 captured or missing— 2742. The loss 
 of the Confederates reached a total of 720, 
 mostly in killed and wounded." — Editors Cen- 
 tury War Series, vol. iv., page 573. 
 
 Gren. Grant says : " On the 25th the second 
 corps and Gregg's division of cavalry, while at 
 Ream's Station destroying the railroad, were 
 attacked, and after desperate fighting a part of 
 our line gave way, and five pieces of artillery 
 fell into the hands of the enemy." — Ibid, page 
 677. 
 
 Mr. Grant had overlooked the four other 
 pieces of artillery, and the two thousand pris- 
 oners, horses, etc., which at the same time fell 
 into our hands. 
 
 I am not informed as to the part taken in 
 this action by Lane's sharpshooters, or the dif- 
 ferent corps of Heth's division, but am sure 
 their part of the work was well and faithfully 
 done. The two battalions of McGowan and 
 Scales, I personally know, bore a conspicuous 
 part in the contest on the Confederate right, and 
 literally covered themselves with glory, to 
 which the short engagement and insignificant 
 loss of the brigades clearly testify. 
 
200 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or. 
 
 Both Gene. Wilcox and McGowan compli- 
 mented the conduct of the sharpshooters in the 
 most gratifying terms, and attributed the mag- 
 nificent results of the affair largely to their 
 skill and daring in demoralizing the enemy 
 and tying them down behind their works before 
 the final assault was made. And Gen. Mc- 
 Gowan ever afterwards spoke of the battle of 
 Ream's Station as " the sharpshooters' fight. "^ 
 
 " Sound, sound the clarion, fill the fife ! 
 To all the sensual world proclaim. 
 One crowded hour of glorious life 
 Is worth an age without a name." 
 
 We remained at Ream's Station until next 
 morning, when we returned to our position on. 
 the Weldon railroad in front of Petersburg.. 
 The sharpshooters resumed their place in front 
 and enjoyed a short season of comparative rest,, 
 which proved a panacea for all the physical 
 discomforts which they had been required ta 
 endure in the unremitting activities of the- 
 campaign for more than four months. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 INCIDENTS AND DEMONSTRATIONS. 
 
 And light is ming'led with the gloom, 
 
 And joy with grief ; 
 Divinest compensations come. 
 Through thorns of judgment mercies bloom 
 
 In sweet relief. 
 
 — WhittiER. 
 
 The postion taken by the sharpshooters was 
 some 600 yards in front of the brigade, and 
 well covered with rifle pits. The right on the 
 edge of a cornfield, the left in a dense forest. 
 The Federal pickets confronted us on the oppo- 
 site side of the cornfield, with their right in the 
 woods at a uniform distance of some 400 
 yards. 
 
 During the night we maintained a chain of 
 videttes about 100 yards in advance of the rifle 
 pits, and for several days gave ourselves up to 
 relaxation and rest. The stillness of the for- 
 ests, the softness of the atmosphere and the 
 
202 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 moaning of the pines — scarce rising above a 
 whisper — stole away our senses and invited us 
 to sleep. We yielded, and for three days and 
 nights — save the videttes — everybody slept. 
 
 The videttes were relieved every two hours, 
 and their lines visited regularly by the officers, 
 once at least, between reliefs. I took my turn 
 with the other officers. A vidette is never 
 allowed to sleep on his post, and the penalty 
 attached to this rule is death. Notwithstand- 
 ing the sanctity of the trust and the terrible 
 penalty of the law, men would sometimes give 
 down under sheer exhaustion, and not only risk 
 their own lives, but hazard the lives of their 
 comrades and the safety of the cause they are 
 placed there to guard and defend. On one of 
 my rounds about midnight I approached a post 
 and found the poor fellow lying prone upon the 
 ground, with his rifle underneath him, clasped 
 in both hands, fast asleep. I walked around 
 him several times to arouse him, then seized 
 the gun and wrenched it from his grasp ; and 
 still he slept. My heart sank within me and my 
 eyes filled with tears, as I stood there in the 
 stillness of that dark night, contemplating that 
 manly form, whose prond spirit had led the 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 203 
 
 charge on many a gory field, prostrate upon 
 the ground, nature exhausted, sound asleep in 
 the very presence of the enemy, and in full con- 
 sciousness of the penaity prescribed for such 
 an offense. I was almost overcome with grief. 
 But my duty was plain. Returning to the lines 
 I delivered the gun to a sergeant and ordered 
 the man arrested, which was done before he 
 awoke. Charges were preferred the next day, 
 the court martial called and the day set for 
 trial. Time elapsed, the day of trial came, and 
 the stern judge advocate took his seat with his 
 associates around him and the offender before 
 him. The charges were read and not denied ; 
 and there remained nothing to be done on the 
 part of the court but pronounce sentence. At 
 this point a 'brief, in mitigation of the offense, 
 was submitted by the prosecutor on behalf of 
 the offender, which after reciting the circum- 
 stances of the offense, the story of his exploits 
 on the field, and the unsullied character of the 
 offender as a man and soldier, closed with a 
 prayer for clemency and the suspension of 
 judgment. This paper, after due consideration 
 by the court, was declared to be not only am- 
 ple as a ground of clemency, but a complete 
 
204 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 vindication of the offender's honor as a soldier. 
 And so he was discharged with a sound admo- 
 nition by the court, and returned to duty with- 
 out punishment — to the joy of his comrades of 
 the line. It is needless to say that we never 
 had another such oflfense. 
 
 The corn in the field between the lines was 
 in a full state of roasting ear, and being on 
 neutral ground, both sides claimed the right to 
 forage from it, at least to the center of the field. 
 This foraging was continued, without objection, 
 until the field was stripped to a narrow belt 
 running across the center, when the sharp- 
 shooters were ordered to stop. Despite the 
 order, however, a few shifty, hungry, daring 
 fellows, leaving their arms and accoutrements 
 on the rifle pits to deceive their officers, would 
 now and then slip oflF and get a mess of corn. 
 This was continued on both sides until there 
 remained only a scattering ear here and there 
 along the center. Finally, John Kilgore, a thin 
 ribbed, self sustaining, nimble jointed sharp- 
 shooter, slipped out to get a few ears of corn, 
 when he met one of his blue coated, well fed 
 neighbors on the same errand. He discovered 
 that the gentleman in blue supported a brand 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 205 
 
 new hat, the like of which he had not seen for 
 years, and determined to capture him, hat and 
 all — at all events the hat. Accordingly, sound- 
 ing the charge, he made for the fellow at full 
 speed ; and now they had it up and down, and 
 round and round through the dense mass of 
 growing corn, until the Federal dropped the 
 hat and made a bee line for home. Kilgore 
 suspended the charge, picked up the hat, gath- 
 ered his corn and quietly returned to his post 
 satisfied, and reported the results of the expe- 
 dition. 
 
 Like the prophet of the Lord at Dothan, Lee 
 and his little army at Petersburg were com- 
 passed about with horses and chariots and a 
 great host, awaiting the opportunity to over- 
 whelm and destroy them. But there was a 
 ring of fire intervening, which so far could hot 
 be evaded or overcome. Strategy and dash 
 and blundering audacity were alternately re- 
 sorted to by the investors, but to this juncture 
 of no avail. Meanwhile our numbers and 
 means of support were diminishing, with no 
 prospect of assistance or relief. 
 
 On the 16th day of September Gen. Wilcox 
 ordered the two battalions of McGowan and 
 
2o6 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 Lane to drive in the Federal sharpshooters and 
 discover the attitude and temper of their main 
 liae in front of the light division. We accord- 
 ingly formed and deployed ; Wooten on the 
 right and Dunlap on the left of the Weldon 
 railroad, the general himself heing present in 
 person and directing the movement. 
 
 We advanced through the cornfield, at com- 
 mon time, until the enemy discovered our ap- 
 proach and opened on us. We returned the 
 fire, and with a yell and charge went crashing 
 through their picket lines like a cyclone. We 
 pursued them to cover of their fortifications 
 and engaged their main line. After teasing and 
 worrying their line of battle for some time we 
 were recalled, and returned to our position with 
 a number of prisoners. G-en. Wilcox compli- 
 mented the sharpshooters upon the promptness 
 and skill with which his orders had been exe- 
 cuted. But we could not quite understand the 
 purpose of the demonstration. It afterwards 
 transpired, however, which explained it all, 
 that Hampton, with a select body of daring 
 horsemen, had galloped round the Federal left, 
 gained their rear, and at the very moment we 
 were entertaining Mr. Grant in front, Hampton 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 207- 
 
 was engaged some miles in the rear, dispersing 
 his guards and capturing Ms beef cattle. The 
 expedition was completely successful, resulting 
 in the capture of a herd of 2500 fine fat beeves 
 and a number of prisoners, which were safely 
 landed within the Confederate lines. 
 
 So passed the time, until near the close of 
 September, during which time we were resting, 
 eating fat beef and gathering strength for the 
 next tilt. 
 
 * 
 
 A gallant Union soldier thus describes his 
 intense nervous excitement on going into bat- 
 tle : " My knees knocked together and my 
 teeth clattered like a thundergust of wood- 
 peckers in a forest of dead chestnuts." A good 
 description. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 BATTLE OF JONES'S FARM. 
 
 ^'Half a hundred cannon threw up their emetic. 
 
 And thirty thousand muskets flung their pills 
 Ivike hail, to make a bloody diuretic ; 
 
 Mortality I Thou hast thy monthly bills 1 
 Thy plagues, thy -famines, thy physicians ; yet tick, 
 
 I,ike the death watch, within our ears the ills 
 Past, present, and to come ; but all may yield 
 
 To the true portrait of one battlefield." 
 
 On the 29th the tenth and eighteenth Federal 
 corps under Ord and Birney, from Butler's 
 army, assaulted the five brigades under Ander- 
 son at Fort Harrison, north of the James, and 
 succeeded in capturing and holding a part of 
 our works. On the next morning early, Mc- 
 Gowan's brigade was ordered to reinforce 
 Anderson on the north side. About 9 o'clock 
 the brigade was put in motion, marched through 
 the outskirts of Petersburg, crossed the Ap- 
 pomattox above town, and took the road for 
 Richmond. We had only gone a few miles 
 
2IO Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 when we were halted and ordered to return to 
 our position in front of Petersburg. Grrant^ 
 taking advantage of the absence of troops sent 
 to reinforce Anderson, had assailed our right 
 and carried our works in the neighborhood of 
 Poplar Spring, and with a heavy column was 
 advancing on the South Side railroad. McGow- 
 an's brigade was halted on its return near 
 Battery No. 45, and lay there until about 
 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when it was moved out 
 on the Boydton plank road, to a point where 
 the Church road crosses, along which the Fed- 
 eral column was advancing. Here we found 
 Lane's brigade already in position, and formed 
 on his left. Our line ran perpendicularly 
 across the Church road, fronting the Jones 
 house, which sat on a ridge or elevated plateau 
 some six hundred yards in front. The enemy 
 had already occupied the ridge and basement 
 of the Jones house with a heavy line of sharp- 
 shooters, who began to pepper us with a scat- 
 tering fire the instant our lines were formed. 
 
 The sharpshooters were deployed and ad- 
 vanced under a stinging fire into a basin shaped 
 depression in the face of the hill this side of 
 the Jones house, where we were protected from 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 21 r 
 
 the enemy's fire by the rising ground in front. 
 Here our line was adjusted to the work in hand^ 
 and orders extended to prepare for action. 
 When everything was ready, with arms at a 
 trail and bodies well stooped, the beautiful line- 
 slipped across and up the sloping side of the^ 
 inclining basin, until our movements could no 
 longer be concealed, when at the command^. 
 " Up, guards, and at 'em ! fire and charge !" the 
 entire line rose and fired ; then with a rousing- 
 cheer stormed up the hill, broke and routed 
 their entire line, and sent them flying across- 
 the field to cover of the woods beyond, save- 
 and except those occupying the Jones house, 
 who fought savagely for their position for a 
 little while. The sharpshooters closed upon- 
 the house and poured into the doors and win- 
 dows of the brick basement a murderous cross- 
 fire, which soon moderated their zeal and 
 caused them to cry out for quarter. We cap- 
 tured in the house some thirty-five or forty 
 prisoners, including the major commanding and- 
 several other ofllcers, which were marched to- 
 the rear under guard. Both lines of battle now 
 advanced, the sharpshooters dropping to the- 
 rear. 
 
-213 Lee's Sharpshooters; or. 
 
 The arfcillerists sprang to their places and let 
 
 -loose the dogs of war. Twenty -four guns from 
 the hills behind, trained upon the advancing 
 lines of blue, opened ; as many guns from the 
 
 opposing hills answered back like a deafening 
 
 echo from the caverns of hades. Thunder and 
 fire and smoke issued from the opposing hill- 
 tops in roaring volumes that rent the air and 
 shook the earth, while shot and shell swept 
 across the field hissing and screaming and 
 
 •crashing into the ranks of the opposing col- 
 umns as they rushed together. The two lines 
 met just beyond the Jones house, and the shock 
 was terrific. But the Unionists could not with- 
 stand the fury of the determined onset, and 
 broke at the first or second volley and fled the 
 
 .field in confusion, leaving the ground thickly 
 strewn with their killed and wounded. The 
 two brigades pursuing, encountered a second 
 line at the edge of the woods which fought with 
 
 imore obstinacy, but it also gave way before 
 McGowan's and Lane's intrepid Carolinians. 
 
 -A third line was engaged near the Pegram 
 house, more than a mile back from where the 
 action began. But night intervening, the con- 
 flict ended with the Confederates masters of the 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 213; 
 
 field. About 9 o'clock the brigades dropped; 
 back into the woods and bivouacked for the 
 night. The enemy remained on Pegram Ridge 
 and fortified. 
 
 During the night a movement was planned' 
 to strike the enemy in flank while we were to 
 make a demonstration in front. What became 
 of the flanking expedition I am not informed. . 
 In pursuance of the plan, however, about 
 8 o'clock the next morning, the two battalions of 
 Lane and McGowan were advanced, while the 
 brigades stood to arms in line of battle. We 
 drove forward through the woods, square to the 
 front, struck the Federal skirmishers in strong 
 rifle pits at the edge of the field about 250 
 yards in advance of their line of works, which 
 ran along the Pegram House ridge. We 
 charged and routed the skirmishers without 
 firing a gun, and pursued them up the sloping 
 ridge, yelling and firing at every jump ; stormed 
 over their fortifications, crushed their line of 
 battle into fragments, and sent them swarming 
 through the woods in complete route. We 
 captured at least two men to every one engaged.^ 
 
 Such was the headlong fury of the charge, 
 and such the amazing results achieved, thafc 
 
-214 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 -our batteries in the rear, supposing that we had 
 been gobbled by the Federals, who came pour- 
 ing over their breastworks as we entered, 
 turned their fire upon us, and continued to pelt 
 us with shot and shell until a courier was 
 dispatched to Maj. Pegram with notice of 
 our success, who ceased firing. The prisoners 
 were turned over to the brigade, and the sharp- 
 shooters moved forward and engaged another, 
 vand the Federal main line. After a short while 
 the sharpshooters were recalled and the two 
 brigades returned to their position on the main 
 line. "We heard nothing more of our flanking 
 •column. 
 
 The brigade lost 162 killed and wounded, in- 
 cluding the casualties in the sharpshooters, in 
 the two days' operations. 
 
 Among the killed, the lamented E. F. Book- 
 ter, the gallant colonel of the twelfth South 
 Carolina regiment, and M. F. Hawthorn of the 
 sharpshooters, than whom a better soldier 
 never wore the gray, may be mentioned. 
 
 On the 2d day of October the brigade was 
 moved out on the Boydton plank road and 
 placed in position a little westward of the 
 Jones house, and the men put to building 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 2115 
 
 breastworks. The work was carried on from 
 ■day to day by heavy details from tlie different 
 regiments under the supervision of certain offi- 
 cers detailed by the regimental commanders 
 for that purpose — each regiment building in 
 its own front ; and each day being the exact 
 reflection of its antecedent. The sharpshoot- 
 ers took their proper position on the picket 
 line about half a mile in front, and for their 
 protection constructed a strong line of rifle pits, 
 which they occupied each alternate day during 
 our stay on this part of the lines. These 
 works became a part of a permanent line ex- 
 tending from Battery Forty-five to Hatcher's 
 Run. The enemy, being engaged at the same 
 or similar work, were disposed to behave them- 
 selves, so there was no disturbance for several 
 weeks. Meanwhile drills were resumed and 
 the ordinary routine of camp life observed. 
 
 The two opposing armies, however, were not 
 so quiet and peaceable on other parts of the 
 field. After the fall of Fort Harrison, Gen. 
 Grant, of necessity, had to maintain a heavy 
 force on the north side, to hold the ground 
 taken from Anderson ; and Gen. Lee, of course, 
 must confront him with a sufficient force 
 
2i6 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 to meet any aggressive movement Grant might 
 make. For several days both sides quietly 
 awaited some demonstration on the part of the 
 other. At length Gen. Lee determined to make 
 eflfbrt to recover possession of Fort Harrison and 
 the adjacent works now in the hands of the Fed- 
 erals; and hence, on the 6th, ordered Anderson 
 to make the assault with the two divisions of 
 Hoke and Fields. These divisions were to at- 
 tack in two columns simultaneously, Fields on 
 the right and Hoke on the left face of the fort. 
 Both were ready a little before the hour ap- 
 pointed, and Fields ordered his leading brigade 
 to move up a little closer to the enemy and 
 await orders. The men, however, mistook the- 
 order and made a dash for the fort. This 
 necessitated the advance of Fields's other- 
 brigades, which attacked with great impetu- 
 ousity and with some prospect of success. 
 Bat Hoke, awaiting the hour agreed upon,, 
 failed to attack, and hence Fields's column was- 
 repulsed. Hoke then attacked and was also re- 
 pulsed ; and so the movement was a failure. 
 Kautz's division of cavalry, however, was de- 
 feated on the Federal left by Bratton and 
 Gary, and ten guns and caissons complete,. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 217 
 
 with more than one hundred artillery and cav- 
 alfy horses, fell into our hands. Our loss was 
 considerable, including the lamented Gregg, the 
 dashing commander of Hood's old Texas 
 brigade. 
 
 By the 12th a new line of works had been 
 constructed between the exterior and interior 
 lines, the right resting on Fort Grilmore and the 
 left on the Darbytown road, and the same oc- 
 cupied by Fields and Hoke. At daylight on 
 that day the enemy in heavy force moved up 
 the Darbytown road and attacked Fields's di- 
 vision. His several assaults were gallantly 
 met and repelled by Gen. Perry, and he finally 
 withdrew. Gen. Longstreet having recovered 
 from his wound received in the Wilderness, re- 
 turned and resumed command, and Anderson 
 returned to Petersburg. 
 
 On the 27th of October, early in the morning, 
 the enemy again made a formidable demonstra- 
 tion in Longstreet's front, while Wietzel's divi- 
 sion of infantry and Kautz's division of cavalry 
 were sent through the forests to turn the Con- 
 federate left and sweep our lines from the Wil- 
 liamsburg and Mne Mile roads. This move- 
 ment was discovered and Fields's division sent: 
 
2i8 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 to meet it. Hoke with a heavy skirmish line 
 held the works in front, while Fields attended 
 to the flanking column. Wietzel and Kautz 
 attacked with considerable bluster, but could 
 not overcome the fury of Fields's determined 
 defense. They came up to within three hun- 
 dred yards of our lines, but could not stand 
 the fire. They threw themselves flat on the 
 ground and remained until Capt. Lyle of Brat- 
 ton's staff' with a small squad went out and 
 captured about five hundred of them, while the 
 rest broke and scampered from the field. 
 During the night the whole Federal force fell 
 back to their fortifications. Thus ended the 
 active campaigning of 1864 on the north side 
 of the James. 
 
 On the same day, forty miles from Fort Har- 
 rison, on the Confederate right, Heth and Ma- 
 hone had met and defeated Hancock's corps 
 and two divisions of the fifth corps at Hatcher's 
 Run, west of Petersburg. McGowan's brigade 
 was not engaged, but moved to and fro along 
 the works under a good shelling from the 
 enemy's guns, ready for action. This move- 
 ment by the enemy against Hatcher's Run, 
 though unsuccessful, resulted in the extension 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 219 
 
 of our lines to the right. Our brigade moved 
 some distance to the right and settled in line 
 in front of the Dr. Boisseaw house. Here the 
 men were again set to building and strength- 
 ening our works. 
 
 The order of the regtmerita was as follows : 
 The first regiment on the right, then the twelfth, 
 then the thirteenth, then the fourteenth, and 
 tlien the rifles on the left. Heth's division was 
 on our right, with McKae's brigade touching 
 the first regiment, and Lane's brigade next on 
 our left. Brigade headquarters were estab- 
 lished in the Boisseaw house, and the regiments 
 were ordered to construct winter quarters in 
 rear of their respective positions on the line, 
 which was done ; and this became their home 
 for the winter. 
 
 To economize men and shorten the line of 
 his defense, Gen. Lee constructed a huge dam 
 
 across Run, two miles west of Petersburg, 
 
 on the Boydton plank road, just below the con- 
 fluence of two branches which came together 
 from opposite directions, and which ran along 
 immediately in front of the Confederate lines. 
 These branches rippled in perpetual flow 
 down the sharp valleys between prominent 
 
230 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 hills. The dam was some 300 feet long, fifty 
 feet high, 100 feet thick at the base and thirty 
 feet at the top. "When filled, the water covered 
 the valleys to a depth of from five to thirty feet 
 for more than half a mile on either side of the 
 dam ; and was an eflfectual bar to Federal 
 attack for that distance. Hence no troops 
 were needed on this part of our line while the 
 dam lasted. The weight of water which col- 
 lected above the dam, and lay against the un- 
 settled earth heavily, eventually broke the 
 dam with a disastrous flood, which swept the 
 valley of coons and cabins out into the roaring 
 Appomattox ; and the lines thus vacated had 
 again to be manned with (roops. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 CLOSING INCIDENTS OF 1864. 
 
 " Dreary east winds howling o'er us, 
 Clay lands knee deep spread before us ; 
 Mire and ice and snow and sleet ; 
 Aching- backs and frozen feet ; _ 
 Knees which reel as marches quicken ; 
 Kanks which thin as corpses thicken ; 
 While with carrion birds we eat, 
 Calling puddle water sweet. 
 As we pledge the health of our general, who fares as 
 
 rough as we : 
 What can daunt us, what can turn us, led to death by 
 such as I<ee." 
 
 To meet the expedition sent out under War- 
 ren to destroy the Weldon railroad at Jarrett's 
 Station, the three divisions of Wilcox, Heth 
 and Mahone, under A. P. Hill, were withdrawn 
 from the lines soon after dark of the 8th of De- 
 cember, and took up the line of march west- 
 ward on the Boydton plank road. Passing 
 through the town of Dinwiddle Court House 
 about midnight, we turned southward, and 
 after marching several miles went into bivouac. 
 
222 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or. 
 
 We resumed the march at dawn the next morn- 
 ing and hurried forward in the direction of Jar- 
 rett's Station. 
 
 The weather was intensely cold, the ground 
 frozen hard, and the heavens were dark with 
 clouds, portending a snowstorm. We made 
 good time over the solid earth and accom- 
 plished one of our best day's marches. We 
 went into bivouac about dark in a skirt of tim- 
 ber where wood was abundant. The threat- 
 ened storm burst upon us, and already the sleet 
 and snow was descending in blinding showers 
 upon the frozen ground. We built huge log 
 fires and prepared as best we could for the 
 night. After eating our scant rations and 
 smoking our pipes, we wrapped ourselves in 
 our blankets and gum cloths, and stood, sat or 
 lay around our camp fires in a semi-conscious, 
 half freezing condition until morning. We re- 
 sumed the march early next morning, and in 
 great distress wended our weary way, thinly 
 clad and half shod, through sleet and snow, 
 mud and slush, to Jarrett's Station. Heavy 
 skirmishing and considerable artillery firing 
 was heard in front as we neared the station, but 
 ceased on our approach. Warren kindly re- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 223 
 
 tired before Hill's column, and generously 
 maintained his distance as Hill pursued him. 
 We followed on his track until night overtook 
 us, some six miles beyond the station, when we 
 went into bivouac. We continued the pursuit 
 early next morning for three or four miles ; but 
 finding that Warren had made good his escape 
 to the Federal lines, we halted and began to 
 retrace our steps. We recrossed the railroad 
 at Jarrett's and pressed on towards Petersburg. 
 We bivouacked that night on the banks of the 
 Nottaway river ; the night following near Din 
 widdie court house; and on the 12th reached 
 our winter quarters in a somewhat dilapidated 
 condition. A few days of comfort and rest, 
 however, restored the spirits and physical en- 
 ergies of the men, when they were again em- 
 ployed in building and strengthening the line 
 of breastworks. 
 
 A strong picket was kept up about half a 
 mile in advance of the main line, the sharp- 
 shooters occupying the front alternately with 
 regimental details made from the brigade. 
 The year closed without any further movement 
 on the part of McGowan's brigade. 
 
234 Lee^s Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 On the 28th day of Decemlber,- when the 
 eventful campaign of 1864 with its sanguinary 
 record had evidently closed, and the two great 
 armies which confronted each other before the 
 beleaguered cities of Petersburg and Rich- 
 mond had settled down into the repose of win- 
 ter, Gren. Wilcox, by the advise and with the 
 consent of the brigade commanders, published 
 an order to the four battalions of sharpshoot- 
 ers of the light division, containing {inter alia) 
 this proposition : " That whenever they should 
 place the rifle pits on the picket line in first 
 class condition, and report the fact to division 
 headquarters, the sharpshooters might retire 
 from the front and go into winter quarters until 
 the campaign of 1865 should open." The con- 
 ditions of the order were met by noon of the 
 30th, and the fact reported. The report was 
 accompanied with a request on the part of the 
 two battalions of McGowan and Scales, asking 
 permission of the major general to make a requi- 
 sition on their blue coated neighbors in front 
 for such articles of camp equipment as might 
 be necessary to render them comfortable during 
 the winter; which report was received as satis- 
 factory, and the request granted upon terms. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 225 
 
 Hence, in the evening twilight of that cold and 
 murky December day, the commandants of the 
 two battalions named, sallied forth without at- 
 tendants, and were soon lost to sight in the 
 thickening darkness and dense skirt of woods 
 lying between the lines. The enemy's outposts 
 and picket lines were closely scrutinized and 
 the point where the sortie should be made defi- 
 nitely determined^ The two officers now 
 returned to their respective commands and 
 issued the necessary orders and instructions. 
 Accordingly, about 4 o'clock the following 
 morning, some two hours before daybreak, the 
 two battalions met at the point designated — 
 which was between the lines, some distance east 
 of the Weldon railroad — and formed at right 
 angles with the line to be attacked, about 
 twenty paces apart, back to back. Eight men 
 of superior courage and activity were selected 
 from each battalion and formed at intervals of 
 :five paces across the forward flanks of the two 
 battalions, facing the enemy. R. M. Plexico, 
 Silas Perry, R. J. Fields and Press Watson 
 were four of those selected from my battalion ; 
 the names of the others I am unable to recall . 
 At the command the sixteen men, with their 
 
236 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 center well advanced, moved forward slowly 
 upon the rifle pits directly before them, and 
 which had been designated as the point of at- 
 tack. The two battalions followed closely,. 
 Young taking intervals by the right flank and 
 Dunlop by the left, as the movement progressed. 
 Silently and stealthily, as a tiger would skirt a 
 jungle, this double transverse line with spike 
 head in front, slipped along through the dark- 
 ness upon the unsuspecting enemy. A treach- 
 erous ditch lay directly across our path about 
 a hundred yards in front of the Federal rifle 
 pits, into which every man fell as his turn 
 came ; but each recovering, moved on in his 
 place. When the front had nearly reached the 
 point where the plunge should be made, a man 
 in the rear of my line tumbled into the ditch 
 and accidentally discharged his gun. (The plan 
 was to capture the entire line without firing a 
 gun.) This aroused the enemy, and they 
 poured a harmless volley from the length of 
 their line into the bleak darkness in front. At 
 the same instant the battalions charged and 
 drove their spike head squarely through the 
 Federal lines, capturing half a dozen rifle pits 
 with their occupants. When the battalions 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 227 
 
 had moved half their length through the gap. 
 the right battalion faced to the right, the left 
 battalion to the left, and throwing forward 
 their wings so as to form a sack, swept the 
 lines for nearly a mile on either side, capturing 
 a large number of prisoners with all the sup- 
 plies needed. The wounding of private Carter 
 in the back by the accidental discharge of the 
 gun referred to, was the only casualty reported 
 on our side, whereas the enemy lost not less 
 than three hundred, in killed, wounded and 
 captured. The success of the expedition was 
 promptly reported to division headquarters, and 
 approved, with generous commendations by 
 Gen. Wilcox. 
 
 An incident occurred at the moment of en- 
 counter, which illustrates the personal courage 
 of this daring command. 
 
 When Sergt. Plexico scrambled out of the 
 ditch, into which all had fallen, and rubbed 
 the mud and water from his eyes, he discovered 
 thai; he had lost Ms bearings, as well as his 
 connection with the spike head, but made for a 
 rifle pit— which he supposed to be the right 
 one — some distance to the left of the point on 
 which his comrades were bearing, andcharged it 
 
-228 Lee's Sharpshooters; or; 
 
 single handed and alone, capturing a corporal 
 and four other prisoners, whom he marched off 
 to the rear. Of course the concussion pro- 
 duced at the instant of encounter paralyzed 
 the corporal and his men for the time, otherwise 
 Plexico would have failed. 
 
 "We secured all the supplies necessary to our 
 ■comfort for the winter and returned to camp 
 about sunrise, a happy command, resumed our 
 duties at the front ; and continued to alternate 
 with details from the brigade until sometime 
 about the middle of January, before the order 
 for our retirement was carried into effect. 
 
 To give the eventful campaign an appropriate 
 closing, a substantial Christmas dinner was 
 prepared for the Army of Northern Virginia by 
 an organized effort of the dear, good ladies of 
 Richmond and Petersburg, and sent to the 
 front. This treat was forwarded through the 
 commissary department for distribution, and 
 was intended to be given out, share and share 
 alike, to both officers and men. The rights of 
 all were equal, from the commanding general 
 down to the lowest private. The conception 
 was generous and lofty, the sentiment patriotic 
 -and tender. Of these we all received our 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 229. 
 
 share. But when it came to the grub itself, we 
 received only an intimation of the generous do- 
 nation, and were glad to get even the smallest 
 reminder of " the substance of things hoped for,., 
 the evidence of things not seen." 
 
 More than six months had elapsed since the 
 investment of our capital city, and yet our 
 lines were intact. Not a breach had been 
 made, save at Fort Harrison, on the banks of 
 the James, notwithstanding assault after 
 assault had been made, and scarce an hour 
 had passed when the roar of hostile guns was 
 not heard in front of Petersburg. 
 
 And thus the year of 1864 closed. 
 
GHAPTBR XVIL 
 
 DASH BY THE SHARPSHOOTERS; 
 PEACE NEGOTIATIONS. 
 
 " Shall we upon the footing of our land 
 Send fair play orders and make compromise, 
 Insinuation, parley, or base truce 
 To arms invasive." 
 
 About 11 o'clock p. m., January 8, 1865, 
 ■when the sharpshooters were on duty at the 
 front, the following order from Lieut. Gen. Hill, 
 endorsed by the division and brigade com- 
 manders, was referred to me on the picket line 
 to the right of the Jones house : 
 
 Headquarters Third Corps. | 
 January 8, 186S. f 
 
 It is represented that the enemy intends renewing- their 
 -attack upon Wilm.ington, and that troops have left here 
 to that end. Can not you ascertain whether or not any 
 ^iroops have left your front, or any changes occurred. 
 Respectfully, 
 (Signed) A. P. Hii,i„ Lieutenant General. 
 
 In passing the order down to the brigade 
 ■commanders the major general says, in his en- 
 
232 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 dorsement : " The attention of brigade com- 
 manders is invited to Gen. Hill's note. They 
 will try to obtain the desired information, and 
 communicate the same promptly to these head- 
 quarters. Capture a prisoner, if it can be done 
 without risking too much, and question him as. 
 soon as captured." 
 
 Gen. McGowan referred the order to me with 
 this endorsement : " You will comply with the 
 instructions of the corps and division command- 
 ers, as far as practicable." 
 
 We knew quite well that a prisoner could be 
 captured " without risking too much," and de- 
 termined to " comply with the instructions " of 
 the several commanders at once. Accordingly 
 B. K. Benson and R. M. Plexico were directed 
 to go to the front, crawl up on the enemy's out- 
 posts, and, "if practicable," to capture a. 
 vidette and return without delay. These 
 scouts returned about 4 o'clock without a pris- 
 oner, and reported that the vidette posts were 
 so near the Federal picket lines it was impos- 
 sible to capture a vidette without arousing the 
 picket, and thus " risking too much." The 
 failure of these two men to " capture a pris- 
 oner " settled the question, in so far as success. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 233 
 
 by strategy was concerned, and it now became 
 necessary to extract tlie information desired by 
 force. It was therefore determined to withdraw 
 two companies of the battalion from the lines, 
 cover the vacancy by extending intervals with 
 the third company, and attack the enemy's line 
 before daylight. Hence at 5:20 o'clock on the 
 morning of the 9th, the first and second compa- 
 nies under Hasell andBrunson were assembled 
 on the left of our line, and formed in front at in- 
 tervals of five paces. We advanced slowly 
 and cautiously until we reached a point not ex- 
 ceeding thirty yards from the Federal lines, 
 when a vidette discovered our approach and 
 fired. Instantly we sprang forward and meas- 
 ured our full length on their rifle pits, routed 
 their line for some distance on either flank, 
 captured fourteen prisoners and returned to our 
 position before daylight without losing a man. 
 The prisoners were promptly sent under guard 
 to brigade headquarters for examination. 
 
 We were relieved about 9 o'clock and re- 
 turned to camp, where we received the compli- 
 ments of Gen. McGowan for the information se- 
 cured for Gen. Hill, by our successful dash on 
 the enemy's line ; then retired to rest. 
 
234 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 We continued to take our turn on the picket 
 line until the 15th of January, when we were re- 
 lieved from the front and went into winter 
 quarters in rear at the brigade, according to 
 the terms of the order of December 28th. 
 
 The position selected for oar winter home 
 was in rear of the center of the brigade, in the 
 head of a hollow which penetrated the ridge 
 occupied by the brigade to within one hundred 
 yards of the line of works. Our camp was 
 laid oflF in the form of a square, three sides of 
 which were occupied by the three companies 
 of the battalion in comfortable shanties covered 
 with tents, facing inward. The second or center 
 company running parallel with the line of the 
 brigade ; the first and third companies in reverse 
 order on the two sides of the gulch, running back 
 their full length and facing each other across the 
 square. The foundation for each shanty was 
 made level by digging into the face of the hill 
 and drawing the earth back on the lower side. 
 Chimneys were cut into the wall on the deepest 
 side of the excavation. The lower side was 
 built up to a level with small timbers and a 
 fly tent stretched over the whole. The open- 
 ings or doors of entrance were all on the inside, 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 335 
 
 looking out upon the square, whicli was our 
 parade ground. We were soon as confortable 
 and happy as soldiers could be, with nothing 
 to do but drill, drill, drill. 
 
 The battalion was mustered for roll call, in- 
 spection or drill several times during the day, 
 and for roll call occasionally at uncertain hours 
 during the night, that the men might always 
 be ready for duty when called on. Between 
 drills during the day, and after the duties of 
 the day were ended, the men were allowed to 
 ramble, forage or visit their neighbors of other 
 commands ; only they must be on hand at emer- 
 gency call, day or night. They were always on 
 hand when needed. 
 
 For a period of six weeks or more the enemy 
 remained quiet in our front, which gave us the 
 opportunity to cast about us and consider the 
 attitude and possibilities of the struggle. We 
 looked — and lo ! the clouds of impending dis- 
 aster were gathering dark and ominous about 
 our darling Confederacy. 
 
 Early, after a short and brilliant career in 
 the Shenandoah vallej'^, had been beaten and 
 routed by a vastly superior force under Sheri- 
 dan. Sherman, with a magnificent army, waa 
 
2^6 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 marching in triumph through Georgia and the 
 Carolinas. Charleston, Mobile and Wilming- 
 ton had been evacuated, and the entire south- 
 ern coast, from the Rio Grande to the Potomac, 
 had been given up. And the Army of North- 
 -ern Virginia, drawn out to a thread over a 
 crescent shaped line of earthworks nearly forty 
 miles in length, with an effective roll of not 
 more than forty thousand men, confronted by 
 an army of little' less than one hundred and 
 fifty thousand veteran soldiers, was the sole 
 surviving hope of the Confederate cause. Gen. 
 Johnston, with all his splendid generalship, 
 could not with his remnant of an army with- 
 stand Sherman's victorious columns as they 
 pressed onward through the Carolinas to a 
 junction with Grant. Nor was there any other 
 source of possible relief to the great Lee and 
 
 * 
 
 his war worn veterans. The fate of the Con- 
 federacy rested alone upon the shoulders of 
 this incomparable leader ; to whom all looked, 
 both soldiers and citizens, for deliverance. 
 He calmly bore this great responsibility, as 
 well as this vain confidence — in which he did 
 not share — determined to do his duty to the 
 end. We glanced sadly at our proud banner, 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 237 
 
 the Southern cross, as it floated defiantly here 
 and there along our thin lines, and could dimly 
 trace in lines of blood " Ichabod," written over 
 that significant motto, '■'■Deo YenMce^'' where 
 lay our strength and trust ; and for a moment 
 our hearts sank within us. Nevertheless the 
 undaunted Confederates stood to their colors, 
 ready to meet the enemy on any part of the 
 ground. 
 
 When not on duty we spent the time in social 
 pleasures, visiting and entertaining friends, din- 
 ing and giving dinners, perpetrating practical 
 jokes, and discussing politics, tactics and reli- 
 gion. The study of military tactics was enjoined 
 by general orders upon all officers — commis- 
 sioned and non-commissioned — with schools of 
 recitation established at company, regimental 
 and brigade headquarters, in which at stated 
 periods lessons in the school of the company, 
 battalion and evolutions of the line, were 
 recited to the commanding officers and dis- 
 cussed. Drills were kept up daily, with 
 marked improvement in the ease and accuracy 
 with which the more difficult evolutions were 
 performed. Examining boards were also estab- 
 lished, before whom every applicant for promo- 
 
238 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 tion was required to appear and pass his 
 
 examination before his commission was issued. 
 
 On the 28th of January, Capt. Hasell, of the 
 first company of sharpshooters, was granted 
 leave of absence to visit his home in Charles- 
 ton, S. C, and Lieut. Ballinger was assigned to 
 duty in his place. Ballinger was wounded on 
 the 25th of March, and Lieut. N. G. Dicen look 
 his place. Capt. Hasell was due to return the 
 last of February, but Sherman^'s army cut him 
 off from Virginia, and he took service on Gen. 
 Hardee's staff in Johnson's army, for the time, 
 and did not reach his command until after the 
 lines were broken at Petersburg in April. 
 
 On the 30th of January, at the instance of Mr. 
 Francis Blair, a distinguished cioizen of the 
 United States and confidential friend of Presi- 
 dent Lincoln, President Davis commissioned 
 Messrs. Alexander H. Stephens, Hunter and 
 Campbell to meet President Lincoln and Secre- 
 tary of State Seward at Fortress Monroe, to ne- 
 gotiate the suspension of hostilities with a view 
 to the establishment of peace between the di- 
 vided sections. The meeting, however, par- 
 took more of the nature of a private interview 
 than of a diplomatic council. When the pur- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 239 
 
 pose of the conference was introduced by Mr. 
 Stephens, Mr. Lincoln at once announced that 
 any proposition short of unconditional surren- 
 der of the armies of the Confederate States 
 would not be entertained. Such an ultimatum 
 the Southern commissioners had neither the 
 power nor disposition to consider; hence with- 
 drew in disdain, returned to Richmond and re- 
 ported the result. The report was received and 
 the action of the commissioners sustained. 
 Thereupon, President Davis uttered (im- 
 promptu), according to information, one of the 
 grandest speeches of his life. A copy of this 
 address I endeavored to obtain, for months, for 
 the adornment of these sketches, but failed. 
 
 The secretary of the Southern Historical 
 Society, at Richmond, Va., after an exhaustive 
 examination of the files of his office and of the 
 Richmond daily newspapers of that period, re- 
 ported that he could find nothing. The secre- 
 tary of the West Virginia society ; a Canadian 
 editor, whose staflF correspondent was stationed 
 in Richmond at the time ; Senators Kenna of 
 West Virginia and Reagan of Texas — all made 
 similar reports. Senator Reagan, however, 
 said that his speech was delivered in the 
 
240 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 African church in Richmond; that he was 
 present and heard it ; and that it was the most 
 thrilling and patriotic address he had ever 
 heard fall from the lips of man ; hut that it had 
 never been published. I then awaited the 
 publication of the " Life of Jeflferson Davis " by 
 his widow, hoping that in the privacy of his 
 home he might have confided to her an ex- 
 tended epitome of this great speech, which she 
 might, with propriety, incorporate in the 
 memoirs of his illustrious life ; but not so. 
 Not one word was published. 
 
 When the results of the conference were 
 made known to the Army of Northern Virginia, 
 the troops were mustered by brigades and regi- 
 ments, and the question of submission, accord- 
 ing to Mr. Lincoln's terms, was referred to 
 them for determination. The poll was taken, 
 and is^QTj mother's son of them voted to fight 
 it out to the bitter end. 
 
 The pickets now consisted of about 200 men 
 detailed from the brigades, and commanded 
 by a captain. 
 
 The picket line of McGrowan's brigade was 
 about 600 yards in front, protected by a strong 
 line of rifle pits. The Federal pickets were 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 24 1 
 
 about 300 yards beyond. This arrangement 
 was substantially maintained until about tlie 
 last of February, when the sharpshooters were 
 ordered to resume their duties at the front. In 
 the meantime the enemy had become some- 
 what insolent, and betimes amused themselves 
 by firing at our details and forcing them to hug 
 their rifle pits for safety. This annoyance was 
 exactly to the taste of the sharpshooters, and 
 hence, as soon as they took the front, set about 
 to silence their cheeky neighbors. They re> 
 sponded cheerfully to every shot, and assuming 
 the oflFensive, proceeded to blister every blue 
 coated gentleman that dared to expose himself 
 in the least degree above his rifle pit. A few 
 hours only were necessary to convince them 
 that they were dealing with willing experts 
 who could beat them at their own game, and 
 hence proposed a truce, which was granted ;. 
 and henceforth peace and good fellowship pre- 
 vailed between the picket lines. 
 
 On Sunday, the 12th day of March, the 
 Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was adminis- 
 tered in camp by the Rev. Dr. Theoderick Prior, 
 assisted by the Rev. Messrs. Dickson and 
 
.242 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 Douglas, in which all denominations of pro- 
 fessing Christians participated — a touchingly 
 solemn scene in which many joined for the last 
 •time. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 GORDON'S ATTACK ON FORT STEAD- 
 MAN; STORMING OF MoIL- 
 WAINS'S HILL. 
 
 " War is honorable 
 In those who do their native rig'hts maintain ; 
 In those whose swords in iron barrier are 
 Between the lawless spoiler and the weak ; 
 But is, in those who draw th' offensive blade 
 For added power or grain, sordid and despicable 
 As meanest office of the worldly churl." 
 
 The Army of Northern Virginia now mus- 
 tered scarcely thirty-five thousand muskets. 
 Longs treet commanded the left, covering the 
 Confederate capital and the interval between 
 the James and the Appomattox ; Gordon the 
 center, covering Petersburg ; and A. P. Hill 
 the right, extending from Petersburg to Hatch- 
 er's Run'; while our wretchedly mounted cav- 
 alry guarded our flanks. Our lines were drawn 
 out to their utmost attenuation, and although 
 we injected into the winter's campaign a good 
 
244 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 deal of pleasurable amusement, let me assure 
 you it was no holiday parade. The small 
 force at Lee's command had to do guard and 
 picket duty, and cover the entire forty miles of 
 works, passing almost continually from one 
 duty to another. No reserves were available 
 to relieve those who broke down, and the men 
 were shifted again and again from point to 
 point to meet the divers demonstrations of the 
 enemy. Sherman with his magnificent army 
 was rapidly pressing back the ^skeleton of an 
 army under Johnston to a juncti^Bwith Grant's 
 forces in front of Petersburg. If these two 
 grand armies were permitted to unite, it would 
 give Grant an eflfective roll of more than two 
 hundred thousand men ; whereas, the addition 
 of Johnston's troops to the Army of Northern 
 Virginia would give Gen. Lee scarcely fifty 
 thousand. The Confederates, though half clad, 
 bare footed, gaunt and famished, with unswerv- 
 ing devotion stood to their colors and defied 
 the embattled legions of Grant and Sherman 
 as they closed around them. Gen. Lee, how- 
 ever, had determined to escape so fearful a 
 combination by evacuating the lines of Peters- 
 burg and Kichmond, and falling back to the 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 245 
 
 hills in the interior before it was too late. 
 Hence pontoon trains were made ready and a 
 large supply of provisions was ordered to be 
 collected at Amelia court house; and Gen. 
 Johnston was directed to so manoeuvre as to 
 connect his left with Lee's right, whenever and 
 wherever such a union could be consummated. 
 To divert the attention of the Federal com- 
 mander from his left near Hatcher's Run, which 
 was dangerously near the Cox road, along 
 which alone the Confederates could safely re- 
 tire. Gen. Lee prepared to attack the Union 
 lines just south of the Appomattox river and 
 at their strongest point. 
 
 Fort Steadman was selected as the point of 
 attack. This formidable castle, with its cordon 
 of. supporting redoubts and connecting para- 
 pets on each flank, armed with the heaviest 
 metal and defended by the bravest of men, and 
 withal protected by a perfect labyrinth of en- 
 tanglements in front, was to , be carried by an 
 assault coup de main. Batteries 10, 11 and 
 12 on the left were to be swept out, and Fort 
 Haskell on the right was to be reduced. Then 
 the high ground in rear was to be gained, the 
 City Point railroad seized, and Grant's main 
 
246 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 line of communication broken up and de- 
 stroyed. Gen. Gordon, with two of his best 
 divisions, was to make the assault, while the 
 rest of the army was to stand to arms in readi- 
 ness to support the movement. If Grant 
 assaulted to recover his lost ground, Lee would 
 be ready to meet him ; if he hastened toward 
 City Point to re-establish his communications, 
 the Southern army would withdraw over the 
 Cox road. It was a reasonable presumption 
 that Gordon would, in some measure, succeed ;, 
 that the Federal left would be withdrawn to 
 meet Gordon, and thus the line of retreat be 
 opened. 
 
 A little before daybreak on the morning of 
 the 25th of March, 1865, Gordon's two divisions 
 moved up and confronted Fort Steadman. 
 Young's battalion of sharpshooters preceded 
 the assaulting column and cleared the way of 
 obstructions. Then, came the main lines, as 
 silently as spectres, slipped across the interval, 
 bounded into Fort Steadman and quietly cap- 
 tured garrison and guns before the bewildered 
 Unionists understood what was up. The guns 
 of the captured fort were immediately turned 
 upon the adjacent supporting fortifications, 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 247' 
 
 numbers of which were abandoned, leaving in 
 Gordon's hands nine pieces of heavy artillery, 
 eight mortars and five hundred prisoners, in- 
 cluding a brigadier general. The initial move- 
 ment was thus completely successful, with a 
 prospect of greater and more brilliant suc- 
 cesses ; but unfortunately the leading division 
 was not sustained. The troops set oflf to attack 
 Fort Haskell did so in a hesitating, half 
 hearted manner, and were repulsed. Others 
 refused to advance at the critical moment, and 
 hence the movement was stayed and the great 
 opportunity lost. The Federals at once con- 
 centrated a heavy fire upon Fort Steadman 
 from front and flanks, and Gordon was caught 
 in a frightful trap, from which his high courage 
 and masterly leadership could with great diffi- 
 culty extricate him and his daring command. 
 So completely were they encircled by the ring 
 of consuming fire that nearly two thousand 
 Confederates surrendered on the spot, which 
 added to the killed and wounded made a total 
 loss of nearly three thousand men, against an 
 aggregate loss on the other side of twenty-five 
 hundred in killed, wounded and missing. The- 
 
248 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 remainder of our forces succeeded in getting 
 out and returned to our lines. 
 
 Our repulse at Fort Steadman was followed 
 by an advance of the sixth Federal corps, 
 which after hard fighting succeeded in captur- 
 ing our picket lines for several miles west of 
 the Weldon railroad. The pickets in McGrow- 
 an's front made a gallant fight for their posi- 
 tion, but were overwhelmed and driven in. 
 About 2 o'clock p. m. the sharpshooters, who 
 had been off duty, were thrown out and en- 
 ■gaged the enemy at a range of about two hun- 
 dred and fifty yards, which caused them to hug 
 their works with amusing tenacity. The Fed- 
 -eral artillery played upon our lines with but 
 little effect, save the destruction of a few of our 
 shanties and the explosion of an ammunition 
 chest, which killed two men and wounded two 
 or three others. 
 
 About 3 o'clock two regiments of Thomas's 
 brigade on our left were sent forward 
 to drive the enemy from Mcllwaine's Hill, a 
 commanding position east of the Jones house, 
 which had been seized from the Georgians in 
 the morning, and which was necessary to the 
 comfort and security of our lines at that point. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 249 
 
 A battery of artillery assisted Thomas in the 
 assault. The Federals also advanced two or 
 three regiments from their main line to meet 
 the Confederates. The two lines met about the 
 crest and grappled. For a time the contest was 
 furious and deadly, but the Federals yielded at 
 length to the determined Georgians. Other 
 reinforcements were sent forward from each 
 side, and the contest renewed, with a manifest 
 determination on the part of both to recover 
 and hold possession of the hill at whatever 
 cost, or involve much larger forces in the con- 
 test. Hour after hour the conflict raged back 
 and forth across the consecrated hilltop, until 
 the mantle of darkness interposed and closed 
 the contest — Cleaving the crest in possession of 
 enemy. The sharpshooters in the meantime 
 with merciless accuracy were peeling the top- 
 knots from every Federal head that peered 
 above their rifle pits in McGowan's front; for 
 be it remembered, " they never touched a trigger 
 without drawing blood." Two companies of 
 sharpshooters were relieved about 9 o'clock the 
 next morning, but the third could not be re- 
 lieved until after dark the following night, on 
 account of its proximity to the Federal lines 
 
250 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 and the dangers besetting every approacli to 
 
 their advanced position. 
 
 About 10 o'clock on the night of the 26th, 
 while I was busily engaged in establishing a 
 new line of rifle pits for our pickets, I was 
 summoned to appear instanter at brigade 
 headquarters. The order was promptly 
 obeyed, and I was informed by Gen. McGrowan 
 that Gen. Lee with our corps and division, 
 commanders had been in conference at his head- 
 quarters ; that it was determined that Mcllwaine 
 Hill must be recovered from the enemy at all 
 hazards, and that before daylight in the morn- 
 ing ; that the four battalions of sharpshooters 
 of the light division had been selected and 
 assigned to that disagreeable duty ; and that 
 he was authorized by Gen. Lee to say that, in 
 the event of success, every man who survived 
 the action should receive as a reward for the 
 service a leave of absence for thirty days to visit 
 his home and family, to begin at once and con- 
 tinue as rapidly as the exigencies of the service 
 would permit, until all had received their 
 reward. We were only to take and hold tiie 
 hill until other troops could be brought from 
 the line, when we should be relieved. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 25 1 
 
 The persistent gallantry of the Georgia brig- 
 ade in their efforts to recover and hold the hill^ 
 and the heroic and successful defense of the' 
 Federals to retain its possession, which we 
 had witnessed, together with the conditions of 
 the order of our assignment, impressed us with 
 the importance and peril of the undertaking, 
 and we felt that the crisis was upon us, when 
 every man, with all his muscle and nerve, was 
 called upon to do and to dare for the honor of 
 his country, or ground his arms in ignominious 
 defeat; and we stood for our country, de- 
 termined to take the hill or impale ourselves 
 on the enemy's bayonets which bristled along- 
 the crest in solid mass. 
 
 Accordingly, at 1:30 on the morning of the 
 27th the battalion was formed, the order read 
 and explained, the enormity of the job in hand 
 discussed, and men and officers put upon their 
 metal for the desperate adventure. We moved 
 out on the Boydton plank road directly in 
 front of the Mcllwaine Hill, where in a short 
 time the several battalions assembled. Upon 
 consultation of the several commanders, it was 
 determined to make the assault in solid order 
 of battle, with Wooten's North Carolina^ 
 
252 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 battalion on the right and Dunlop's South 
 Carolina battalion on the left in front, covered 
 and supported by Young's North Carolina and 
 Georgia battalion, on a second line imme- 
 diately in rear of the first. The center of the 
 hill was to be carried by storm. The two lead- 
 ing battalions were then to wheel — the one to 
 the right and the other to the left — and sweep 
 out, while the two supporting battalions should 
 move up and occupy the summit as a basis 
 of farther efltort to hold the position, should the 
 enemy attempt to retake it ; and upon whose 
 right and left the leading battalions, as soon as 
 the hill was cleared, were to return and form. 
 The lights on our picket line in front were 
 gradually extinguished and every precaution 
 taken so that our movements might not be 
 discovered, and thus the chances of success 
 placed at less hazard. Orders and instructions 
 were given in detail to each and every man. At 
 5 o'clock the column began to move. The 
 troops of the line stood to arms, and in breath- 
 less suspense gazed out into the bleak dark- 
 ness in front, eager to catch the first sound 
 when their champions should strike. The 
 stars of heaven refused to shine, and the 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 253 
 
 Stillness of death settled down upon the dark 
 valley which intervened between the lines, as 
 this little band of devoted Confederates sallied 
 forth with nndannted courage to encounter a 
 foe five times their number, in a strong position 
 well fortified, and the arena of a deadly yet 
 unsuccessful combat of the day before. 
 
 Slowly and steadily, and with the most per- 
 fect order of alignment, the column advanced. 
 When within 100 yards of the Federal breast- 
 works we encountered a deep ditch, densely 
 hedged on both sides with briars and thorns, 
 into which, without hesitation, each and every 
 man let himself down and crawled out on the 
 other side and. took his place in line. With 
 but a moment's delay to adjust the lines and 
 see that none stuck in the ditch, the advance 
 was continued until the leading battalions were 
 within thirty paces of the enemy's lines, when 
 we were discovered and their vidette fired. We 
 awaited not the murderous volley which we ex- 
 pected to crash through our ranks at this mo- 
 ment, but with all the energy of a desperate 
 determination we sprang upon them. In the 
 " blackness of darkness " as at midnight we 
 throttled them in their stronghold, and the 
 
254 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 crest of Mcllwaine Hill blazed with the flashes 
 of a thousand muzzles spurting death. The 
 fury of the struggle was but for a moment. We 
 wrenched from their grasp the eclat of their 
 dearly won victory of the preceding day, and 
 hurled them reeling and bleeding from the sum- 
 mit back upon the main lines. The right bat- 
 talion changed direction to the right upon the 
 center, and the left battalion to the left, and 
 swept the hill of every solitary blue coat — tooth 
 and toe nail — from center to circumference ; 
 while the supporting battalions, as soon as un- 
 masked, moved up and took position on the 
 summit, and continued the fire upon the broken 
 ranks of retreating Federals. The leading 
 battalions, having cleared the hill for half a 
 mile on either side, returned and formed upon 
 the right and left of the other two, and squared 
 themselves for a counter attack, should one be 
 made. 
 
 At three several times during the day the 
 enemy organized strong columns of assault 
 and endeavored to retake the hill, but as many 
 times were broken and driven back upon their 
 main line before they got within two hundred 
 yards of our position. We had been promised 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 255 
 
 relief early in the morning, but none came ; so 
 we held the position against every assault 
 and all odds, and without asssistance, save a 
 few shots by one gun from the main line, until 
 9 o'clock the succeeding night, when other 
 troops took our places and we retired to rest. 
 The enemy lost heavily in killed, wounded and 
 prisoners, and sued for a truce of three hours 
 to bury their dead, which was granted ; while 
 the four battalions only lost ten or fifteen men 
 all told. The storming of Mcllwaine Hill was 
 unquestionably one of the most daring and 
 successful engagements of its dimensions ever 
 witnessed upon any field during the great 
 struggle, and our generals did not hesitate to 
 so declare. 
 
 In the history of McGrowan's brigade great 
 credit is given by the author to the twelve 
 pounder which assisted the sharpshooters in 
 repelling the assaults made by the enemy to 
 recover the hill after it was taken. Of course 
 the shells fired by this gun did some good, but 
 in comparison with the effect of the deadly aim 
 of these trained riflemen, which punctured 
 their courage as well as their carcasses at every 
 step, was but as " a drop in the bucket " in this 
 
256 Lee's Skarf shooters ; or, 
 
 contest. We repudiate " the faint praise " ac- 
 corded to the sharpshooters by Comrade Cald- 
 well and appeal to the facts of history for our 
 dues. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 LAST BATTLE OF HATCHER'S RUN: 
 
 " Finn paced and slow, a horrid front they form, 
 Still as the breeze, but dreadful as the storm ; 
 Ivow murmuring sounds along their banners fly, 
 Victory or death — the watchword and reply. 
 Then pealed the notes, omnipotent to charm. 
 And the loud tocsin tolled their last alarm." 
 
 The enemy made no further demonstrationfr* 
 in our front and we lay quietly resting all of 
 the 28th and 29th, closely observing their 
 movements and listening to the incessant roar 
 of artillery in front of Petersburg. 
 
 The meteoric display of hostile mortar shells ; 
 as they vaulted high over the lines, and with 
 their blazing trains came crashing down into - 
 hostile ranks, gave us night scenes of rare ex- 
 cellence and beauty, but somehow or other we 
 were not then in the mood to enjoy them. The 
 last desperate effort was about to be made to 
 overthrow our armies and destroy our govern- 
 ment, and we felt that nothing short of the inter- 
 
.258 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 position of the Almighty could save us from the 
 •dreadful catastrophe ; and we were not happy. 
 Late in the afternoon of the 29th orders were 
 a-eceived at brigade headquarters to be ready 
 to move at 10 o'clock that night. Accordingly 
 about 10 o'clock the brigade moved out of their 
 ■winter quarters and marched off rapidly to the 
 westward along the Boydton plank road toward 
 Hatcher's Kun. The rain was pouring down 
 and the roads were heavy with deep mud. We 
 halted on this side of the Run and went into 
 bivouac for the night. "We built huge log fifes 
 ^and made ourselves as comfortable as possible. 
 Early the next morning we crossed the Run at 
 Burgis's Mill, and the brigade went into position 
 on the White Oak road, with its left resting at 
 or near a small redoubt on the hill and just 
 beyond the forks of the road. The sharp- 
 shooters were ordered to the front and went 
 into line about three hundred yards in front 
 of the brigade. Our right occupied slightly 
 j-ising ground near the outer edge of a pine 
 4ihicket which had been felled in front of the 
 brigade nearly out to our line, and formed into 
 a formidable abatis ; while the left, after pass- 
 ing a skirt of heavy timber which passed 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 259 
 
 through our left center and terminated in a 
 sharp point about a hundred yards in rear of 
 the line, was drawn out on a plateau of compar- 
 atively open ground. The belt of timber where 
 our line crossed was low and wet, and opened 
 out in front into an impenetrable jungle, 
 through which it was impossible to move an 
 organized body of troops. To the right of the 
 jungle and in front of our right there was an 
 open field of about four hundred yards in 
 width, whereas our left fronted on a dry flat 
 covered thinly with small timber and under- 
 brush. In the absence of the enemy the sharp- 
 shooters spent the day in active preparations 
 for the impending conflict — adjusting our lines, 
 digging rifle pits, etc. 
 
 The enemy appeared in our front late in the 
 afternoon, but made no demonstration. Shortly 
 after our line was established, and Branson's 
 company was withdrawn and assigned to duty 
 in a different part of the field ; and Capt. 
 Parker, of the twelfth regiment, with a detail 
 of 100 men reported for duty ; whereupon, the 
 remaining companies of sharpshooters were 
 closed to the right, and the detail under Capt. 
 
26o Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 Parker placed in position on the left of the 
 
 line ; and we were ready. 
 
 Early on the morning of the 31st a heavy 
 column of Federal infantry, in solid order of 
 battle, was seen to be advancing on the east 
 side of the marsh against our left. The ringing 
 peel of Watson's rifles and the clatter of 
 Parker's muskets announced the advance of 
 the enemy, and we knew at once that the tem- 
 per of our metal was again to be tested in the 
 furnace of battle " seven times heated." "Wat- 
 son and Parker opened at long range the in- 
 stant the movement began, and continued the 
 fire with increasing vigor and eflFect until 
 forced to retire before the superior weight of 
 the assaulting column ; which they did inch by 
 inch, swinging back upon the center and 
 assembling as they retired, until the entire left 
 wing assumed a solid form in the skirt of tim- 
 ber before mentioned, and facing the left flank 
 of the Federal line as it attempted to pass on to 
 the attack of the main line. After a silence of 
 a few minutes to allow the enemy to reach the 
 point where we could strike them well in flank,. 
 the charge was sounded, a raking volley poured 
 into their naked flank, and with the ominous 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 261 
 
 cry of a rebel countercharge we rushed forward 
 ia full breast, struck and crushed their exposed 
 left, and rolled it up in muddled confusion ; 
 then pressing ou-r advantage with such irresist- 
 ible energy, that the whole line gave way and 
 fled the field in utter route, leaving their 
 killed and wounded in regular windrows be- 
 hind our rifie pits. 
 
 The detail under Capt. Parker behaved with 
 marked gallantry and clung to their lines with 
 such dogged pertinacity that for a few minutes 
 a number of men fell into the hands of the en- 
 emy, Capt. Parker himself escaping by a feat 
 of daring which but few men would have un- 
 dertaken. All were recaptured, however, and 
 our lines reoccupied. 
 
 In the afternoon of the same day the right 
 wing was attacked in like manner by an over- 
 whelming force on the west side of the jungle. 
 This attack was met by Hasell's men with 
 great gallantry. Receiving the charge with a 
 galling fire, they yielded with vindictive obsti- 
 nacy to the Federal column and swung back 
 upon the center as they retired. The enemy 
 pressed forward toward our breastworks 
 until their right fiank stood midair be- 
 
262 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 fore the center of Hasell's line, now assembled 
 in solid order of battle in the timber to the rear 
 of our center. As in the attack upon the left, 
 Hasell's men struck the enemy squarely in 
 flank with a direct and converging fire that 
 shriveled their ranks as the lightning blasts the 
 tender foliage in early summer ; then with a 
 rousing cheer and a headlong charge, we 
 swept the enemy from the field in inglorious 
 defeat, and re-established our lines. The killed 
 and wounded were left in rear of our lines and a 
 number of prisoners fell into our hands. Be- 
 tween assaults the sharpshooters kept up almost 
 a continuous fusilade upon the Federal lines in 
 the distance, day and night ; and killed many 
 a Federal sharpshooter between the lines, even 
 up to the very rim of our rifle pits, as they 
 lurked in the bushes and crawled about to pick 
 off our men. This gallant corps maintained 
 their position against every assault and all 
 odds, without assistance, to the end. 
 
 McGowan's brigade was not idle during these 
 several eventful days ; but with steadfast hero- 
 ism met and defeated every assault made upon 
 it, here and there, as it was shifted from one 
 position to another on the lines. On the first 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 26'^ 
 
 day of April, assisted by Grracy's brigade of 
 Johnston's division, it moved around the Federal 
 left, struck and crushed the left wing of War- 
 ren's corps, drove the two divisions of Ayers 
 and Crawford pellmell through the woods for 
 more than a mile, and was only checked up^ 
 when Miles's division of another corps rein- 
 forced Warren and was thrown against Mc- 
 Growan's flank. The brigade then fought its 
 way back with comparatively slight loss ; thus^ 
 adding new lustre to the roll of its brilliant 
 achievements. 
 
 On this first day of April, 1865, Gen. Grant,, 
 having massed the flower of his vast army 
 against the Confederate right, with one last 
 grand masterly effort overwhelmed Pickett 
 and Fitzhugh Lee at Five Forks and put theor 
 to flight, and the succeeding night with another 
 column broke through our lines in the neigh- 
 borhood of Fort Gregg and Battery Forty-five ,- 
 thus severing the two wings of the army the 
 one from the other, and necessitating the giving- 
 up of both Petersburg and Richmond and the 
 long lines of Confederate fortifications which" 
 had been our home for more than nine months. 
 Here tons of powder, rivers of blood and mill- 
 
V264 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 'dons of treasure had been wasted in the vain 
 
 effort to break our lines. Here Grrant's most 
 
 farious onsets were made, and broke and fell 
 
 /flat, like the puny demonstration of human 
 
 effort against the granite walls of destiny. 
 
 Our lines between Battery 45 and Hatcher's 
 Run had been thinned out to a mere skirmish 
 'line, in order to meet the massive array of 
 Union forces confronting the Confederate right 
 beyond Hatcher's Run, When Sheridan with 
 10,000 cavalry and two full corps of infantry 
 -overwhelmed and crushed the divisions of 
 Pickett and Fitzhugh Lee at Five Forks ; imme- 
 diately another Federal column broke through 
 our lines at Jones's farm — their thinnest 
 point — swept eastward and attacked forts 
 '<3-regg and Anderson on Hill's left. A column 
 of more than 5000 men closed upon these two 
 little forts, which were occupied by small de- 
 tachments — of perhaps equal numbers from 
 Lane's North Carolina and Harris's Mississippi 
 larigades — of some 250 men, with a few pieces 
 of artillery to the fort ; but the weight of the 
 assault fell upon Fort Gregg. The little band 
 of heroes stood to arms, raised a shout of de- 
 fiance — that shrill slogan with which the Con- 
 
The, Forefront of Battle. 265 
 
 federates were wont to utter their passion in 
 battle — and with a withering hlast of consum- 
 ing fire swept their assailants back beyond the 
 range of their rifles. Eallying, the enemy 
 lengthened their lines in deeper curve, and on 
 they came again. Again they are hurled back 
 reeling and bleeding, leaving a large contribu- 
 tion to the fallen, which had dotted the ground 
 on the first assault. To this point Fort Ander- 
 son had materially assisted in the heroic 
 defense of Fort Gregg; but realizing the 
 futility of further effort, the men abandoned 
 its defense and retired to our main lines, leav- 
 ing the little garrison of Fort Gregg with the 
 " bag to hold." 
 
 The assault was again made, and repeated 
 again and again with longer lines and increas- 
 ing determination, until the little jband of 
 Spartan heroes was completely enveloped in a 
 ring of Federal musketry, which poured into 
 the fort a concentrated fire. Half the garrison 
 had already fallen, but the survivors stood to 
 their guns, and yelled and fired and fired and 
 yelled, until their ammunition was exhausted. 
 Then the Federals crowded upon the fort, 
 scaled the walls and poured in upon the Con- 
 
266 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 federates from all sides in overwhelming num- 
 bers, when a hand to hand struggle with bayo- 
 nets and clubbed muskets ensued. Up and 
 down, back and forth, like so many wounded 
 tigers throttled in their lair, they wrestled with 
 their assailants with the energy of despair. 
 The Federals continued to pour into the fort 
 until the enclosure became so packed that men 
 could scarcely breathe, much less fight, when 
 the little band of thirty survivors, overpow- 
 ered and exhausted, yielded the contest and 
 surrendered. 
 
 The artillerists did their part faithfully and 
 well throughout the contest, and equaled in 
 valor and effective service the best of the in- 
 fantry. E. K. Culver, of Little Bock, is an 
 honored survivor of that desperate encounter. 
 
 For the 220 killed and wounded and 30 cap- 
 tured Confederates, there lay in front and 
 around Fort Gregg more than 500 Union 
 soldiers killed and wounded. 
 
 But the time had come when this little band 
 of dauntless heroes must yield to the in- 
 evitable and give way to the relentless blows 
 of overwhelming numbers. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 267 
 
 Q-en. Lee drew in his lines closely around 
 Petersburg, and successfully met and repelled 
 every assault during the next day, then quietly 
 withdrew after dark of the 2nd to the north 
 side of the Appomattox, whence he took up 
 the line of march to Amelia court house ; 
 whereas the troops of the right wing had with- 
 drawn from the lines of Hatcher's Run and 
 Five Forks early in the day. 
 
 The commandant of the sharpshooters was 
 never officially notified of the disasters which 
 had overtaken our arms in other parts of the 
 field, nor of the purpose of the commanding 
 general to withdraw from Petersburg and Rich- 
 mond, but was left as a necessary and unsus- 
 pecting sacrifice to the safety of the army, 
 while it made good its escape to the interior. 
 Hence this gallant corps stood to arms in the 
 breach, like a bristling hedge of burnished 
 steel, between the victorious columns of Grant 
 and Sheridan and the broken ranks of retreat- 
 ing Confederates — to cover the movement as 
 long as might be, and when driven (if perchance 
 any should escape capture) to hang upon the 
 advance guard of pursuing Federals, to harass 
 and detain as much as possible, while Gen. 
 
268 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 Lee should fall back into tlie hills of Prince 
 Edward or elsewhere, there to rally and con- 
 centrate his scattered forces and continue the 
 straggle. 
 
 The sharpshooters therefore held their posi- 
 tion on Hatcher's Run until the last Confed- 
 erate regiment had filed out of the trenches 
 west of Petersburg, when, at about 9 o'clock 
 a. m. of April 2, 1865, they withdrew in good 
 order to the breastworks, pursued by a heavy 
 line of Federal infantry, and by a few well 
 directed shots checked the pursuit. Then 
 slowly retiring from the works, the sharpshoot- 
 ers covered the retreat back to Southerland 
 Station on the South Side railroad. 
 
 Capt. Branson reports the operations of his 
 company on the lines of Hatcher's Run, after 
 his withdrawal from the battalion, as follows : 
 " I was piloted by Lieut. Caldwell of McGow- 
 an's staff to the extreme right of our works, 
 which extended to Hatcher's Run, to recapture 
 a skirmish line left vacant by Gen. "Wise's 
 brigade. Before getting over the works the 
 order was countermanded, and I was instructed 
 to hold the works instead. It was soon dis- 
 covered that the space to be occupied and held 
 
TTie Forefront of Battle. 269 
 
 was about three- quarters of a mile in length; 
 and after covering as much ground as pos- 
 sible, I reported the situation and awaited 
 further instructions. At daylight on the morn- 
 ing of the 31st my company was assembled at 
 the works where the White Oak road passed 
 through, when a company of Pedferal cavalry, 
 mistaking us for their own men, rode up within 
 twfenty yards of where we stood. A Single 
 volley from my line unhorsed nearly the last 
 man 0^ them, and in a few minuted d number 
 of my barefooted crowd were up to the knees 
 in cavalry boots. I now received orders to 
 move to the left and rear to guard a bridge on 
 the Run, while the brigade crossed at the ford 
 below. I had barely time to form for defense 
 of the bridge when a large body of the enemy 
 was discovered on the same Side of the Run to 
 the left and rear of my position, and I at oncjf 
 prepared to meet theib. Fortunately just at 
 this time I was ordered to rejoin the brigade, 
 and hence retired. I had gone but a short dis- 
 tance, however, when I met Gen. McCombs, 
 whose brigade had been overwhelmed and 
 drivferi from the Works to our left on the night 
 before, and was in a demoralized condition ; 
 
270 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 and who requested assistance in restoring or- 
 der in his brigade. I consented and deployed 
 at once in front of his brigade,* and between it 
 and a body of Federal cavalry which could be 
 distinctly seen in the pine thicket deploying 
 for a charge. Gen. McCombs by this time was 
 on the march, retreating. Without exposing 
 the weakness of our force by moving into the 
 open ground in front, we delivered a few vol- 
 leys from the thicket with a rousing yell, which 
 sent them flying in beautiful confusion into the 
 timber behind them. We then fell back be- 
 yond Gen. Pickett's hospital, a sufficient dis- 
 tance to not endanger the sick and wounded, 
 to an old apple orchard, and made a stand. 
 Here, assisted by a piece of artillery posted 
 on an eminence, we easily succeeded in repell- 
 ing the enemy by another game of bluff. We 
 made one or two other stands successfully be- 
 fore we reached Sontherland Station, where we 
 fought with McRae's brigade on the extreme 
 right." 
 
 Capt. Brunson modestly forbears anything 
 like a minute report of his operations on 
 the lines of Hatcher's Run and Southerland 
 Station ; but, knowing his skill and daring as 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 271. 
 
 an officer, the character of men he commanded, 
 and the exigencies of the service at the time, I 
 am persaaded that the simple trath, definitely 
 detailed, would constitute a chapter of thrilling 
 adventure and achievement performed by his 
 daring command, which would brighten the 
 pages and increase the interest of these 
 sketches. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 SOUTHERLAND STATION, APPOMATTOX: 
 AND THE END. 
 
 "All that the mind would slirin^ from, of excesses ;. 
 
 All that the body perpetrates of bad ; 
 All that we read, hear, dream, of man's distresses ; 
 
 AH that the devil would do, if run stark mad ; 
 All that defies the worst which pen expresses 
 
 All by which hell is peopled, or is sad 
 As hell — mere mortals who their power alDUse— 
 
 Was here (as heretofore and since) let loose." 
 
 When we reached Sontherland Station w&- 
 found McGowaii'B and two other bri^^des of"' 
 the " light division " in position oh' a com- 
 matiding rid^e, further to protect the retreat- 
 ing atinj^; and delay pursuit as much as possi- 
 ble. We had no orders aiid might haite passedt 
 on and escaped the hazards of this stdud ; but 
 appreciating the compliment paid the trust- 
 worthy valor of the brave Carolinians dnd their- 
 gaUant leader, we disdained to p^s our com- 
 rades by in tMs the hour of their greatest ^leril ;,. 
 
-274 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 -and hence took oar position a"bout 200 yards 
 in front of the brigade. The line occupied by 
 the brigade was in an open field, on the crest 
 -of the hill south of the South Side railroad, 
 with the left resting on or near the Southerland 
 ■church ; the other brigades were formed to -the 
 *right of McGowan. The position was some- 
 what strengthened by a slender line of earth- 
 works, hastily constructed of fence rails and 
 what earth could be dug up with bayonets and 
 •shoveled with the hands. The ground in front 
 -gradually declined into a low valley, which 
 was covered with a dense growth of young 
 ,pines, then rose again to a wooded hill of equal 
 height beyond. A deep ravine, running out 
 from the valley below, headed immediately in 
 ffront and about the center of the brigade, 
 across which the sharpshooters were formed. 
 The enemy soon made their appearance on the 
 ■opposite hill, and after a short artillery intro- 
 duction, moved down into the valley and 
 formed in the pines. 
 
 The sharpshooters opened fire at once. In a 
 ^few minutes a heavy column emerged from the 
 pines and moved up the ravine against Mc- 
 ^Growan's front. The sharpshooters continued 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 275 
 
 their fire with spirit and eflfect as the Federals 
 advanced — opening in the center and assembling 
 on the flanks upon the high grounds on either 
 side of the ravine, facing inward. When within 
 easy range of the main line the brigade rose 
 and delivered volley after volley into the face 
 of the assailants, while the two wings of the 
 sharpshooters closed upon each flank, driving 
 home with fearful accuracy every discharge of 
 their deadly rifles. The enemy hesitated, then 
 broke and fled the field, pursued by the merci- 
 less sharpshooters and a perfect stream of lead 
 from the brigade, which piled the ground with 
 killed and wounded. The conflict was short, 
 sharp and deadly. 
 
 In a little while, with heavier columns and 
 greater energy, the assault was renewed at the 
 same point and was met by the same men, with 
 the same steadiness and determination. This 
 time pressing up to the immediate front of the 
 main line, the enemy fought with the despera- 
 tion of veterans with minds made up to suc- 
 ceed. But they had met their match in this 
 gallant little brigade, and when they saw their 
 ranks writhing under the storm of lead which 
 crashed through them from front and flank, and 
 
276 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 their men falling by scores aiid hundreds on 
 eterf hand, they broke in wild confusion and 
 yielded the field sigain to the Cbtifederates,^ 
 with k large number of prisoners", which the 
 sharpshooters gathered up as ihfey swept down 
 the face of tte hill in pursuit. I never saw" 
 finer fighting ahywMre than was done by the 
 three little brigades at Sbutherlahd Station. 
 I stood ufion a stump on the hill to the 
 eastward of the Federal colunin where the left 
 wing of sharpshooters were coniendirig with 
 the Federal right, and great tears of overwhelm- 
 ing admiration flowed down my clieeks in 
 streams, as I contemplated the grand courage!^ 
 of that glorious little band of unfaltering hieroesV 
 fighting to the very death for a cause already 
 lost. I could hardly stand it. 
 
 A third demonstration was made against our 
 front, but amounted to but litltle. The enemy 
 had become convinced that the position could 
 not be carried by direct asskuU, and hence in- 
 augurated a movement to turn our flanks. In 
 order to counteract this movement as far as 
 possible, the sharpshooters unmdsked the 
 brigade, dropped back to the tdp of tlie hill,^ 
 and extended intervals away to ilie left. In 
 
The Forefront of Battle. z'j'] 
 
 overwhelming force the blue columns of the 
 enemy were discovered advancing from all 
 directions, and as some one has said, " O'er our 
 embattled ranks the waves return and over- 
 whelm our war." Our lines opened fire in full 
 chorus at long range, and as the enemy closed 
 upon us the vigor of our defense increased, un- 
 til the entire line was enveloped in one living 
 eloud of blue coats, whose muskets spurted 
 fire and smoke and death, and here they came 
 rolling up from the valley in front and along 
 the hills on either flank ; then, with one last, 
 desperate, fruitless effort, the Confederates 
 dashed the contents of their faithful rifles into 
 the very teeth of their overpowering assailants, 
 broke and fled the field, leaving our dead and 
 wounded, with a number of prisoners, in their 
 hands. A perfect bedlam ensued. Officers 
 and men mixed together in wildest confusion, 
 fled before the withering blasts of consuming 
 fire which swept the hill, until the point of dan- 
 ger was passed, when they came together, were 
 assorted out, formed into some sort of organi- 
 zation, and continued the retreat. Those who 
 inclined westward made good their escape to 
 the main army, while those who fled directly 
 
278 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 to the rear found themselves cut oflF by the 
 
 roaring Appomattox. 
 
 The Federal commander now urged forward 
 his deeply curved lines until each wing stuck 
 hard and fast to the south bank of the river, 
 whose surging waters rushing through her 
 deep cut channels defy escape and complete 
 the cordon which now enclosed these unfortu- 
 nate Confederates. Worn out, overwhelmed, 
 bagged, these proud spirited sons of the South 
 accepted the only alternative, laid down their 
 arms, and forever closed their connection with 
 the Army of Northern Virginia, but not with 
 the Lost Cause. 
 
 Three out of five of our regimental com- 
 manders, the commandant of the sharpshooters, 
 and about the same proportion of line officers 
 and men were captured either at Southerland 
 Station or on the banks of the Appomattox, 
 April 2 and 3, 1865. 
 
 Capt. Brunson reports that his company of 
 sharpshooters was the last on the right at 
 Southerland Station to break. He fell back 
 across the railroad, passing on a bridge over a 
 deep cut, and made a stand. The enemy came 
 rushing forward in pursuit, and when they 
 
The Forefront of Battle. ^79^ 
 
 crowded on the bridge he gave them a blizzard, 
 and "feeling lonesome, departed." He soon, 
 overtook the brigade and such sharpshooters- 
 as had escaped, and they struggled and 
 struggled along the south bank of the raging^ 
 Appomattox the livelong night. Early on th^ 
 morning of the 3rd they encountered "Deep 
 Run," a tributary of the Appomattox, and at- 
 tempted to construct a bridge across it. Before- 
 they had succeeded the cavalry pickets were- 
 charged and routed by the Federal cavalry and- 
 came rushing down to the stream in a perfect 
 mob. To avoid capture, Gen. McGowan and' 
 his entire force plunged into the stream, swam 
 across and escaped. Brunson was so ex- 
 hausted when he crawled out on the opposite- 
 bank, that he was compelled to lie down and^. 
 rest under a sharp fire from the Federal 
 cavalry. 
 
 On the morning of the 4th, when they had^ 
 reached the north bank of the Appomattox,, 
 the brigade fell in with a part of Longstreet's 
 corps from Richmond, and halted and organ- 
 ized. Capt. Hasell here reported for duty and* 
 resumed command of what was left of his com- 
 pany. Capt. Watson was taken from the- 
 
-28o Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 battalion — now but a skeleton of its former 
 self — and assigned to duty on G-en. McGrowan's 
 staff, andHasell and Brunson took charge of 
 <the sharpshooters. 
 
 " From this time forth," Branson writes, " the 
 army was but little more than a mob. "We 
 fought night and day without much system, 
 surrounded by Yankee cavalry. The sharp- 
 shooters were ordered from one flank to the 
 other, and from front to rear, as occasion re- 
 ^quired, until — ^Appomattox and the end ;" add- 
 ing, " The sharpshooters were deploying for 
 another advance when the white flag was a,een 
 -to meet Gren. Longstreet." 
 
 It is impossible to describe the anguish of 
 ^the troops when it became known that the 
 Army of Northern Virginia had been surrend- 
 ered. Of all their trials this was the hardest 
 •to endure. There was no consciousness of 
 shame; each heart could boast with honest 
 (pride that its duty had been done to the end, 
 ■ and that its honor remained unsullied still. 
 "When, after his interview with Gen. Q-rant, 
 'Xjfen. Lee again appeared, a shout of welcome 
 instinctively ran through the army. But in- 
 stantly recollecting the sad occasion that 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 281 
 
 brought him before them, their shouts sank 
 into silence, every hat was raised, and the 
 bronzed faces of the thousands of grim warriors 
 were bathed in tears. As he rode slowly along 
 the lines, hundreds of his devoted veterans 
 pressed around their noble chief, eager to take 
 his hand, touch his person, or even lay their 
 hands upon his horse ; thus exhibiting for him 
 their great affection. The general then, with 
 head bare and tears flowing down his manly 
 cheeks, bade adieu to the army in the follow- 
 ing farewell order : 
 
 Headquarters \ 
 
 Army op Northern Virginia. \ 
 
 April 9, 1865. \ 
 
 After four years of arduous service, marked by unsur- 
 passed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Vir- 
 ginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming num- 
 bers and resources. I need not tell the survivors of so 
 many hard fought battles, who have remained stead- 
 fast to the end, that I consented to this result from^ no 
 distrust of them ; but, feeling that valor and devotion 
 could accomplish nothing that would compensate for the 
 loss that would have attended a continuance of the contest, 
 I have determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those 
 whose past services have endeared them to their country- 
 men. 
 
 By the terms of agreement, ofiScers and men will return 
 to their homes and remain there until exchanged. 
 
 You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds 
 from the consciousness of duty faithfully performed ; 
 and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will extend to. 
 you His blessing and protection. 
 
^§2 Lee's Sharpshooters; or. 
 
 With an increasing- admiration of your constancy and 
 devotion to your country, and a grateful remembrance of 
 your kind consideration of myself, I bid you an affec- 
 tionate farewell. R. E. I/EB, General. 
 
 On the morning of the 12fch day of April, 
 1865, the battalion of sharpshooters of Mc- 
 •Growan's brigade laid down their arms, and in 
 the afternoon of the same day marched 
 through the Federal lines and took the road 
 for their distant homes. 
 
 THE CONQUERED BANNER. 
 
 By Father Ryan, the Poet Priest of the South. 
 
 Furl that banner 1 for 'tis weary, 
 Round its staff 'tis drooping- dreary ; 
 
 Furl it, fold it, it is best : 
 For there's not a man to wave it. 
 And there's not a sword to save it. 
 And there's not one left to lave it 
 In the blood which heroes gave it. 
 And its foes now scorn and brave it — 
 
 Furl it, hide it, let it rest. 
 
 Take that banner down 1 'tis tattered. 
 Broken is its staff and shattered. 
 And the valiant hosts are scattered 
 
 Over whom it floated high. 
 Oh ! 'tis hard for us to fold it, 
 Hard to think there's none to hold it. 
 Hard that those who once unrolled it 
 
 Now must furl it with a sigh. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 283 
 
 Furl that banner 1 furl it sadly — 
 Once ten thousands hailed it gladly, 
 And ten thousands wildly, madly, 
 
 Swore it should forever wave ; 
 Swore that foeman's sword could never 
 Hearts like theirs entwined dissever, 
 Till that flag- would float forever 
 
 O'er their freedom or their grave. 
 
 Furl it 1 for the hands that grasped it. 
 And the hearts that fondly clasped it, 
 
 Cold and dead are lying low : 
 And the banner, it is trailing. 
 While around it sounds the wailing 
 
 Of its people in their woe. 
 For, though conquered, they adore it, 
 I<ove the cold, dead hands that bore it. 
 Weep for those who fell before it. 
 Pardon those who trailed and tore it. 
 And — oh ! wildly they deplore it — 
 
 Now to furl and fold it so. 
 
 Furl that banner ! true 'tis gory. 
 Yet 'tis wreathed around with glory. 
 And 'twill live in song and story. 
 
 Though its folds are in the dust ; 
 For its fame on brightest pages, 
 Penned by poets and by sages, 
 Shall go sounding down the ages. 
 
 Furl its folds though now we must. 
 Furl that banner 1 softly, slowly. 
 Treat it gently— it is holy — 
 
 For it droops above the dead ; 
 Touch it not, unfold it never, 
 L,et it droop there, furled forever, 
 
 For its people's hopes are dead. 
 
284 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 REPLY. 
 
 By Sir Henry Houghton, Bart., England. 
 
 Gallant nation, failed by numbers 1 
 Say not that your hopes are fled ; 
 Keep that g-lorious flag which slumbers, 
 
 One day to avenge your dead. 
 Keep it, widowed, sonless mothers ! 
 Keep it, sisters, mourning brothers ! 
 Furl it with an iron will ; 
 Furl it now, but keep it still — 
 
 Think not that its work is done. 
 Keep it till your children take it. 
 Once again to hail and make it 
 All their sires have bled and fought for ; 
 All their noble hearts have sought for — 
 
 Bled and fought for all alone. 
 All alone ! aye, shame the story 1 
 Millions here deplore the stain ; 
 Shame, alas 1 for England's glory, 
 
 Freedom called and called in vain ! 
 Furl that banner sadly, slowly. 
 Treat it gently, for 'tis holy ; 
 Till that day — yes, furl it sadly ; 
 Then once more unfurl it gladly — 
 
 Conquered banner ! keep it still. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 MUSTER ROLL OF THE BATTALION. 
 
 He who in such trying times does his duty faithfully 
 and well 
 Is a hero indeed, be he high or low, great or small. 
 
 The following list of honored names only, can 
 now be recalled from a complete roll of more 
 than two hundred officers and men, which consti- 
 tuted the battalion of sharpshooters of McGow- 
 an's brigade. I seriously regret my inability 
 to name the others — even after the lapse of 
 thirty years. 
 
 N. Ingraham Hasell, captain first company, 
 Charleston, S. C. 
 
 Wm. H. Brunson, captain second company, 
 Edgefield Court House, S. C. 
 
 Charles E. Watson, captain third company, 
 Grreenville Court House, S. C. 
 
 Berry Benson, orderly sergeant first com- 
 pany, Augusta, Ga. 
 
286 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 Dougherty, orderly sergeant second 
 
 company, unknown. 
 
 M. A. Terrill, orderly sergeant third com- 
 pany, Westminster, S. C. 
 
 B. K. Benson, sergeant, Austin, Tex. 
 
 W. N. Bolding, sergeant, Prater, Pickens 
 county. South Carolina. 
 
 Corley, sergeant, unknown. 
 
 W. L. Cunningham, sergeant, Madden's, S. C. 
 
 M. P. Hawthorn, sergeant, killed September 
 30, 1864, Petersburg, Va. 
 
 J. Gr. Love, sergeant, Wilkinsville, S. C. 
 
 David Moore, sergeant, Columbia, S. C. 
 
 R. M. Plexico, sergeant, Blacksburg, S, C. 
 
 Abner Stewart, sergeant, Pickens, S. C. 
 
 George W. Abbott, private, "Weatherford, 
 Tex. 
 
 William T. Abbott, private, died May 23, 
 1884, Weatherford, Tex. 
 
 J. B. Adams, private, died June 7, 1888, Lan- 
 caster, S. C. 
 
 Henson Alexander, private, killed at South- 
 erland Station, Va. 
 
 Anson, private, unknown. 
 
 Gus Ashley, private, Abbeville, S. C. 
 
 Bedford, private, unknown. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 287 
 
 Heury Belk, private, unknown. 
 
 Thomas Belk, private, unknown. 
 
 Andrew Bell, private, Walhalla, S. C. 
 
 George Bell, private, Walhalla, S. C. 
 
 Redding Bethea, private, killed at Mcll- 
 waine's Hill, Va. 
 
 Boals, private, unknown. 
 
 Bobo, private, unknown. 
 
 Burnett, private, unknown. 
 
 Bundricks, private, Lexington, S. C. 
 
 Oscar Bookman, private, killed August 25, 
 1864, Ream's Station, Va. 
 
 Millage Bartlett, private, killed at Peters- 
 burg, Va. 
 
 Samuel Carter, private, Rock Hill, S. C. 
 
 J. N. Carwile, private, Abbeville, S. C. 
 
 Oscar F. Chappel, private, Winsboro, S. C. 
 
 A. J. Clegg, private, unknown. 
 
 Coates, private, unknown. 
 
 Cohen, private, unknown. 
 
 Benjamin Cole, private, unknown. 
 
 David Cothran, private, unknown. 
 
 Henry Cook, private, Winsboro, S. C. 
 
 Lawrence Courtney, private, unknown. 
 
 John Crossland, private, unknown. 
 
 Samuel Crossland, private, unknown. 
 
288 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 Kie Crenshaw, private, Walhalla, S. C. 
 
 Isaac Daily, private, Lexington county, 
 South Carolina. 
 
 Dale, private, killed at Petershurg, Va. 
 
 Frank Day, private, Abbeville, S. C. 
 
 Thomas Davenport, drowned in June, 1865, 
 oflf Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. 
 
 John Davenport, private, unknown. 
 
 J. W. Denton, private, scout, Craigs- 
 ville, S. C. 
 
 Dix, private, unknown. 
 
 Dodges, private, unknown. 
 
 Duke, private, unknown. 
 
 John Elmore, private, died Novembers, 1880, 
 South Carolina. 
 
 R. J. Fields, private, Bryant, Ark. 
 
 John Fuller, private, unknown. 
 
 Fraser, private, unknown. 
 
 Gassett, private, unknown. 
 
 John Gambrell, private, Texas. 
 
 John Gilliam, private, unknown. 
 
 H. H. Gray, private, Anderson Court House, 
 S. C. 
 
 Tillar Havard, private, unknown. 
 
 Luke Haynie, private, Anderson Court House, 
 S. C. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 289 
 
 Henry Haygood, private, died November, 
 1890, Florida. 
 
 Rafns Harling, private, Clark's Hill, S. C. 
 
 Hatbcock, private, Columbia, S. C. 
 
 Elisba Hellams, private, last beard from in 
 Illinois. 
 
 Crockett Henderson, private, Texas. 
 
 HinsoD, private, unknown. 
 
 James W. Hood, private, unknown. 
 
 Jobn B. Hurst, private, Bryant, Ark. 
 
 Simeon Hurst, private, died May, 1874, at 
 Bryant, Ark. 
 
 James Hutcbison, private, unknown. 
 
 Z T. Jamss, private, died in 1898, Missis- 
 sippi. 
 
 T. A. €r. Jaynes, private, Jefferson, Tex. 
 
 Jobn D. Kell, private, Blairsville, S. C. 
 
 B. E. Kell, private, Blackstock, S. C. 
 
 Wm. Kennedy, private, killed June 24, 1864, 
 Petersburg, Va. 
 
 Kizer, private, unknown. 
 
 John Killgore, private, Abbeville, S. C. 
 
 Tbos. J. Leak, private, killed May 6, 1864, 
 Wilderness, Va. 
 
 Jobn Land, private, Cartersville, S. C. 
 
 Lee, private, unknown. 
 
290 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or. 
 
 Manning Lewis, private, killed March 25^ 
 1865, Petersburg, Va. 
 
 John W. Martin, private, Brayles, S. C. 
 
 John T. Massey, private, died 1872, Ola^ 
 Yell county. Ark. 
 
 Henry J. McCormick, private, died Octoher 
 31, 1892, Charleston, S. C. 
 
 Neill Mclnnis, private, Carolina Post Office, 
 S. C. 
 
 John McCuUough, private, killed at Spott- 
 sylvania Court House, Va. 
 
 W. T. McGUll, private, Anderson Court House,. 
 S. C. 
 
 Jack McLaughlin, private, Abbeville, S. C. 
 
 Davis M. Miller, private, Abbeville, S. C. 
 
 Brit Medlin, private, killed atChafin's Farm,. 
 Va. 
 
 William Mills, private, Seneca, S. C. 
 
 R. J. Moore, private, Columbia, S. C. 
 
 Norris, private, unknown. 
 
 J. Wesley Norton, private, Conway, S. C. 
 
 John Outz, private, killed at Petersburg, Va«. 
 
 Warren Oxendine, private, killed May 21,. 
 1864, at Spottsylvania Court House. 
 
 W. S. Pearson, private, Clinton, S. C. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 29 r 
 
 Silas R. Perry, private, Gaston, Lexington, 
 county, S. C. 
 
 J. B. Porter, private, Union Court House, S. C. 
 
 C. W. Parish, private, kiHed June 24, 1864». 
 Petersburg, Va. 
 
 "Walter Pool, private, Kinard Post Office, S. C. 
 
 John Parrott, private, Kaughman, Edgefield* 
 county, S- C. 
 
 Benj. Powell, private, scout, Lancaster, S. C. 
 
 Powell, private, killed May 6, 1864,. 
 
 Wilderness, Ya. 
 
 Elmore Price, private, unknown. 
 
 Putnam, private, unknown. 
 
 Rhodes, private, unknown. 
 
 L. K. Robertson, private. Parks Post Office,, 
 Ark. 
 
 Rogers, private, unknown. 
 
 Silas W. RuflF, private, Winsboro, S. C. 
 
 Russell, private, unknown. 
 
 R. S. Rutledge, private, Walhalla, S. C. 
 
 John Scott, private, Marion Court House, S. C- 
 
 Seigler, private, unknown. 
 
 James Sharpton, private, Clark's Hill, S. C. 
 
 Prank Sheely, private, drowned April 2, 
 1865, in Appomattox, Va. 
 
 Clark Short, private, killed at Petersburg, Va.. 
 
-..2g2 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 Thomas Simms, private, Rock Hill, S. C. 
 
 John C. Squier, private, Morganton, N". C. 
 
 William Staggs, private, unknown. 
 
 Jacob Swarts, private, uaknown. 
 
 W. H. Smith, private, Pelzer Post Oflace, S. G. 
 
 Hiram Tinsley, private, Edgefield, S. C. 
 
 Thompson, private, unknown, 
 
 Wm. Vanderon, private, unknown 
 Vinson, private, unknown. 
 
 Press Watson, private, Texas. 
 
 Gus Walters, private, Greelyville, S. C. 
 
 Ed. Wallace, private, Hickory Grove, S. C. 
 
 James Williamson, private, killed in rail- 
 KToad wreck in 1892, at Florence, S. C. 
 
 Charlie Wilson, private, Lancaster Court 
 House, South Carolina. 
 
 Sim Worts, . private, Johnson, Edgefield 
 county, South Carolina. 
 
 J. C. Whiteside, private, killed May 6, 1864, 
 Wilderness, Va. 
 
 Robert W. Williams, private, Pelzer Post 
 Office, South Carolina. 
 
 Williams, private, unknown. 
 
 James Wood, private, Jacksonville, Ark. 
 
 James D. Young, private, unknown. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 293; 
 
 Most of those whose whereabouts are marked 
 
 unknown, and those whose names are omitted 
 
 from the list, as well as those marked " killed " 
 
 and " dead," long since 
 
 " On fame's eternal camping- ground 
 Their silent tents have spread. 
 Where glory guards with solemn sound 
 The bivouac of the dead." 
 * 
 
 After the foregoing roster of immortals — liv- 
 ing and dead — the author closes the story of 
 McGowan's sharpshooters, with the following 
 rare bit of rehearahal, to be followed by a short 
 sketch of his capture and prison life, and other 
 sketches. 
 
 * * 
 
 Dreamily, dreamily, the years come and go, 
 and slowly the old Confederate soldier counts 
 them, as one by one they drop into the "in- 
 visible glass of time." He can almost see the 
 grain drop that shall mark the point when 
 time, to him, shall be no more. His comrades 
 nearly all have " crossed the river and are rest- 
 ing under the shade of the trees." 
 
 The sound of the bugle, the tread of march- 
 ing columns, " the pomp and circumstance of 
 war," which mark the movement of modern^ 
 
-294 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 «.rmies, are mere suggestions of the mighty 
 past, in which he and his comrades withstood 
 for four inexorable years the combined armies 
 and resources of the world. The spectral 
 armies of the great Lee and Longstreet, Jack- 
 'fion and the Hills — aye, of Beauregard, Bragg, 
 and the Johnstons — pass before him as terrible 
 yet familiar phenomena of that greatest and 
 tnost vicious of all national tragedies. 
 
 His heart beats time to the inspiring music, 
 and the principles of the past for which he 
 fought loom up before him, richer in memory 
 And high admiration, yea, richer to the world 
 in sacrifice and military achievement than any 
 former struggle that ever graced the annals of 
 war. The long gray lines of the past grow 
 shorter and thinner as the years roll by. "Close 
 lip! close up!" is the language of each re- 
 sounding clod that drops into the tomb of our 
 departing comrades, inviting us to a closer 
 union. It is no new sound to the Confederate 
 veteran ; he heard it amidst the " sulphurous 
 siroc " of a hundred battles. It touched his 
 nerves at Bethel and Bull Run ; in the seven 
 days struggle before Richmond, at Manassas, 
 -Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg and Chancellors- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 295 
 
 vLlle; he heard it above the roar of more than 
 two h-undred thundering cannon at Gettysburg ; 
 ■again at the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Han- 
 over Junction, Atlee's Station and Cold Harbor ; 
 yea, at Petersburg, Ream's Station, Hatcher's 
 Run and Five Forks ; and, when rushing to the 
 last death grapple at Appomattox, he heard it 
 -again and for the last time. It is a familiar 
 «ound to him, but the memory of it makes him 
 sad and lonely, now that soon none will be left 
 4o " close up " the gaps, and none to cover the 
 graves. 
 
 The battle scarred veteran who followed the 
 Southern Cross under our great leaders in Vir- 
 ginia and Tennessee, Georgia and the Caro- 
 linas, as well as those in the trans-Mississippi 
 a,nd other subordinate departments, is begin- 
 ■ning to feel that his day is done. That his 
 ■deeds of valor and heroism at Oak Hills, 
 Prairie Grove, Helena; at Shiloh, Chicka- 
 •mauga, Atlanta ; at Cold Harbor, Gettysburg 
 and Appomattox, are no longer objects of at- 
 tention and admiration, npw that the dapper 
 soldiery of a mock struggle are flecking the 
 -earth with the hues of unused uniforms, un- 
 furled flags and unfired guns, and monopoliz- 
 
296 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 ing the attention of a thoughtless public, to 
 the exclusion of these grizzly patriots who 
 stood in the breach, staked all and lost all in 
 the great conflict for Southern rights. 
 
 The embryo hero of the rifle range and ren- 
 dezvous returns home on leave of absence and 
 struts through town. The people gaze and ad- 
 mire. The city fathers go into executive ses- 
 sion and devise ways and means to give eclat 
 to the occasion and honor to their- distinguished 
 guest. 
 
 The old Confederate comes into town on his 
 crutches, or with halting step and empty 
 sleeve ; and none deign to notice or regard the 
 care worn, poverty stricken old hero, but pass 
 by on the other side. 
 
 The young soldier, fretting under the re- 
 straints of army regulations, falls a victim to 
 nostalgia, or dies of some other disease super- 
 induced by ignorance or disregard of the laws 
 of health. His remains are brought home under 
 military escort, the community turns out en 
 masse and crowds around his open grave to do 
 him honor, and the newspapers commemorate 
 the sad event in columns of fulsome obituary. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 297 
 
 The old Confederate dies, after a bard strag- 
 gle for existence, is laid to rest in the Con- 
 federate Cemetery, "unwept, unhonored and 
 unsung." 
 
 He who for four years had borne upon his 
 musket (that was burnished brighter by the 
 battle's fury and the attrition of "merciless 
 disaster ") the fortunes of the Southern Confed- 
 eracy, receives this parsimonious notice : 
 
 " A. B , an ex-Confederate veteran, died at 
 
 the soldiers' home, at , and was buried in 
 
 the Confederate Cemetery " — that was all. 
 
 Lee's veterans ! Johnston's heroes ! ex-Con- 
 federates all, think of it ! Had you not better 
 have died on the field of battle and been buried 
 with youi^^UMK comrades, having for your re- 
 quiem the roar of battle and the shouts of vic- 
 tory, than to have lived to see the day when the 
 living generations know you not, regard you 
 not, but grudge even the time it takes to fill 
 your graves with scanty dust? Sad reflections ! 
 painful realities ! 
 
 Now I do not complain of the honor paid our 
 dear young men of the South who patriotically 
 entered the army to defend the honor of 
 our flag on foreign soil ; nay, I myself 
 
298 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 will never fail to do them honor. But I 
 do contend for a fair distribution of honors 
 to the dear old veterans of the Lost Cause, 
 who not only stood for the honor of 
 •OUT flag, but had to feed and equip themselves 
 largely from the enemy's stores, and even 
 wrenched from them the very ordnance of war 
 with which to expel them from our borders. 
 
 This little volume is designed to counteract, 
 as far as possible, this tendency, and to " stir 
 up your pure minds by way of remembrance," 
 that you may appreciate the self denying ser- 
 vices and patriotic deeds of these grand old 
 heroes of the South. 
 
 To that end, I have endeavored to set forth 
 in systematic detail the story of " Lee's Sharp- 
 shooters," as exemplified in the operations of a 
 single battalion, which I had the honor to 
 command. 
 
 This little band of two hundred veteran sol- 
 diers, who for twelve long and weary months 
 stood in the "forefront of battle;" saw war 
 and experienced war in all its horrors; who 
 met on many a field, not only the Federal 
 sharpshooters in equal numbers, but whole 
 regiments and sometimes brigades and divi- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 299 
 
 sions in solid lines of battle, and met them 
 successfally ; and when the days gx^^ darker 
 and the cause more hopeless; dared even fhen 
 to mass theniselves against entrenched lines, 
 pierce them like a lance, or shiver them like a 
 thunderbolt, and drive them from the field. 
 They bore the brunt of battle where danger 
 was greatest and fighting fiercest; made a 
 record arid earned a fame worthy of eternal 
 preservation in the annals of our struggle. 
 They saw the' conflict arid carriage of battle as 
 no general saw it, and as] no historian did who 
 was riot in the line ; and therefore they, and 
 &uch as they? who pulled the trigger and drove 
 the bayonet niu&t at last give the true story of 
 every battle. They watched the "ebb and 
 flow of the crimson tide," and rallying upon 
 the hard' pressed line, hurled themselves 
 against' the opjiosing column, and wrung vic- 
 tory from imperiding defeat. 
 
 They fought for pririciple and not for pay— 
 for home rule, local self government, constitu- 
 tional liberty — against agression, paternalism 
 and Federal domination. And while their 
 cause went down under the "arbitrament of 
 the sword," no court of justice or equity has 
 
300 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 ever adjudicated against their claims. They 
 
 were grand soldiers, and they were right. 
 
 Notice what Swinton, the Northern historian, 
 says of them : " Nor can there fail to arise the 
 image of that other army, that was the adver- 
 sary of the Army of the Potomac, and which 
 who can forget that once looked upon it? 
 That army of tattered uniforms and bright 
 muskets ; that body of incomparable infantry, 
 the Army of Northern Virginia, which for 
 four years carried the revolt on its bayonets, 
 opposing a constant front to the mighty con- 
 centration of power brought against it ; which 
 receiving terrible blows, did not fail to give the 
 like ; and which, vital in all its parts, died only 
 with its annihilation." 
 
 And again, in another place and on another 
 occasion, he says : " That incomparable South- 
 ern infantry, which tempered for two years in 
 battle and accustomed to victory, equalled any 
 soldiers that ever followed the eagles to con- 
 quest." 
 
 Out of such material as this Lee's sharp- 
 shooters were selected and organized, and were 
 the creme de la creme of that " incomparable 
 
7/4e Forefront of Battle, 301 
 
 Southern infantry " — the refinement of perfec- 
 tion in all soldierly qualities. 
 
 And now, my dear old comrades of the sharp- 
 shooters, I have given as best I could the 
 story of your heroic deeds. I have gone again 
 with you through the battle's red glare ; have 
 heard again the sharp crack of your rifles; 
 have seen you scale the enemy's high entrench- 
 ments and drive back twice, thrice, yea, five 
 times your numbers ; have seen you strike at 
 the dead hours of midnight, break and sweep 
 out the Federal advance lines for miles, captur- 
 ing hundreds of prisoners, without losing a 
 man. Tour martial tread, your soldierly bear- 
 ing, your devotion to duty, your uncomplain- 
 ing sacrifice, and your matchless courage, have 
 all passed in review before me. Your head- 
 long charges and shouts of triumph ring again 
 in my ears, as I drop my pen, close my eyes 
 and call up in memory your many deeds of 
 personal daring as well as your splendid 
 achievements in combined action. I tramp 
 again with you along the valleys and over the 
 hills of Virginia, and in a short retrospect see 
 you in your respective original commands 
 plunge into the blue, rolling Potomac, and in 
 
302 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 water to your waists keep step to the inspir- 
 ing strains of " Dixie Land." I see your good 
 conduct as yoij marcli through the " promised 
 land," and witness your high courage as you 
 scale the rugged heights of Gettysburg. I re- 
 turn with you again to dear old Virgi^;a, ?ind 
 on the banks of the Rapidan bind up our 
 wounds and prepare for more de terminer and 
 more deadly work. 
 
 Here I notice yoiir organization, your move- 
 ments in drill, rifle training and spleiidid equip- 
 ment for the coming struggle. I then folloiiv^ 
 you througli the Wilderness, Sppttsylyania, 
 Hanover Junctioii, Atlee's Station, C,o|d Har- 
 bor, Riddle's Shops, Deep Bottopu, Fussell's 
 M^, Petersburg, Beam's Station, Jones's Farm, 
 Jarrett's Station, Mcllwaine's Hill, Hatcher's 
 Bun, Southeirland Station, aQd then again in 
 the last sad scene of Appomattox. Then all 
 were before me. But when I opened my .eyes 
 and the sad realities of the presei^t ^confronted 
 me, where, oh ! where are ;the members of that 
 gallant band ? Echo answers, where \ Scores 
 li^ scattered along the tracl^ of that matchless 
 campaign from the Wilderness to Appomattox, 
 t^eir bodies sleeping iij unmarked graves, or 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 303 
 
 their bon«8 bleaching and crumbling into dust 
 again, there to await the sounding of the last 
 trump, when the dead shall come forth to their 
 final and everlasting reward. The survivors 
 scattered here and there throughout the land 
 for which they fought^ — no longer side by side 
 in the struggle for existence, which to some of 
 us has been more lasting and just as fierce as 
 that terrible conflict of which we write. 
 
 Soon the last one will be left standing alone, 
 facing the celestial army of patriots gone 
 before. The last gap he must close, and then 
 like a bird for whose feet the sands have be- 
 come too warm, he will spread his wings and 
 soar away to join our comrades who await our 
 coming in the land beyond the skies. 
 
 I have registered as best I could your mar- 
 tial exploits, your chivalrous deeds. But no 
 paw of man could properly portray your splen- 
 did qualities and high achievements as Con- 
 federate goldiers. You were overwhelmed, not 
 conquered, and yielding to the demands of in- 
 evitable necessity, laid down your arms and 
 returned to your homes " with the conscious- 
 ness of duty well performed." And doubtless 
 the recording angel above, under the touch of 
 
$0^ Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 yoar great leaders, will give you at last a 
 richer and far more enduring victory than 
 earth could give. Peace to the ashes of our 
 iejl&w comrades ! We may not fire a soldier's 
 salute over your dust, but the pulses of our 
 hearts beat like muffled drums, and every deep 
 drawn sigh breathes a low and passionate re- 
 quiem. Earth venerate your niemories and 
 history preserve the record of your noble deeds. 
 Heaven bless the living, and crown your declin- 
 ing years with comfort and peace ; and may 
 God's abundant mercy and the benedictions of 
 his grace abide with you both now and forever 
 more. 
 
 Heroes of the lost cause! Champions of 
 constitutional rights ! Martyrs for regulated 
 liberty ! Faithful, dauntless soldiers ! Dear 
 old comrades of the sharpshooters ! Fare- 
 well! 
 
 " Enough of valor had each honored name 
 To shine untarnished on the rolls of fame, 
 And add new lustre to the historic pag-e." 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 MRS. DUNLOP AND MYSELF BOTH 
 CAPTIVES. 
 
 . Mrs. Danlop, my young and faithful wife, 
 arrived in Petersburg from South Carolina at 
 8:;J0 p. m. February 13, 1865, on a visit, and 
 took rooms beneath the hospitable roof of Prof. 
 Charles Campbell, superintendent of public 
 schools of the city. Prof. Campbell was a 
 Virginia gentleman of the old school, of genial 
 manners, broad culture, and pure and lofty 
 patriotism; and his good lady, though of 
 Northern birth and education, was intensely 
 Southern in all her views and feelings — a fitting 
 counterpart of such a character. Their two 
 young daughters and little son added no little 
 to the attractiveness of this charming home. 
 
 The paralyzing effects of the siege and the 
 depreciated value of the Confederate currency 
 had reduced them from a condition of ease and 
 
3o6 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 abundance to that of almost absolute penury 
 and want ; hence, the arrival of Mrs. Dunlop,^ 
 with her large stock of supplies, was received as 
 a godsend, and gratefully attributed to the direct 
 interposition of Providence for their relief. For 
 it will be remembered that we formed a sort of 
 joint stock company, by the terms of which 
 each family was to contribute to the common 
 fund according to ability, regardless of num- 
 bers or relative obligations, and with na 
 thought of anything like an accurate account- 
 ing of expenditures or adjustment of dividends. 
 The congeniality of our religious faith, a com- 
 mon cause, and the fellowship of suffering, at 
 once united all hearts, and we became one har- 
 monious and delightful family association. 
 
 The constant clatter of musketry along the- 
 lines and the perpetual roar of hostile guns-^at 
 first so shocking to the nervous structure of th& 
 delicate ladies — soon became as monotonous as 
 the melody of an old song, and fell upon their 
 ears like the story of one's own exploits.— worn 
 threadbare. 
 
 Day after day the Federal commander length- 
 ened his lines and strengthened his stakes about 
 the beleaguered city. The disasters which had 
 
The Forefront of Battle, 30^" 
 
 OFertaJken the Southern standards jn 0;ther parts 
 qS. the field naturally resulted in the concentra- 
 tion of forces around the Confederate capital ;: 
 and although Gen. Lee held his ground and 
 never failed to deliver his adversary a blow at 
 every oppprtuiiity, yet in the intervals of rest 
 he felt more and more sensibly the grip of the- 
 anaconda §iS he tightened his coils ground him^. 
 and Ms little band of Confederates. The- 
 clouds were gathering and the ominous mutter- 
 iugs pf the impending storm were heard audi 
 felt as sensibly iii the rank^ as in official cir- 
 cles. Men gathered in groups 9Ad discussed: 
 the situatioii, but determined to stand to their 
 colors to the bitter end. 
 
 Th^yisiting ladies were advised topapktheir- 
 baggage and escape to th^ interiior, ojr return to- 
 their Jiipmes in South Carolina, without delay. 
 Charles, my faithful body servant, was there- 
 fore ordered to g<et his mistress re^dy for the- 
 mo^ning train of March 29th. For some reason- 
 the omnibus failed to call by and the madam< 
 failed tp get off; and this was the last train^ 
 out of Petersburg until some time after Lee's 
 surrender. Majors Wardlaw and Hammond,, 
 our brigade quartermaster and comgaissary,. 
 
;3o8 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 however, sent an ambulance Sunday morning, 
 April 2d, and had the ladies and their trunks 
 •conveyed across the river ; put them on the 
 strain and sent them to Richmond, where they 
 arrived, with about 500 wounded, at midnight 
 -of the 2d of April, ready for the next morning's 
 train, southbound. Mrs. Brailsford, of the com- 
 pany, the young wife of Maj. E. D. Brailsford, 
 -of the first South Carolina regiment, kindly in- 
 vited Mrs. Dr. Huot and Mrs. Dunlop to her 
 father's house for the remainder of the night, 
 which invitation was gratefully accepted, and 
 <the ladies were soon sheltered in the hospit- 
 able home of Mr. Hill of Richmond. But 
 
 President Davis and cabinet had vacated the 
 -capital and boarded the last southbound train 
 -early in the morning, and the rear guard of 
 Longstreet's corps was filing through the 
 streets in full retreat to the mountains. Imme- 
 diately after the passage of the troops to the 
 south side of the James, the bridges were blown 
 up with an explosion that shook the staid old 
 -city to its foundations; from the effects of 
 which, or other cause, the city was set on fire 
 in a number of places. Owing to the paralyzed 
 'Condition of the population, the fire fiend swept 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 309. 
 
 away many baildings and a large amount of 
 valuable property before an adequate force- 
 could be organized to resist the progress of de- 
 struction. The flames were at length brought 
 under control and finally extinguished, and 
 thus the city was saved. 
 
 The ladies being cut off from their line of 
 retreat, were therefore forced to accept the gen- 
 erous hospitality of Mr. Hill and his excellent 
 family for a period of some ten days or two- 
 weeks. When the city had become somewhat 
 quiet, the ladies — Mrs. Dr. Huot and Mrs. Dun- 
 lop — appealed to Gen. Mumford, who kindly 
 furnished them transportation and other sub- 
 stantial aid, which enabled them to return to 
 Petersburg, which they did by way of the 
 James river and City Point railroad. 
 
 They reached Petersburg about midnight of" 
 the 17th of April, and were received with tears- 
 of joy into open arms by Prof. Campbell 
 and his dear family. They had passed through 
 many dangers and had had a number of thrill- 
 ing adventures since their exit from Petersburg,, 
 but had incurred no loss or damage to person, 
 or property, save and except the taking of a 
 disabled sabre from Mrs. Dunlop's trunk, where- 
 
gio Lee's Sharfshootefs; or, 
 
 it had been strapped for safekeeping, and which 
 was held in high esteem by its owner, the com- 
 mandant of the sharpshooters, oh account of 
 its valuable services and the severe wound 
 which it had received on the 29th of August, 
 1862, in the second battle of Manassas. 
 
 It was ascertained, upon inquiry, that Dr. 
 Huot had been placed in charge of a Confed- 
 erate hospital in the city, and was safe. Hence 
 he and his accomplished young wife were soon 
 happily re-united in their foriher winter home. 
 Mrs. Dunlop also leariied that her husband had 
 been captured at Southerland Station, ten miles 
 ^est of Petersburg, and had passed through 
 the city arihurt on his way to some Northern 
 prison. Assured now of his safety, as far as 
 the dangers of the battle field were concerned, 
 Mrs. Dunlop set about to discover his destina- 
 tion, that she might cheer him in his lonely 
 confinement with tokens of her sympathy and 
 abiding affection. She wrote to every Federal 
 prison that she could hear of, but for weeks 
 could evoke no response. This ominous 
 silence led to renewed apprehensions of dis 
 tress, and so she sought a personal interview 
 with the commissary general of prisoners, that 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 311 
 
 she might enlist his sympathy and official aid 
 in her search for the lost one, both of which 
 were readily accorded. The general was true 
 to his word, for the letter delivered to bim that 
 afternoon was received on Johnson's Island in 
 the very aliortest possible time required to 
 oompasa the distance ; and not only so, but all 
 her letters were promptly forwarded from the 
 different prisons, and were joyfully received in 
 a very few days. 
 
 The purpose and failure to take the last 
 train out of Petersburg, and the subsequent 
 purpose and failure to take the last train out 
 of Richmond, had disconcerted all our plans ; 
 so that, while Mrs. Dunlop's letters were wan- 
 dering about over the country in search of her 
 lost husband, he was writing regularly to South 
 Carolina, supposing that, according to the 
 second plan, the ladies had made good their 
 escape to their Carolina homes. But Sher- 
 man's march through the Carolinas had dis- 
 rupted all lines of postal communication in 
 that direction, hence my letters did not reach 
 their destination until the railroads were re- 
 built and Mrs. Dunlop had reached home, some 
 
312 Lee^s Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 time about the middle of June. Meanwhile 
 
 she was in an agony of suspense. 
 
 Upon her return from Richmond to Peters- 
 burg, Mrs. Dunlop found that Charles, who had 
 been playing the role of courier between her- 
 self in the city and myself on the lines of 
 Hatcher's Run, had been captured on his last 
 trip, and had just made his escape and returned 
 to Petersburg a few days before her arrival. 
 He at once engaged to work in the gardens and 
 truck patches in the city for wages, and loyal 
 to the last, turned over to his mistress a good 
 part of his earnings every night, which he con- 
 tinued to do until the railroads began to 
 operate, when he put her on the train and saw 
 her safe at home in South Carolina. 
 
 When our lines were formed at Sontherland 
 Station, the sharpshooters were instructed that, 
 when they were driven — which was inevitable 
 — to make clean heels for the rear and incline 
 westward as much as possible — the direction 
 the army had gone ; as for myself, I should make 
 directly for the rear, swim the Appomattox and 
 rejoin them on the north bank. 
 
 As many as obeyed instructions made good 
 their escape, while those who disregarded in- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 313 
 
 s tractions and followed the example of their 
 commander were hemmed in on the banks of 
 the roaring Appomattox and captured the next 
 day. The river was too full and turbulent to 
 swim. Only one man, Prank Sheely, tried it 
 and he found a watery grave ere he reached 
 the middle of the stream. We put a vidette 
 on the hills to watch, while we set about to 
 construct a raft on which to ferry ourselves 
 across'iio the other shore. We impressed into 
 service a number of negroes, who were cutting 
 wood for the city, with their axes, and had got- 
 ten our work fairly under way, when the vi- 
 dettes ran in and reported the Federal cavalry 
 approaching. We dispersed in amusing haste 
 and concealed ourselves in a dense thicket of 
 switch cane and underbrush along the banks 
 of the river ; where, once hidden, we were afraid 
 to show our heads above the cane, lest our hid- 
 ing place might be discovered and ourselves 
 made prisoners. Hence, we remained in the 
 thicket, as quiet as mice, until after dark, 
 when search began for some friendly craft to 
 convey ourselves to the opposite shore. First 
 up and then down the rushing river, we peered 
 into every nook and corner of her rugged banks 
 
314 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 for some means of escape, but nothing could be 
 found. We then took the Federal lines which 
 were drawn around us and industriously scru- 
 tinized every inch from the river below to 
 the river above, hoping to find a gap, but the 
 lines were solid and the circle complete. This 
 search was continued until daylight, when we 
 again hid ourselves in a dense cedar brake. 
 All our eflForts to evade capture proved fruit- 
 less. So about 9 o'clock a. m., April 3, 1865, a 
 heavy skirmish line combed out the fatal cul de 
 sac and took us in. I surrendered my sword 
 to an officer of the twenty- sixth Michigan regi- 
 ment, United States infantry. We were treated 
 with marked courtesy by our captors, and 
 were marched off with the Federal column, 
 under guard. After marching in rear of 
 Grant's army for several days we were returned, 
 several hundred strong, to Petersburg; thence 
 to City Point ; thence by steamer to the old 
 capitolprison,Washington, D. C. ; thence, after 
 a delay of some ten days, to Johnson's Island, 
 Ohio. We reached Washington City on the 
 10th, and thirty Confederate officers were 
 crowded into room No. 16, on the third floor 
 of the old capitol building — a room about 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 315 
 
 18 X 18 feet square, without the least semblance 
 of furniture — a gaunt and forlorn looking, yet 
 a jolly and spirited crowd. The next day we 
 heard of the surrender of the Army of North- 
 ern Virginia, but refused to believe it until the 
 report was confirmed. 
 
 The regulations of the prison were : Roll 
 call at 8 o'clock in the morning ; breakfast &t 
 9 o'clock ; dinner at 3 o'clock in the afternoon ; 
 roll call again at 7 o'clock p. m. ; no supper, 
 and lights out at 9 o'clock — two meals a day 
 on scant rations. We spent the time in smok- 
 ing our pipes, washing clothes and discussing 
 the cause and results of the war, the conditions 
 of the country, and the methods and conse- 
 quences of reconstruction likely to follow. 
 
 On the 13th of April, the fourth anniversary 
 of the fall of Fort Sumpter, the American flag^ 
 was formally rehoisted in triumph with appro- 
 priate ceremonies, upon the battered ramparts 
 of that historic old castle, and the occasion 
 celebrated at the Federal capital by the grand- 
 est convocation of citizens ever held in the 
 city of Washington. Men and women of all 
 grades of human society, and almost every 
 nationality, participated in the grand demon- 
 
3i6 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 stration. Military parades, music and orato- 
 rical . harangues were the order of the day; 
 while at night, amid the blaze of the finest 
 pyrotechnic display ever witnessed on the con- 
 tinent, the assembled thousands vied together 
 in unrestrained manifestations of joy and ex- 
 ultation over the triumphs of their armies, the 
 prospects of peace and a reunited country. 
 With stolid indiflference we heard and beheld, 
 nor felt the faintest emotions of pleasure, even 
 while gazing out upon a gorgeous panorama of 
 almost dazzling brilliancy. 
 
 On the night of the 14th, Abraham Lincoln, 
 President of the United States, was assassi- 
 nated, and the nation's joy was turned into 
 mourning. John Wilkes Booth, of Virginia, 
 was the assassin. Intense excitement pre- 
 vailed for several days, and no Confederate 
 soldier, or even friend of the South, would 
 have been safe on the streets of Washington 
 during this period. Indeed, so shocking was 
 the crime against enlightened humanity, and so 
 stunning the blow to public conscience, that 
 the spirit of revenge clamored for blood; and 
 but for the interposition of military authority 
 every prisoner confined in the old capitol 
 
The Forefront of Battle. ^I'j- 
 
 building would have been murdered in retalia- 
 tion. A large mob of infuriated citizens was^ 
 organized for that purpose, and was only re- 
 strained by a strong guard placed within the- 
 halls and corridors of the building, and a per- 
 fect wall of United States bayonets stationed 
 around the square. 
 
 On the 15th the decapitated nation, in one 
 immense throng, assembled at the capital, and 
 increased from day to day while the body lay 
 in state, to pay their last respects to the dis- 
 tinguished dead. From the windows of room 
 No. 16, which commanded full view of Capitol 
 Square, we could distinctly see the ceaseless 
 stream of sorrowing citizens as they crowded 
 through the capitol building to take one last 
 sad view at the remains of the murdered Presi- 
 dent. As far as the eye could reach the city 
 was clad in the habiliments of mourning. A 
 sad day to the people of this country, and 
 especially so for the unfortunate citizens of the 
 South. 
 
 When the excitement had sufficiently abated, 
 and it was considered safe to remove the pris- 
 oners, rolls were made out and we were 
 marched down to the Baltimore depot and took 
 
3i8 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 tbe train for Johnson's Island. After a tedious 
 and tiresome trip of several days, passing 
 through Baltimore, Harrisburg, Pittsburg, 
 Mansfield and Sandusky, we reached our prison 
 home on the 27th day of April. We were dis- 
 charged from the trains at Sandusky and im- 
 mediately boarded a steamer for Johnson's 
 Island, where we arrived in a somewhat dilapi- 
 dated condition the same afternoon. After 
 examination and enrollment we were dispos- 
 sessed of everything valuable or contraband of 
 war, and marched through the great prison gate 
 into the courts of the vast enclosure, where we 
 were assigned to quarters in different parts of 
 the prison. Myself and Lieut. James A. Wat- 
 son, of the twelfth South Carolina regiment, 
 were assigned to room No. 13, block No. 7, 
 south side of the street and second floor of the 
 building. Here we made ourselves as com- 
 fortable as circumstances would permit. We 
 were received by our comrades who had pre- 
 ceded us with great cordiality, and were joy- 
 fully welcomed to the freedom and hospitality 
 of that noted prison (whose commissariat and 
 latchstrings were always on the outside), not 
 that they took pleasure in our misfortunes, but 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 319 
 
 because of our common cause and fellowship 
 of suffering, and they loved us. 
 
 The prison on Johnson's Island was located 
 safely above the water line on the south side of 
 the island, at the nearest point to the city of 
 Sandusky, about three or four miles distant, 
 across an arm of the beautiful Lake Erie, and 
 covered an area of ten acres, laid off in the 
 form of an oblong square, running east and 
 west. It was enclosed by a solid wall of heavy 
 timber, twelve feet high, about three and a half 
 or four feet below the top of which, on the out- 
 side, were constructed the platform and sentry 
 boxes where our sleepless guardians were wont 
 to stand or pace their weary rounds, day and 
 night, to hold us harmless and secure until by 
 official authority our liberties should be re- 
 stored. Two lines of two story, oblong boxed 
 buildings, with double rooms above and below, 
 about 16 X 22 feet square, with ten foot walls, 
 constituted our quarters. These barracks were 
 built on either side of a broad street, some two 
 hundred feet in width, running lengthwise 
 throuj^h the center of the enclosure, and facing 
 inward. The entrance to the rooms below was 
 by a single door to each room, located in front, 
 
320 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 near the corner, and on either side of the parti- 
 tion which divided the rooms ; the rooms above 
 were reached by a stairway and balcony built 
 on the outside of the front wall, with doors of 
 entrance similarly situated to those below. 
 
 Beginning at the great gate, the blocks and 
 rooms were regularly numbered, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., 
 the odd numbers on the south side and the 
 even numbers on the north side of the street. 
 There were six blocks on either side of the 
 street, and one block (No. 13) in the center of 
 the street at the east end, facing the great gate 
 at the west end. The kitchens and mess halls 
 were in rear of the barracks, and the sinks 
 and closets in rear of these buildings ; one of 
 the mess halls on the north side being used for 
 a hospital for the sick. Back of all the build- 
 ings, and some twenty or thirty feet from the 
 prison walls, were the dungeon and dead lines, 
 beyond which no prisoner was allowed to pass. 
 In addition to the chain of sentinels which 
 girded the balustrade, and as further security 
 against insolence or insubordination on the 
 part of the Confederates, a single 12-pound 
 smooth bore was mounted on the front wall 
 near the prison gate, charged with grape and 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 321- 
 
 canister, and trained upon the broad street so- 
 as to rake it from end to end in the event of 
 any formidable disturbance. 
 
 The garrison and officers' quarters were ou 
 an elevated plateau of beautiful grounds, a hun- 
 dred yards or more west and northwest of the 
 front gate, where there was also stationed a full 
 battery of artillery, frowning down upon us- 
 with gaping muzzles, ready to demolish the 
 prison and all it contained should there occur 
 anything like a conspiracy or rebellion against 
 the restraints of Federal authority. But, a& 
 Gfen. Toombs said to Senator Morton, " we 
 had worn ourselves out whipping Yankees,"" 
 therefore did not care to have any further - 
 trouble with them, and hence behaved our 
 selves like pretty boys. Johnson's Island was 
 specifically designed and set apart for the ac- 
 commodation of Confederate officers, of whom 
 there were at this time something like three- 
 thousand here confined, ranging all the way- 
 from major general down to junior second lieu- 
 tenant. They were to a large extent educated,-, 
 intelligent, grave and dignified, and for the 
 most part behaved themselves with the utmost 
 propriety and decorum. Our rations were pain— 
 
.322 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 fully scant, and but for the acute gnawings of 
 hunger we would have been reasonably com- 
 fortable. 
 
 Col. Hill, commandant of the garrison, 
 was a clever gentleman and good friend to the 
 prisoners, all of whom esteemed him very highly 
 for his kindness of heart and other excellencies 
 of character. He always manifested due re- 
 ,gard for our comfort and protection as well as 
 for our good behavior and safe keeping. He 
 :frequently entered the pen in person to inquire 
 into our condition, and occasionally addressed 
 the prisoners on questions of moment relating 
 to themselves, such as the adjustment of war 
 issues, the restoration of peace and good will 
 between the divided sections, etc. He invari- 
 ably received a cordial welcome, and his 
 speeches were well attended and heartily en- 
 Joyed by all. 
 
 When it became known that Congress was 
 considering a bill of amnesty for the liberation 
 of prisoners, which iiivolved many questions of 
 important detail requiring time and careful 
 'Consideration, the necessary delay caused much 
 anxiety and impatience on the part of miany of 
 the inmates of Johnson's Island. Others, how- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 323 
 
 ever, made the best of the situation by jests 
 and merrymaking, to the annoyance of our less 
 buoyant comrades. Day after day, for weeks, 
 these lovers of futi played upon the credulity 
 of their home sick associates, by publishing 
 bogus dispatches on the bulletin board relating 
 to their discharge. The bill was finally passed 
 about the last of May, and President Johnson's 
 amnesty proclamation was promulgated imme- 
 diately. 
 
 Hence, about the Ist of June, beginning with 
 the oldest captures, the discharge of prisoners 
 began, and was continued from day to day as 
 rapidly as rolls could be made out and trans- 
 portation furnished, until all were set free. 
 
 I passed out at the great gate with a class of 
 something over two hundred, about 7 o'clock 
 a. m., June 18, 1865, henceforth a free citizen of 
 the United States. By 8 o'clock we were in 
 Sandusky, where all trains leading out of the 
 city were utilized in the transportation of pris- 
 oners, and where, by distribution, we took dif- 
 ferent routes for our Southern homes. Myself 
 and a goodly number of others took the train 
 for Cleveland, thence to Pittsburg, thence to 
 Harrisburg — where farther distribution was 
 
324 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 made — and thence to New York, where we ar- 
 rived about 10 o'clock on the morning of the 
 21st. When discharged from Johnson's Island 
 we were furnished with free transportation and 
 (only) one day's rations. With this scant sup- 
 ply we anticipated distress from hunger ere we 
 should reach the half way point to our distant 
 homes. But thanks to a kind Providence, who 
 put it into the hearts of very many good 
 people of the North to supply all our needs 
 abundantly, we had no occasion whatever to 
 use our one day's rations of hard tack and 
 bacon. 
 
 The courtesy and kindness extended to us all 
 the way from Sandusky to New York were as 
 amazing to us as they were grateful to our 
 feelings, and reminded us more of the treat- 
 ment due a victorious army returning from the 
 conquests of a formidable foe than of a rem- 
 nant of defeated Confederates released from 
 captivity and returning to their homes under 
 grace and amnesty of their victors. The in- 
 stant we landed in New York I hurried to the 
 transportation office, that I might secure pas- 
 sage without delay to South Carolina. A gen- 
 tleman whom I had seen on the train, a resident 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 325 
 
 of the city, and whose dainty appearance for 
 some reason I did not fancy, proposed to ac- 
 company and assist me in my purpose. His 
 proposition repeated, was twice declined but 
 accepted the third time. Under his guidance 
 I was presently ushered into a large brick 
 building and into the very presence of the 
 chief of the department. My good friend now 
 assumed the role of advocate, and presented 
 my request for transportation on the first 
 steamer southbound, which was promptly de- 
 nied upon the ground of inconvenience and 
 delay ; the officer stating that there were hun- 
 dreds of released Confederates in the city 
 awaiting transportation to the South Atlantic 
 states ; that he could not issue a single pass, 
 when the same time and work would set forward 
 on their homeward journey hundreds from the 
 same section ; and that I would have to await 
 the enrollment of an entire class. This failure 
 did not in the least disconcert my friend, who 
 said as we passed out of the office, "Come, 
 walk into the next office and let us see what 
 can be done with the first deputy." Our re- 
 quest was again presented and urged, this time 
 receiving more favorable consideration. The 
 
326 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 deputy, however, honestly but kindly detailed 
 the difficulties to be overcome, while my friend 
 recounted the premises of our plea and en- 
 forced the facts with such skill and power, that 
 had we been in a court of final resort our 
 prayer would have been granted sine condi- 
 tiones. But the signature of the chief was 
 absolutely necessary, and upon this alone our 
 success depended. 
 
 We retired from the office with the assurance 
 that everything that could would be done for 
 our relief, and we were requested to call 
 again at 1 o'clock, when we should know the 
 result. At the door a carriage was called, and 
 we entered. For two hours we drove about the 
 city, taking in the more salient points and be- 
 holding the sights of this wonderful metropo- 
 lis, meanwhile enjoying a good luncheon at a 
 fashionable restaurant, donning a new suit of 
 clothes and replenishing our exchequer with a 
 small roll of United States currency — all at the 
 expense of our advocate and friend, who was urg- 
 ing us all the while to remain over in the city for 
 some time and rest up, at his expense ; which, 
 of course, I gratefully declined. At 1 o'clock 
 we returned to the office, and sure enough our 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 327" 
 
 transportation was ready, and we had nothing 
 to do but board the steamer for Dixie, which 
 was billed to sail at 4 o'clock that afternoon. 
 By 3 o'clock we were aboard the rolling 
 Clyde, which lay at the wharf making prep- 
 arations for the voyage. My unnamed friend 
 was still with me, and introduced me to the offi- 
 cers of the steamer and bespoke for me a good 
 birth and the courtesies of the ship, which were 
 accorded. I was also introduced to a number 
 of citizens who had come down to see the reb- 
 els embark. Among others I met H. P. Clark,, 
 who resided in Brooklyn but did business in 
 New York. Mr. Clark proved a friend indeed, 
 showing marked courtesy and offering further 
 financial assistance, which I declined with 
 thanks. He gave me his autograph, on re- 
 quest, which I still have, and cherish for the 
 pleasant recollections associated with his name> 
 I also requested the autograph of my anony- 
 mous friend, but he declined, stating that my 
 desire was a mere matter of sentiment and 
 would soon pass away, as would the memory 
 of the fact and circumstances of our meeting,, 
 but if I wanted a sermon preached or marriage 
 solemnized he was at my service. I then re- 
 
328 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 quested his influence on behalf of my coin- 
 grades, numbers of whom I had seen in the city 
 awaiting transportation, to which he readily 
 •consented, and we bade each other farewell. 
 In a very short time here came about four 
 hundred Confederates from Carolina, Q-eorgia 
 and Florida, numbers of whom were of nay ac- 
 quaintance and some of my own command. 
 ■Greetings and congratulations were now in 
 order, and we spent a few hours in a most de- 
 lightful reunion on the decks of the stately 
 Clyde. The Clyde was a heavy and somewhat 
 -clumsy but seaworthy craft, single decked, 
 with a small block of state rooms, narrow 
 cabin, store room and kitchen for the accommo- 
 "dation of her officers and crew, and an immense 
 hold, in which the Confederates were quar- 
 tered, with the privileges of the deck during the 
 -day. I was comfortably quartered in a reason- 
 .^bly well furnished state room, with free access 
 to the cabin and all its appointments. 
 
 After some delay we weighed anchor, un- 
 throttled the engines and set sail for Dixie 
 -Land. We spent a comfortable night and rose 
 -early to note progress and take bearings. We 
 •found that we had cleared the harbor and, un- 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 329 
 
 der full head of steam, were bounding along 
 over the heaving bosom of the broad Atlantic. 
 After breakfast the men were called together 
 for the purpose of organization, that order and 
 discipline might be maintained, rations distrib- 
 uted, etc. I was unanimously elected com- 
 mander of the four hundred, and proceeded at 
 once to perfect the organization by the appoint- 
 ment of quartermaster, commissary and other 
 necessary staff assistants. At the outset the 
 officers and crew were somewhat disposed to 
 exercise authority over the Confederates, but 
 they were very soon given to understand that 
 twenty-five Yankees, upon the high seas, and 
 separated from the protection of their govern- 
 ment, could not control four hundred Confeder- 
 ate veterans, and that orders and commands 
 issuing from any other source than their own 
 chosen commander would be regarded as inso- 
 lence and treated as such. Hence, thereafter 
 the issuance of orders and the administration 
 of discipline were given into my hands, and I 
 became commander-in-chief of the entire expe- 
 dition thence to Savannah, Georgia. We were 
 eight days on " the dark, blue sea," skirting our 
 eastern coast, sometimes in and sometimes out 
 
330 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 of sight of land, and enjoyed the trip intensely. 
 As we rounded Cape Hatteras, off the coast of 
 North Carolina, we encountered a gale on the 
 night of the 25th, resulting in a turbulent sea, 
 in which considerable apprehension was felt on 
 the part of some of our men for their safety. 
 
 Many of us slept soundly, however, all night 
 and knew nothing of the storm until morning, 
 when we awoke to find the ship rolling and 
 plunging in a boisterous sea. The storm had 
 passed and the sun rose in unclouded splendor ; 
 but Old Ocean was furious still, to have had her 
 repose between suns so ruthlessly disturbed 
 by a miserable night squall. After awhile her 
 wrath abated and she sank back into her 
 wonted complacency. Reveille was sounded 
 and the men summoned to roll call. The ser- 
 geants reported " all present or accounted for," 
 except one who could not be found. It was 
 then discovered, and not till then, that Thomas 
 Davenport, one of my most gallant and 
 esteemed sharpshooters, had been lifted from 
 the deck, where he slept, by one of those im- 
 mense waves which swept over the ship, and 
 dashed into the depths of the sea. Poor, brave 
 fellow ! he had escaped the dangers of a hundred 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 33 1 
 
 bloody battle fields to find a watery grave, 
 where his body now sleeps and shall continue 
 to sleep until summoned to roll call on resur- 
 rection morn in the courts of glory. "We 
 passed in distant view of Fort Sumpter on the 
 28 th, and reached Savannah, Georgia, on the 
 29th. Here all were discharged except the 
 South Carolina boys, who after a detention of 
 one day and two nights, returned to Charles- 
 ton via Hilton Head, where we arrived on the 
 1st day of July. We spent the night with 
 friends in the city, took the train next morning 
 for Orangeburg; thence marched twenty -five 
 miles to Columbia ; thence marched thirty -five 
 miles to White Oak Station, ten miles above 
 Winsboro ; thence by rail to Rock Hill, my 
 South Carolina home, where I met in tears of 
 joy, among other rejoicing friends, my own 
 darling wife. Amen. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 PROMISCUOUS ANECDOTES, ETC. 
 
 ROLL CALL. 
 The orderly sergeant was calling the roll. 
 *'Jehoshaphat Jenkins!" "Here!" promptly 
 responded Jehoshaphat. " Greorge Squib !" 
 " Here !" in a firm voice responded the heroic 
 Squib. "Ebenezer Meade!" No answer. 
 " Ebenezer Meade, what do you mean by stand- 
 ing there staring me in the face, and not answer- 
 ing when your name is called ?" said the ser- 
 geant impatiently. " You didn't call my 
 name," gruffly answered the private. "Isn't 
 your name Ebenezer Meade?" "Nary time." 
 "What is it then?" "Eben Meade." "What's 
 the difference ?" "Aheap." "I can't see any." 
 " Now, sergeant, your name is Peter Wright ; 
 isn't it?" " Yes." " Well, would you answer 
 to the name of Peternezer Wright?" "Of 
 course not." A laugh from the company, and 
 
334 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 after roll call a mutual smile between Eben and 
 Peter, at the latter's expense, settled the matter 
 in a manner satisfactory to all concerned. 
 
 THREE DAYS WITH NOTHING 
 TO EAT. 
 
 Said a hungry Confederate to the lady who 
 met him at the door, when out foraging one 
 day : " Madam, will you please give me some- 
 thing to eat ? I haven't had a mouthful to eat 
 for three days — today, tomorrow and next day." 
 
 FOUR YEARS TO REACH RICHMOND. 
 
 City Point, on the James river, was the land- 
 ing for transports with soldiers released from 
 Northern prisons on parole. One day a most 
 woebegone and emaciated "Johnny" sat 
 swinging his shoeless feet from a barrel, 
 awaiting his turn, when a pompous Federal 
 major remarked, to no one in particular, "It 
 isn't far to Richmond ?" " Reck'n it's near unto 
 three thousand miles," drawled Johnny, 
 weakly. "Nonsense! you must be crazy!" 
 replied the officer, staring. "Wal, I ent 
 a-recknin' edzact," was the slow reply; "jest 
 thought so, kinder." " Oh, you did ! and why, 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 335 
 
 pray?" '"Cause it took'n youens nigh onto 
 four years to git thar from Washington," was. 
 the settled retort. 
 
 NEGRO FOR BREASTWORKS. 
 
 Said a Federal soldier the other day : "A 
 Johnny Reb got away with me entirely one 
 day after we captured him at Resaca. He said 
 to me that they had found out how to fight us 
 without getting fired at in return. They simply 
 stood a negro upon the breastworks and fired 
 at us from behind him. The result was that 
 we did not fire back for fear of killing the 
 negro." 
 
 AN OFFICER'S WIT. 
 
 A gallant soldier and distinguished politi- 
 cian, who commanded one of the regiments, 
 perpetrated an " Irish bull " one day, which 
 the other regiments of the brigade never suf- 
 fered his men to hear the last of. Having 
 halted on the march, and the men not falling 
 in with sufficient promptness when the order to 
 move was given, the gallant colonel exclaimed : 
 " Fall in there, men ! Fall in quickly ! If you 
 don't fall in I'll march the regiment off and 
 
336 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 leave every man of you !" At the battle of 
 Winchester, in June, 1863, this same officer 
 (now a brigadier general) was very deliberately 
 forming his line of battle when the division 
 commander grew impatient and sent an aid, 
 who came galloping up to the old hero to say, 
 
 " General ! Gen. wants to know if you are 
 
 proposing to have dress parade down here?" 
 The instant retort was, " Go back and tell him 
 yes; we are going to dress on the enemy." 
 " Dress on the enemy " at once became a slang 
 phrase among the men. 
 
 WIFE'S LETTER. 
 Just before the battle of the Wilderness, 
 Sergt. Billy Baas received a letter from his 
 wife. She said there was to be a big battle, 
 and she did so much wish to see him before it 
 was fought. When Billy read the letter he 
 said he would also like to see her before the 
 battle, but would a great deal rather see her 
 after the battle. 
 
 COMMISSARIES' DINNER. 
 A column of infantry, was one day marching 
 along a dusty road under a broiling sun. Close 
 by, under some trees, was discovered a cluster 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 337 
 
 of sleek commissaries seated at dinner. A 
 tall, raw boned and dust begrimed North Car- 
 olinian went up to the fence and, putting his 
 chin upon it, stared long and earnestly at the 
 tempting table. At last, bursting with envy, 
 he yelled out, " I say, misters, did any of ye 
 ever hearn tell of the battle of Chancellors- 
 ville?" 
 
 TRUE COURAGE. 
 
 In all ages, courage on the battle field has 
 been the theme of orators and poets, yet the 
 courage of the warrior is not only a common 
 and a variable quality, but has often been sur- 
 passed by that displayed by women. Native 
 valor, too, is sometimes inferior to that which 
 is acquired. Frederick the Great ran like 
 a coward out of his first battle. Flying 
 on the wings of fear, he went a great distance 
 from the field, and, coming to one of his own 
 strongholds, reported that his army was de- 
 stroyed. What was his surprise and mortifica- 
 tion to learn that his men had gained a great 
 victory. He never forgot the lesson taught, 
 and ever afterwards was conspicuous for steady 
 courage in action. Many instances might be 
 
338 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 given of soldiers in the last war who in their 
 first fight were " lily livered," but who after- 
 ward faced with dauntless front the gleamibg^ 
 steel; and, on the other hand, of some who 
 were lion hearted till tanght by the pain of 
 wounds the perils of a battle, and who then be- 
 came notable cowards. Bravery in action,, 
 though moi;e admired, is really not so great afr 
 that displayed in passive suffering. The 
 woman who sticks to her post in the pestilen- 
 tial chamber is far braver than Alexander 
 charging at the head of his cavalry. 
 
 ELECTION OATH. 
 
 The following oath was administered to the- 
 members of a volunteer company during the 
 war : " You solemnly swear to obey, fight for 
 and maintain the laws of the Confederate gov- 
 ernment and constitution, and support John W, 
 Dean for captain of this company." Upon 
 inquiry it was learned that the reason that the 
 last clause was inserted was because he had 
 been quite active in getting up a company be- 
 fore, and when they elected their officers he- 
 was left out ; so this time he was determined to 
 make it sure. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 339- 
 
 CONFEDERATE UNIFORM. 
 
 At the outbreak of the war between the 
 states, Capt. Reynolds raised a company of^ 
 Mississippians, and in the enthusiasm of the- 
 occasion made some rash promises to the par- 
 ents of the boys. Among these was one to keep - 
 his company well uniformed. Years passed, 
 and one of the anxious fathers, visiting the- 
 Army of Northern Virginia, was mortified to • 
 see his boy in rags. He upbraided the captain 
 for not keeping his company in uniform. The 
 captain, for a moment, was stunned, but recov- 
 ered himself and cried out: "Attention, com- 
 pany ! About face ! " And as the unconfined 
 rags fluttered like so many banners of poverty 
 from each of "Pope's Headquarters," Capt. 
 Reynolds pointed to the company and said^ 
 " They are uni-formed, sir." 
 
 DANGERS OF WAR. 
 
 One of the best companies of the Stonewalfe 
 brigade was composed of railroad men from, 
 Martinsburg, W. Va. In a charge at Manas-- 
 sas, the story goes, the captain offered a barrel 
 of whisky to the man who first reached the- 
 
34° Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 guns. When the captain got there one of his 
 
 men, already astraddle a cannon, cried out, 
 
 "" Don't forget that barrel, captain ! " The next 
 day an admirer of the hero asked him how war 
 compared with railroading. " Well," said he, 
 
 ■ " the life of a soldier is pretty rough, but it has 
 one advantage over railroading." "What is 
 that?" was asked. "'Taint near so danger- 
 ous," said the man of the rail. 
 
 HARDEE'S TACTICS. 
 
 Gen. Hardee once came across a straggler 
 
 -and asked him why he did not travel faster and 
 
 keep up with his command. The soldier 
 
 wished to know what in the deuce he had to do 
 
 with it. " Only that I am G-en. Hardee, the 
 
 commander of this department," was the reply. 
 
 "Oh, you wrote a book on tactics, did you ? " 
 
 " I did," said the general. " Well," said the 
 
 soldier, " I have been taught, according to your 
 
 rules, how to double column at half distance. 
 
 Now I wish you would tell me how to double 
 
 -distance on half rations." Gen. Hardee stuck 
 
 - spurs to his horse and traveled on. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 34i-e 
 
 GRINDSTONE. 
 
 The following is given by an eye witness : 
 "On Jones's West Virginia raid, one day there 
 was a fight near a country store. The house 
 was soon abandoned by the occupants, and 
 when the enemy retired precipitately the store- 
 was plundered. It was first come, first 
 served. In a twinkling the dry goods were- 
 gone ; then the mob began on the miscellan- 
 eous articles. My most valuable capture was 
 a jar of nutmegs. By the time I had them.- 
 rolled up in a table cloth the store was about 
 empty. I saw one poor fellow enter and look- 
 around for something to steal, but there was 
 nothing left but a pile of grindstones. Utter- 
 ing a volley of oaths at his bad luck, he shoul- 
 dered a grindstone and marched oflF triumph- - 
 antly." 
 
 WHAT FIGHTING FOR. 
 
 One day opposing pickets on the Rappahan- 
 nock agreed not to fire. A brisk conversation- 
 arose between a Texan and an Irishman on the- 
 Federal side. " What are you fighting for in 
 the Yankee army ? " said the Texan. " I'm^ 
 
-342 Lee's Sharf shooters ; or, 
 
 'fightin' for thirteen dollars a month ; I belave 
 
 your fightin' for eleven." 
 
 CAPERING SIDEWAYS. 
 
 While in Virginia I witnessed a scene be- 
 tween two officers of my regiment — one a lieu- 
 tenant colonel, the other the adjutant — which, 
 if rather disgraceful for " officers and gentle- 
 men," was redeemed somewhat by a little witty 
 passage or two which occurred. Both were 
 slightly " elevated," the adjutant being in fact 
 in that state to which a stronger term would 
 -have been applied had he been a simple pri- 
 vate; for, " what in the captain's but a choleric 
 word, in the soldier is rank blasphemy." The 
 ^colonel had mounted his horse and the adju- 
 tant made a scrambling effort to get up along- 
 side of him. "Hold on," says the colonel, 
 *' don't you see that mark?" pointing to the 
 " C. S." brand on his horse. " Yes," says the ad- 
 jutant. " What mark is that anyhow ? What's 
 them letters stand for, kurnel ? ' Cut with sa- 
 <bre ?' " " No," replied the colonel, " that means 
 ' carry single.' " Somebody assisted the adju- 
 tant on his own steed, which, when he had 
 amounted, became very restive and shied about. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 343 
 
 owing to the rider's unsteady management. 
 " Say, knrnel ; see that mark on my horse ? 
 Know what it means ? That means ' caper side- 
 ways.' " 
 
 THEIR TWO GIRLS MARRIED. 
 
 In the old first in 1861 two of the boys, whom 
 we will call A and B, had left sweethearts in 
 Richmond. One of them soon forgot the sol- 
 dier boy who had left her behind, and married 
 a gentleman natned Point. At this time B was 
 much pleased and joked A terribly. All day 
 long he would ask him " if he could see the 
 point?" etc. Soon after this B's sweetheart, 
 whose name was Hurt, forgot the vows she had 
 made, and got married also. This was A's 
 sweet revenge, and he gave B no peace by con- 
 stantly asking him, "What hurt him? where 
 was he hurt ? " etc. It was a case of diamond 
 cut diamond. 
 
 CARRIED TO THE REAR. 
 
 It was at the second day's battle of Bull Run 
 that a cannon ball carried off a poor soldier's 
 leg. " Carry me to the rear !" he cried to a tall 
 companion who had been fighting by his side ; 
 
344 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 " my leg is shot off!" The comrade caught the 
 wounded soldier up, and as he was about to 
 put him across his shoulder another cannon 
 ball carried away the poor fellow's head. His 
 friend, however, in the confusion did not notice 
 this, but proceeded with his burden to the rear. 
 " What are you carrying that thing for ?" cried 
 an officer. "Thing!" said he; "it's a man 
 with his leg shot off." " Why, he hasn't any 
 head," cried the officer. The soldier looked at 
 his load, and for the first time saw that what 
 the officer said was true. Throwing down the 
 body, he thundered out, " Confound him ! he 
 told me it was his leg." 
 
 JACKSON'S ORDER. 
 
 In the war between the states, Stonewall 
 Jackson ordered one of his colonels to attack 
 a certain strong position. The colonel hesi- 
 tated, and at last went to Gen. Jackson to ex- 
 postulate. " General," said he, " to attack that 
 position is madness ; my regiment will be ex- 
 terminated." "Colonel," said the commander, 
 "do your duty; I have made every arrange- 
 ment to care for the wounded and to bury the 
 dead." 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 345 
 
 MAGRUDER'S DINNER. 
 
 On the Peninsula, the gallant and jolly gen- 
 eral, J. Bankhead Magruder, had ordered a din- 
 ner for himself and staflF. A hungry reb— and 
 who ever saw one that was not hungry ? — came 
 up to the farm house, espied the nicely filled 
 table, and without leave or license sat down 
 and began to annihilate things. Just then the 
 general and friends walked in, escorted by the 
 host. All were surprised. " Hello ! " said the 
 fiery Magruder, in terms more explicit than po- 
 lite ; " do you know whose table this is you are 
 eating at ? " "No, sir," said Johnny Reb, with 
 his mouth full ; " whose is it ? " " Gen. Ma- 
 gruder's, sir ; the commander of this depart- 
 ment." " All right, general" — with another big 
 mouthful ; — " these war times I ain't particu- 
 lar where I eat or who I eat with ; sit down and 
 make yourself at home." The foraging pri- 
 vate was unceremoniously fired out, but not 
 before he had gotten outside of a pretty square 
 meal. 
 
 PRAYERS AND WHISKY. 
 
 When Gen. Gordon was about to lead an at- 
 tack at Petersburg, he and Gen. Heth with some- 
 
346 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 Others went into a little schoolroom on the lines 
 to pray. Sol Heth, the general's brother and 
 adjutant general, who was always on the look- 
 out for something to drink, was standing a lit- 
 tle way off, and Henry Peyton, one of Gen. 
 Lee's staff, beckoned him to come to the house 
 and join them. Sol did not understand the ob- 
 ject, but totally misconstruing it, held up his 
 canteen, and shaking it, said, "No, I thank 
 you ; I have just got hold of some." 
 
 STONEWALL'S BRIDGE. 
 
 During Jackson's brilliant campaign in the 
 Shenandoah Valley, it became necessary that a 
 bridge over a small creek should be built in 
 great haste. One evening Jackson sent for his 
 old pioneer captain, Myers, and pointed out to 
 him the urgency of the occasion, saying that he 
 would send him the plans of his colonel of en- 
 gineers as soon as it was done. Next morning 
 Jackson rode down to Capt. Myers's quarters, 
 and saluting the veteran, said, " Captain, did 
 
 you get the plan of the bridge from Col. ? " 
 
 " Well," said the captain, " the bridge, general, 
 is built, but I don't know whether t\vQ picture 
 is done or not." 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 347 
 
 FLAG AND WHISKY EECAPTURED. 
 
 One of the Alabama regiments was fiercely 
 attacked by a whole brigade in one of the 
 battles in front of Richmond. The Alabamians, 
 unable to withstand such great odds, were com- 
 pelled to fall back about thirty or forty yards, 
 losing, to the utter mortification of officers and 
 men, their flag, which remained in the hands of 
 the enemy. Suddenly a tall Alabamian, a pri- 
 vate in the color company, rushed from the 
 ranks across the vacant ground, attacked a 
 squad of Yankees who had possession of the 
 flag with his musket, felled several to the 
 ,ground, snatched the flag from them and re 
 turned safely back to his regiment. The bold 
 fellow was of course immediately surrounded 
 by his jubilant comrades and greatly praised 
 for his gallantry. His captain appointed him 
 to a sergeantcy on the spot, but the hero cut 
 everything short by the reply: "Oh, never 
 mind, captain ! Say no more about it. I 
 dropped my whisky flask among those Yan- 
 kees and went to fetch it back, and I thought 
 I might just as well bring the flag along." 
 
348 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 BUNCE'S COFFIN. 
 
 An amusing thing occurred in the twelfth 
 Tennessee. On one occasion a soldier, in pass- 
 ing to the lower part of the encampment, saw 
 two others of his company making a lude 
 coffin. He inquired who it was for. " Johnny 
 Bunce," said the others. " Why," replied he, 
 "Johnny is not dead yet. It is too bad to 
 make a man's coffin when you don't know if 
 he's going to die or not." "Don't trouble 
 yourself," replied the others ; " Dr. Coe told us 
 to make his coffin, and I guess he knows what 
 he gave him." 
 
 ASKING FOE PARDON. 
 
 Many amusing incidents might be reported 
 of pardon seekers at the White House. Mr. 
 Hilliard, of Georgia, former minister to Bel- 
 gium, rushed up to President Lincoln, seized 
 his hand, and hoped his pardon would not be 
 delayed. The President quietly remarked to 
 the ex-reverend gentleman that "hope is the 
 reward of the righteous," and vouchsafed no 
 other reply. On another occasion a Confeder- 
 ate of some notoriety raised quite a laugh by 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 349 
 
 saying, " I thank you, Mr. President, for my 
 pardon ; I am now a good Union man — am em- 
 phatically one of you; but didn't Stonewall 
 Jackson give us h — 1 in the valley." 
 
 PEACE OR WAR. 
 
 Some people cry " Peace, peace," while there 
 is no peace. Let us cry " War, war," while 
 there is war. While you are crying " War, 
 war," George, your old brandy scorched stomach 
 is crying " War-ter !" — Rebel. 
 
 FRYING PAN. 
 
 A soldier being on picket reserve, went to a 
 farm house, as he said, to borrow a frying pan, 
 bat for what purpose none could imagine, as 
 there was nothing to fry. However, he went 
 to the house and knocked at the door, which 
 was opened by a lady who asked what he 
 wished. " Madam, could you lend me a fry- 
 ing pan ? I belong to the picket down here." 
 " Yes, sir ;" and forthwith came the pan. He 
 took it, looked at it, turned it over, and looked 
 again and again at it and in it, as if not certain 
 it was clean. " Well, sir," said the lady, " can 
 I do anything more for you?" "Could — could 
 
350 Lee^s Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 — could you lend me a piece of meat to fry in 
 it, ma'am?" and he laughed in spite of himself. 
 He got the meat. 
 
 LAYOUT AND SHEBANG. 
 
 It will be remembered that a curious habit 
 prevailed among the soldiers in the latter part 
 of the war, of designating their respective com- 
 panies and battalions by the queer names of 
 " outfit " and " layout," while they would call 
 a brigade a " shebang." The story goes that 
 Gren. Polignac, the noble Frenchman who so 
 generously espoused the cause of the South 
 and served her with distinguished bravery to 
 the last, was once accosted by a bright eyed 
 Creole boy, who announced to the general that 
 he had just returned from a furlough and 
 wished to know where he could find Col. 
 Ceusir's "layout." "Col. Ceusir's what?" 
 shouted the general, his eyes bulging with 
 astonishment. " Col. Ceusir's ' layout,' " re- 
 peated the lad ; " it belongs to your ' shebang.' " 
 " Well, I hope to land in h— 1," ejaculated Po- 
 lignac, who when excited sometimes became 
 profane ; " if I know what ze little diable 
 mean ! I have been educate all my life in ze 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 351 
 
 arrnee. I have hear of ze campaignie, ze bat- 
 talion, ze brigade and ze division ; bat I agree 
 to be hanged if I ever hear of ze ' layout ' or 
 ze 'shebang' before!" 
 
 HUDDLE, DARN YE. 
 
 Immediately after the ordinance of secession 
 had been passed, and it became apparent that 
 there would be war, the attention of the South- 
 ern youth was directed almost exclusively to 
 Hardee's tactics, and especially the drill of the 
 company. A military company was organized 
 in nearly every neighborhood all over the coun- 
 try, and the rivalry between them, as well as 
 the interest elicited from their civilian friends 
 and admirers, was immense. There was a very 
 fine company organized in Memphis, which ac- 
 quired a wide reputation for excellence in all 
 the evolutions. It was commanded by a Mexi- 
 can veteran who was a master of tactics and a 
 martinet in drill. Every afternoon a throng of 
 people would resort to the large vacant lot 
 where this company was receiving instruction, 
 to witness and applaud its performances. On 
 one occasion, when an unusually large and ap- 
 preciative crowd was collected, and many ladies 
 
352 Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 present, the captain became so enthused that, 
 after exhausting every recognized movement, 
 be began to extemporize, and shouted out the 
 command, " Company, right and left oblique ; 
 march! " The men gallantly essayed to obey 
 the order, and diverging from the center toward 
 the flanks, scattered widely. The captain 
 racked his brain for a proper command to bring 
 them together again, but the tactics provided 
 no formula for such a dilemma. At length, 
 when the boys had become strung out like a 
 flock of wild pigeons and seemed about to sep- 
 arate forever, he yelled out, in desperation, 
 " Huddle, gol darn ye ! " 
 
 CONSECATED 'TATERS. 
 
 While the Confederate army occupied Bowl- 
 
 -ing Green, the Kentucky regiment was 
 
 encamped some two miles below town at Ennis 
 & Dishman's mills, and while there one M. W. 
 was detailed to go to the regimental commis- 
 sary to assist in bringing rations for the com- 
 pany, and among his stores was a camp kettle 
 of nice potatoes, not down on the requisition. 
 Upon being asked where he got them, he said, 
 in his natural, peculiar way, " I went to the 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 353 
 
 <50Tnersary to draw some 'visions, and seein' 
 these 'taters, I consecated them." M. W. was, 
 however, a good and gallant soldier, and could 
 somehow manage to have a crosscut saw, maul 
 and two wedges, and occasionally a frow car- 
 ried, which were very useful in camp. He also 
 carried, mostly himself, a four gallon jug, to 
 bring water to the ditches, during the long re- 
 4:reat from Dalton to Atlanta. Adjutant Bu- 
 chanan used to say he carried a sledge hammer 
 and anvil in his knapsack. 
 
 OLD HUNTER'S TOAST. 
 
 Old Hunter was deaf as a post, and through 
 his deafness and his shrewdness he managed 
 to hide his sympathy for either Federal or 
 Confederate. On one occasion a party drink- 
 ing in his store, to test the old man's deafness, 
 proposed the following toast : " Here's to old 
 Hunter, the two sided old villain ; may he be 
 kicked to death by mules, and his body sunk 
 in the sea a hundred fathoms deep. May no 
 prayer be said over him, and his blind soul 
 wander rayless through all eternity." The 
 toast was drunk in great glee, in which the old 
 man joined. " The same to yourselves, gentle- 
 
354 Lee's Sharpshooters; or, 
 
 men," said he; "the same to yourselves." Of 
 
 course, he had not heard a word that was said. 
 
 HOME GUARDS BURNED. 
 
 During the retreat of the Confederates 
 through South Carolina, at the time of Sher- 
 man's advance, Sergt. McD of western 
 
 North Carolina was sent on detail to the town 
 
 of M , where a regiment of home guards 
 
 was stationed. These valorous heroes, seeing 
 a soldier from the front, gathered around him, 
 eagerly inquiring the news. "News?" says 
 Mao, solemnly. " I believe there is none. Yes, 
 there is a little, too, but it's not of much im- 
 portance. Old Hardee burned up a regiment 
 of home guards at Florence the other day, to 
 keep them from falling into the hands of the 
 enemy." No more questions were asked. 
 
 PROUD FLESH ON A HORSE'S BACK. 
 
 One day when the Army of Tennessee was 
 on the move, the infantry column was halted 
 and opened ranks to let the cavalry pass to the 
 front. A young chaplain, full of conceit as well 
 as consecration, came riding along on a good 
 horse, with a high head and diked out in a 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 355 
 
 new uniform, attracting the attention and ex- 
 citing the ridicule of an infantryman, who, 
 turning to one of his comrades, exclaimed, 
 " Say, Tom, have you any borax or burnt alum 
 in your pocket?" "No," said the other; 
 " what do you want with it ? " "I want to take 
 the proud flesh off of that horse's back." 
 
 THE OTHER CHAP. 
 
 An Irishman was mortally wounded in one 
 of the battles in front of Petersburg, and a 
 Catholic priest was called in to counsel and 
 comfort him in his last hours. But Pat did not 
 seem to comprehend the meaning or force of 
 the conversation of the man of God, and paid 
 little attention to it. At last the priest, in 
 deep concern for the dying soldier, said, " Pat, 
 are you not afraid to meet your Grod, in your 
 present regardless condition ? " " No, indade," 
 exclaimed Pat; " it's the other chap Pm afraid 
 of." 
 
 FEED HIM. 
 
 A straggling Yankee soldier was in a squad 
 that was captured and passed before Gen. Paul 
 J. Semmes. One of the men remarked that this- 
 
.35^ Lee's Sharpshooters ; or, 
 
 prisoner was hungry. " Feed him," said Gen. 
 
 ^Semmes. " Shoot 'em in the line, but feed 'em 
 on this side of it." 
 
 STONEWALL JACKSON. 
 
 (,Our Sainted Corps Commander, who fell at Chancellorsville.) 
 
 -AH day the struggle had progressed between opposing 
 
 foes, 
 And oft the brazen bugle's blast above the din arose. 
 In valiant charge and countercharge across the smoking 
 
 plain 
 They grappled in a fierce embrace, regardless of the slain, 
 Till night her friendly mantle drew above the shattered 
 
 lines, 
 And her refreshing breezes blew among the fragrant 
 
 pines. 
 
 But not content to wait the dawn in perfecting his plans, 
 
 'Our tireless chieftain's eager eye the foe's position scans. 
 
 With but a slender body guard out to the front he passed, 
 
 To find a salient where his troops in silence could be 
 
 massed. 
 From his completed task he turns his charger to the rear. 
 To gain the shelter of his camp, nor dreams of danger 
 
 near. 
 
 Mistaken in the deep'ning gloom for an advancing foe, 
 A bullet from his own command laid the great leader low. 
 A thousand soldiers of his corps would thankfully have 
 
 shared 
 ■ Their foeman's graves, if in their stead their idol's life 
 
 was spared. 
 Ah ! when that fatal volley rang out on the evening air, 
 Mars placed a wreath on Jackson's brow, and Clio leaves 
 
 it there. 
 
The Forefront of Battle. 35 Jr- 
 
 CAEOLmA— 1865. 
 
 (Our Own Darling Carolina.) 
 
 Pale, fainting- from the battle field, 
 
 Carolina leaned on dented shield. 
 
 Her broken sword and shivered spear 
 
 She laid aside to wipe a tear. 
 
 Sob choked, I heard her feebly say : 
 
 " My sons I My sons ! — Oh, where are they 7" 
 
 The evening breeze, soft whispering, sighed:. 
 
 " On Freedom's battle ground they died ; 
 
 Fame's loudest trump shall proudly tell. 
 
 How bravely fought — how nobly fell." 
 
 ZfOyal, true hearted men were they ; 
 
 They sought no portion in the fray ; 
 
 But Sunny South they could not see 
 
 Bow down to Northern tyranny. 
 
 BIVOUAC OF THE DEAD. 
 
 The mufQed drum's sad roll has beat 
 
 The soldier's last tattoo ; 
 No more on life's parade shall meet 
 
 That brave and fallen few. 
 On Fame's eternal camping ground 
 
 Their silent tents are spread, 
 And glory guards with solemn round 
 
 The bivouac of the dead. 
 
 No rumor of the foe's advance 
 
 Now sweeps upon the wind ; 
 No troubled thoughts of midnight haunt: 
 
 Of loved ones left behind ; 
 No vision of the morrow's strife 
 
 The warrior's dream alarms ; 
 Nor braying horn, nor screaming fife 
 
 At dawn shall call to arms. 
 
358 Lee's Sharpshooters; or. 
 
 Their shivered swords are red with rust, 
 
 Their plumed heads are bowed ; 
 Their haughty banner, trailed in dust. 
 
 Is now their martial shroud. 
 And plenteous funeral tears have washed 
 
 The red stains from each brow ; 
 And the proud forms, by battle gashed, 
 
 Are freed from ang-uish now. 
 
 The neighing troop, the flashing blade. 
 
 The bugle's stirring blast, 
 The charge, the dreadful cannonade, 
 
 The din and shout are past. 
 Nor war's wild note, nor glory's peal, 
 
 Shall thrill with fierce delight 
 Those breasts that never more may feel 
 
 The rapture of the fight. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 A story of Mississippi sharpshooters, by 
 their commander, Capt. Robert F. Ward, inter- 
 polated by an exhaustive description of the 
 battles of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania 
 court house by the correspondent of the Lon- 
 don Morning Herald, and published in the 
 Richmond Daily Enquirer immediately after 
 the battles in 1864, is here inserted, and is as 
 follows : 
 
 Marion, Ark., December 30, 1898. 
 Ma J. W. S. Dtjni,op, I/ittle Rock, Ark. 
 
 Dear Comrade : Your having asked me to 
 contribute a sketch of the operations of the 
 company of Lee's sharpshooters which I had 
 the honor to command, it affords me much 
 pleasure to comply with your request, and the 
 more so because you grant the esteemed priv- 
 
360 Appendix. 
 
 ilege of incorporating in my contribution the- 
 letters of the correspondent of the London? 
 Morning Herald, cantaining an account of the 
 battles of the Wilderness and of Spottsylvania^ 
 as witnessed by the correspondent with Gen> 
 Lee, and as he learned the facts from other 
 general officers. The letters appeared in the 
 Richmond Enquirer, in May, 1864, and the pa- 
 pers containing them have been in my posses- 
 sion ever since, and so far as I know have never 
 been republished in any form. 
 
 I have desired ever since the close of the con- 
 flict between the Federal and Confederate 
 armies, that I might enjoy the privilege of 
 making a statement for publication of a part of 
 what came under my observation, especially 
 during the campaign of the Wilderness, which, 
 as historically known, embraces the battles of 
 the Wilderness, Spottsylvania and second Cold 
 Harbor, from the 3d of May to the 3d of June, 
 1864, one month. The company of sharpshoot- 
 ers which I commanded covered the front of the 
 forty-second Mississippi regiment, of Davis's 
 brigade, which was in Heth's division, A. P. 
 Hill's corps, and protected the flanks exposed 
 
Affendix. 361 
 
 to the enemy when moving in line of battle to 
 the right or left. 
 
 Early in April, 1864, while Gen. Lee's army 
 was encamped along the Bapidan, near Orange 
 court house, I was notified by Col. Feeney, of 
 the forty-second Mississippi regiment, that I 
 had been selected by Gen. Davis and himself 
 to command the sharpshooters of that regi- 
 ment ; that the company was to be composed 
 of select men from the various companies of 
 the regiment, one sharpshooter for every ten 
 men present for duty ; that they were to be re- 
 lieved from all camp duty, guard duty and 
 fatigue service of any kind ; that they were to 
 be drilled six hours a day in skirmish drill 
 and in the estimation of distances, until the 
 opening of the approaching campaign. 
 
 I had entered the army from Senatobia, 
 Miss., at the age of nineteen years, with the 
 first regiment that left the state, March 27, 
 1861, the ninth Mississippi regiment. Col. 
 Chalmers commanding. We were stationed at 
 Pensacola, Florida, with Gen. Bragg, under 
 whose strict discipline and continuous drill for 
 nearly twelve months we were thoroughly sea- 
 soned and ready for business before re-enlist- 
 
362 Appendix. 
 
 ing in the forty-second Mississippi regiment, 
 under Col. Hugh R. Miller. Col. Feeney was at 
 the close of our first year's service a first lieu- 
 tenant of Company I, ninth Mississippi, while I 
 was orderly, or first sergeant, of the same com- 
 pany. 
 
 He had doubtless observed then my fondness 
 for skirmish drill, and after re-enlistment in 
 the forty-second Mississippi we had been tent 
 mates and he was to me as an older brother ; 
 hence the appointment. In the farther execu- 
 tion of the order of Gen. Lee as to the organi- 
 zation of sharpshooters, on the day of my ap- 
 pointment Col. Feeney directed the selection of 
 the men to be made at once, and the regiment 
 was called out in company quarters ; and after 
 the object of the organization was explained, 
 volunteers were called for, and of the two hun- 
 dred and forty men present for duty ninety 
 men stepped forward, thereby announcing their 
 desire to become sharpshooters, and out of this 
 number we selected twenty-four men, as 
 follows : 
 
 Company B — J. G. Coppidge, J. S. Moore, J. 
 A. Moore, S. H. Leonard, De Soto county, Mis- 
 sissippi. 
 
Appendix. 
 
 363 
 
 Company Gr— W. Hardin, — 
 
 — Stroup, Cal- 
 
 houn county, Mississippi. 
 
 
 Company F — M. Austin, — 
 
 — Davis, 
 
 House, Calhoun county, Mississippi. 
 
 Company H — J. T. Saunderson, Joshua Smith, 
 Yalaboosha county, Mississippi. 
 
 Company I — Tobe Harmon, Lee Campbell, 
 Hub Campbell, Panola county, Mississippi. 
 
 Company A — Steve Lancaster, Mark Camp- 
 bell, Carroll county, Mississippi. 
 
 Company C — Brit Jones, Steve Jones, J. M. 
 Ham, De Soto county, Mississippi. 
 
 Company D Sowell, B. S. Strickland, 
 
 T. M. Evison, Dan Yocumb, De Soto county, 
 Mississippi. 
 
 Company B — J. N. (Dirk) Yarborough, De 
 Soto county, Mississippi. 
 
 Wo doubt the desire to avoid the various du- 
 ties from which sharpshooters were to be ex- 
 empt influenced many of the ninety volunteers 
 to seek a change, not realizing that they were 
 oflfering to enter the most dangerous service in- 
 cident to war. The next day the drill began 
 and continued from day to day, skirmishing ; 
 the men seemed never to tire, the interest in- 
 creased, and on the 17th of April, when I was 
 
364 Appendix. 
 
 furnished the following instructions for drilling 
 and teaching estimation of distances, great 
 earnestness was manifest and the drill each 
 day was gone through as though they were con- 
 testing for a prize. The instructions read as 
 
 follows : 
 
 Headquarters Davis Brigade, ) 
 April 16, 1864. f 
 
 In order to teach the soldier to estimate distance 
 by the eye, he is to be instructed in the f oUowingf manner : 
 
 Men have to be placed as points for observation at the 
 distance of SO, 100, ISO, 200, 300, .400, and as far as 800 
 yards ; standing at their ease and remaining- in an erect 
 position, facing the squad to be instructed. 
 
 These fixed points are to be thrown out in the follow- 
 ing manner : The instructor is first to select a tree, 
 house or any object in the distance and align two men 
 thereon 20 yards apart and facing each other, and placed 
 two paces to the right or left (as he may think proper) of 
 the nearest man, and in the same line another man as a 
 point for covering, after which he will march a squad of 
 six men formed two deep on the alignment chosen and 
 halted at 50 yards distance, when No. 3 of the rear rank 
 will face about and cover the two men already aligned ; 
 the man 20 yards off will now be removed ; the squad is 
 then to make a half face to the right or left and march in 
 an oblique direction for a distance of SO-S-6 yards, when 
 it is again to halt and No. 3 of the front rank to face 
 about three-quarters to the right or left and cover diago- 
 nally, moving to the right or left by the side step, as may 
 be required, preserving his shoulders square to his present 
 front. The squad is to continue so to march in an oblique 
 direction, leaving a man at every distance of SO-S-6 yards, 
 who is to act as before detailed, until every man is placed ; 
 when the points for observation are aligned diagonally 
 the covering point is no longer required. It will be ob- 
 
Apfendix. 365 
 
 served that each man in the above formation is placed at 
 a greater distance from the first line marched upon in 
 proportion as he is distant from the point where the squad 
 commences its instructions. 
 
 In order that each man may serve in turn as a distance 
 point for the men of the party to make observations on, 
 an officer or non-commissioned officer as assistant or 
 squad instructor (if there is a sufficient number) is to be 
 placed opposite the several points for observation, and 
 the party formed to the left of the squad instructor 
 placed opposite the first, SO yards off. 
 
 The instructor should direct the men to notice the po- 
 sition of the sun, state of the atmosphere, and the back 
 ground at the time they are making their observations, 
 in order that they may be accustomed to the changes 
 made in the appearance of the several objects under 
 their altered condition. The squad instructor opposite 
 the So yards post is then to proceed to indicate to each 
 man in succession the different parts of the figure, arms, 
 accoutrements and dress, which can still be distinctly 
 perceived on the soldier before him, as also those parts 
 which can no longer be perceived clearly at SO yards, 
 after which he will question him on the observations 
 made, on what he can see, and enjoin him to try and im- 
 press upon his mind the appearance of a man at this dis- 
 tance, and pass him on to the next station. The squad in- 
 structor opposite the 100 yards post is to proceed in the 
 same manner, and cause each man to make observations 
 of the same kind as he did on the man at SO yards, and 
 direct him to make comparisons between the two men 
 placed at this and the former distance, and then pass him 
 to the next squad instructor, and so continue. At all 
 points of observation attention must be called to the dif- 
 ference in the appearance of the men, as the distance 
 increases or diminishes — at one point you can count the 
 buttons or distinguish the features, complexion, etc. The 
 men who are placed as points are to be relieved by others 
 who have made their observations at the several distances. 
 
366 Affendix. 
 
 for which purpose the squad is to consist of at least 
 double the number of men employed at points. 
 
 "When the squad have made their observations on the 
 different points, they will proceed to estimate the dis- 
 tances of men as follows : March the squad to a differ- 
 ent ^ound and place a man at an unknown distance, 
 and call on the squad to estimate the distance, 
 cautioning them to remember their observations of men 
 seen at known distances, each man to be questioned sep- 
 arately and his answer noted down in a reg'ister. Every 
 man will adjust the sight of his rifle for the distance he 
 judged; the squad will then pace the distance by march- 
 ing towards the man judged from, to determine the dis- 
 tance. After having been drilled four days at three hun- 
 dred yards (300) and under, they will then be drilled four 
 days at 400, 500 and 600 yards. Instructors will take special 
 pains to fix in the minds of the men the observations 
 made at different distances, and make themselves ac- 
 quainted with each man's capacity for acquiring a correct 
 judgment of distances. 
 
 Regimental commanders will furnish the ofl&cer com- 
 manding the company of skirmishers or sharpshooters a 
 copy of these instructions. 
 
 By command of 
 
 Brig. Gen. J. R. Davis. 
 
 H. B. ESTES, A. D. C. 
 Coi,. Wm. a. Feeney, Commanding, etc. 
 
 On the Ist of May my last report attests the 
 accuracy of their estimates. 
 
 Each successive day we were expecting 
 marching orders and that the army would be put 
 in motion for the field of battle. Marching orders 
 came on the 4th, while divine service wasbeing 
 
 * Report omitted. 
 
Appendix. 367 
 
 held on a hill side in the open air by our be- 
 loved chaplain, T. D. Witherspoon. There was 
 an unnsnal solemnity pervading that audience, 
 each member of which was a soldier and doubt- 
 less thought that he might be hearing and did 
 hear his last sermon; learning that hostile 
 thousands were on the move southward. A 
 strange sight to see an audience suddenly and 
 silently vanish, but marching orders were an- 
 nounced. 
 
 Our division (Heth's) moved from Orange 
 court house, east on the Fredericksburg plank 
 road, and the forty-second Mississippi regiment 
 camped at Verdiersville, continuing the march 
 the next morning. The first guns of the enemy 
 were heard on our right, about 9 o'clock, which 
 caused a halt at short intervals. About noon 
 the regiment was halted on the roadside and 
 rested in place. We realized by sight and 
 sound that the two armies were getting in posi- 
 tion for battle. At the command the regiment 
 came to attention and loaded, then awaited 
 further orders. 
 
 Davis's brigade in the Wilderness, be it re- 
 membered, was commanded by Col. John M. 
 Stone, of the second Mississippi regiment, the 
 
368 Appendix. 
 
 brigade at that time being composed of the sec- 
 ond, eleventh and forty-second Mississippi, 
 fifty-fifth North Carolina regiments and the 
 first Confederate (Florida) battalion, and was 
 assigned its position in the line of battle to the 
 left of the plank road. About 1 p. m. Col. 
 Stone indicated to Col. Feeney the position the 
 forty-second would occupy, and Col. Feeney 
 proceeded to the spot with his regiment on the 
 crest of a ridge, which proved to be within the 
 radius of what was about to become the storm 
 center of battle, near the intersection of the 
 plank road from Germania ford with that from 
 Orange court house. Heth's division, sup- 
 ported by Wilcox's division, extended in full 
 breast across and on both sides of the plank 
 road. The storm was brewing in front, and 
 away to our right the conflict was raging, the 
 roar of battle approaching nearer and nearer as 
 I was directed to form my company of sharp- 
 shooters, who up to this moment had remained 
 with their respective companies in the line. At 
 the word they stepped out quickly in double 
 rank, in front of the right wing of the regiment, 
 and counted twos. I gave the order to take 
 intervals on the right group, but the rapid ap- 
 
Appendix. 369 
 
 proacTi of the enemy's sharpshooters caused 
 Col. Feeney to give a command sharply to take 
 intervals as we advanced. This was his last 
 command. We were in a forest thick with un- 
 dergrowth, and the extent of vision was not 
 more than eighty yards in any direction, and in 
 places not thirty. The sharpshooters sprang 
 forward down the slope, ascended the ridge in 
 front and were halted half way up, about sixty 
 yards from the Confederate line. The battle 
 was now on between the sharpshooters of the 
 opposing forces. Capt. O'Neil, commander of 
 the battalion of sharpshooters of Davis's brig- 
 ade, soon approached and said, " Lieut. Ward, 
 take charge of the right wing of the battalion, 
 and don't retire until you can see the enemy's 
 colors." It was but a moment until the sharp- 
 shooting was terrific and I could see the ap- 
 proaching dark blue line of battle. About this 
 time my anxiety to see the " old flag " rose to 
 the high watfer mark. 
 
 The Federal line of battle was within sev- 
 enty yards, as I thought, when I caught sight 
 of a Federal color bearer, and the folds of the 
 old flag clinging close to the flagstaff. The 
 flag bearer did not flaunt his bunting to the 
 
37° Appendix. 
 
 breeze, and showed no desire to make his col- 
 ors or himself conspicuous. Under the order I 
 had it was not necessary that it should be un- 
 furled so that I could count the stars and 
 stripes. I was glad to see it in any shape, and 
 promptly ordered a retreat. There was no 
 straggling on that retreat. By the time we 
 reached the ravine the opposing lines of battle 
 had fired ; before they could reload the sharp- 
 shooters formed on the left of their regiment in 
 a vacancy left in the line for them. I found 
 the line of battle lying down, and discovered 
 that while I was watching for the enemy's 
 colors the companies of sharpshooters on my 
 right and left had already retired, and this 
 caused the Confederates to think that the 
 sharpshooters were all in, and they fired. 
 If there had been no depression of surface 
 between the two lines not one of us could 
 have escaped death or wounds. By the 
 time my sharpshooters had lain down and 
 began firing in the line of battle there was 
 one continuous unbroken roar from small arms, 
 and an artillery duel going on, the width of the 
 plank road. An army of drummers beating 
 
Appendix. 37^' 
 
 the long roll could not have made a more con- 
 . tinuous sound. 
 
 The Confederate line of battle lying down,, 
 when the enemy came in range the movement 
 of the sharpshooters into their place in the line 
 of battle was the more conspicuous, and must 
 have drawn a concentration of fire from the 
 Federal line of battle, for while Company B of ' 
 of the regiment lost ten out of twenty-four killed.^ 
 and wounded during the four and a half hours, 
 there were nineteen of the twenty-four sharp- 
 shooters killed and wounded within the first 
 hour of battle. They were in double file,, 
 twelve men abreast, and occupied a space to • 
 the left of their regiment of not more than fif- 
 teen steps. What time my duties did not de- 
 mand my presence elsewhere I made my head-- 
 quarters behind a white oak sapling within a 
 few feet of the sharpshooters. The sapling was 
 quite large enough near the ground, but grew 
 distressingly small further up, so that little- 
 protection was afforded, yet it had stopped six. 
 Federal bullets, the last count I made, during 
 a lull in the firing, while three balls had cut . 
 through my clothing. 
 
37 2 Appendix. 
 
 Early in the battle Saunderson was shot 
 fatally through the body, and I tried to hear 
 his dying message, but the roar of battle was 
 too great; not a syllable could be heard, 
 although I held my ear close. He was a sin- 
 cere christian and a faithful soldier. Leonard 
 received a ball through his thigh and Evison 
 lost an arm. Memory fails to note the other 
 casualties. During a lull in the battle our ad- 
 jutant, Oliver C. Carr, approached and told me 
 that Col. Feeney was killed before I had re- 
 tired with the sharpshooters, that Lieut. Col. 
 Nelson was wounded, also other officers, and 
 suggested that I take charge of the left wing of 
 the regiment. I then directed the four or five 
 sharpshooters who had survived to go to their 
 respective companies in line, and by the time I 
 had taken position near the center of the regi- 
 ment I noted the absence of Adjutant Carr 
 and learned that he was wounded. Very soon 
 I saw that Capt. Donaldson, of Company G, was 
 i;he only captain present. Donaldson was 
 small, red headed and florid, particularly so in 
 battle, and possessed staying qualities in bat- 
 tle worth a premium. 
 
Afpendix. TiTS- 
 
 It was perhaps 4 o'clock, when our regiment 
 had been much reduced, that our ammunition 
 was nearly exhausted. At this period in the 
 action Col. Stone was giving special attention 
 to our part of the line of battle; he said he had 
 sent for cartridges repeatedly, but the men who 
 were sent were killed or wounded. The forty- 
 second had almost ceased firing for want of 
 cartridges. Col. Stone had dismounted and 
 was passing back and forth along the line see- 
 ing that every man did his duty. 
 
 The situation had developed a crisis. The^ 
 Federal line became more aggressive as ours 
 became weaker, but there was no change in 
 Col. Stone. His voice rang out firm and clear, 
 as if on dress parade, without the least sign of 
 agitation ; his magnetic presence and his gal- 
 lant but quiet, dignified bearing amidst the 
 storm of battle was holding the weakest part 
 of the line of battle steady, with empty guns. 
 I thought then, as now, that the presence of no 
 other except Gen. Lee could have held the men 
 in line during such a crisis. So long as I live 
 and memory survives I shall never forget the^ 
 order Col. Stone gave. It was given in cold 
 blood, and made me chilly, and given as calmly 
 
,374 Affendix. 
 
 as if it was meaningless. "Lieut. "Ward, a 
 brigade is forming in the rear of our line and 
 will charge over you ; follow with fixed bayo- 
 nets." The words " follow " and " fixed " were 
 slightly emphasized. The regiment was 
 -quickly informed and awaited the expected 
 charge. It was a brigade of Wilcox's division. 
 Thinned almost to a skirmish line, with empty 
 guns and bayonets fixed, we were to rush on a 
 Federal line from four to six men deep. It was 
 only sixty or seventy yards to a hand to hand 
 -encounter. The brigade never charged over us, 
 -and I have ever felt thankful that it did not. 
 At the time we thought they refused to make 
 the charge, and did not know until after the 
 battle why the failure. When you reach the 
 -point in the correspondent's account where 
 "Heth's division bore at first the whole brunt 
 of the Federal onslaught," read slowly until 
 you pass where " Wilcox formed his second 
 brigade in the rear of the left flank of Heth's 
 Miivision," and you will note a very good rea- 
 son why the charge was made in the opposite 
 'direction from that intended. 
 
 About dusk I could see the Federals creep - 
 dng through a gap, worn through our line by 
 
Appendix. 375 
 
 Federal bullets, to the left ; and to meet that 
 movement I placed the left wing of our regi- 
 ment at right angles to the original line of 
 battle, behind the trunk of an old tree that 
 had fallen up the hill — the regiment thus form- 
 ing two sides of a square, facing outward. 
 Having received cartridges we continued the 
 firing in both directions until about dark, when 
 the regiment assembled near the root of the 
 fallen tree. The only officers present that I 
 can remember were Capt. Donaldson, Lieuts. 
 Godfrey, Mears, Wilburn and myself. We de- 
 cided to remain quiet, without firing, and watch 
 for a place to go out. The enemy kept firing 
 on three sides of the square, and we made a 
 rush for the dark belt where there was no firing, 
 toward the plank road, and went out through 
 the gap that did not appear more than thirty 
 yards wide. When we reached the open road 
 where it was not so dark we found Col. Stone 
 mounted and looking for us. We were never 
 so glad to see him. We crossed into the woods 
 a short distance only and halted for the night. 
 It was too dark to straighten lines in a wilder- 
 ness. Col. Stone directed me to post videttes. 
 The detail was made and directed to take posi- 
 
37^ Appendix. 
 
 tion thirty or forty yards in front. It was only 
 a few moments laefore one of the videttes re- 
 turned and whispered to me, "The Yankees 
 are right out there." I reported to Col. Stone, 
 and the result was that the videttes stood along 
 the line over their sleeping comrades, who sank 
 down on the bare earth without unrolling their 
 blankets, with their trusty rifles encircled in 
 their arms, clothed and accoutred as they had 
 stood in battle, expecting that they would have 
 to rise at dawn fighting. 
 
 Heth's division may have been ordered during 
 the night to go to the rear as a reserve, as the cor- 
 respondent states, but that part of it under com- 
 mand of Col. Stone did not move until an irre- 
 sistible tidal wave of retreating Confederates 
 struck it as day dawned, and before Davis's 
 brigade could rise and form in line it was borne 
 backward amidst the struggling mass, some of 
 whom were firing toward the enemy through 
 their own ranks. This was the beginning of 
 the struggle on the second day of the Wilder- 
 ness, May 6 th, on our part of the field. 
 
 The twenty-sixth Mississippi being a little 
 farther from the stampede, formed in line and 
 became partly disorganized by the wave that 
 
Appendix. 377 
 
 struck it, but rallied and reformed, and was 
 immediately borne back in confusion and be- 
 came absorbed in the rush to the rear for a 
 hundred yards or more, when the wave struck 
 a stone wall in the person of Col. Stone, where 
 the force of the stampede was broken and con- 
 fidence much restored by the well known voice 
 of command which rose above the tumult as 
 clear and calm as on the day before, " Steady, 
 men ! steady ! form on your colors." He 
 drifted with the tide a short distance and the 
 brigade came to a halt. The appearance of 
 Col. Stone on his battle horse, as he rode from 
 color bearer to color bearer, locating them on a 
 line and calling on the men to form on their re- 
 spective regimental colors, has never been 
 eflEaced from my memory. 
 
 It was but a few moments until Davis's 
 brigade was once more in line ready for action, 
 and covered in front by a line of sharpshooters, 
 a majority of whom were new men. The Fed- 
 eral sharpshooters had not ceased firing during 
 the reformation of the brigade. We advanced 
 upon them only a short distance until we 
 reached a line of Federal dead and wounded. 
 When our sharpshooters began to reply spirit- 
 
378 Affendix. 
 
 edly to tlie Federal sharpshooters, shot for shot, 
 CoL Stone directed me to try to stop the sharp - 
 shooting, and at the command the Confederates 
 ceased firing ; but the enemy did not recognize 
 the truce, but continued to fire. I called on our 
 sharpshooters to lay down their arms and 
 place a wounded Federal on the Federal side 
 of the respective trees behind which had stood 
 a Confederate sharpshooter. We selected those 
 who were the most slightly wounded and laid 
 them at the roots of the trees. They plead 
 against the experiment, as inhuman, but we re- 
 plied that their own men would certainly not 
 fire on them, and that the object in view was to 
 stop the firing. When Sergt. Perry, of the one 
 hundred and twenty-fifth New York regiment, 
 was laid at the root of a tree, he asked me if I 
 knew Col. Reynolds of the twenty-sixth Missis- 
 sippi. I told him I did. He requested to be 
 sent to him, which request was granted, and as 
 he was being borne back within the Confeder- 
 ate lines he offered me his watch, which I de- 
 clined, and told him that he might need it, or 
 the value of it, in prison; he then desired to 
 present me his testament ; this I accepted, and 
 it is still in my possession as a souvenir of the 
 
Appendix. 379 
 
 battle of the Wilderness, and a beautiful vol- 
 ume. The Federal sharpshooters seemed to 
 have understood at once the object, and ceased 
 firing, and not a single man was wounded aft- 
 erwards, while in that position. After the bat- 
 tle it was asserted by those who followed Col. 
 Stone, that he fought the battle " on his own 
 hook ;" not being able to communicate with 
 either Generals Heth, Hill or Lee, he struck the 
 enemy when and where he thought the brigade 
 could be made most eflBicient. I never heard the 
 assertion denied, and so far as my observation 
 extended, there were no couriers nor aids car- 
 rying orders to or from him, and he was rarely 
 out of sight. Reinforcements having arrived 
 and formed, aided in checking the stampede. A 
 charge was made, and as the line swept by 
 Davis's brigade joined in and the enemy was 
 borne back across and far beyond the road 
 from Germania ford. The field was strewn 
 with knapsacks, small arms, etc. In this charge 
 two men of the sharpshooters were wounded — 
 J. S. Moore received a scalp wound, and J. A. 
 Moore was partially rparalyzed by the explo- 
 sion of a shell. Aftfer this there was a lull in 
 the firing and Davis's brigade was not engaged 
 
380 Appendix. 
 
 for an hour or so, when Ool. Stone moved to 
 another point on the field, but not in connection 
 with other troops. The brigade was resting in 
 place, when to our left firing began; and the 
 Federal officers could be heard distinctly urg- 
 ing their men forward, begging, pleading 
 and threatening, trying to make their men 
 charge. Col. Stone started off in that direction, 
 and in a few moments returned and commanded 
 the brigade to face about ; directed the sharp- 
 shooters to form on t-he left of the brigade and 
 deploy ; this done, he commanded the whole to 
 wheel to the right, and when the brigade swung 
 around sufficiently to face the object of attack, 
 he ordered a charge and led it himself. The 
 tumult was silenced at once and the enemy 
 routed, and a dead calm ensued. This is the 
 movement, I think, which was referred to when 
 the correspondent mentions the critical position 
 of Gen. Perrin, " when Davis's fine brigade of 
 Mississippians came sweeping up to complete, 
 by connecting with Harris's right, the protection 
 of the whole transverse front, Harris and Davis 
 having thus saved by a timely movement the 
 three brigades on the left, the artillery trains, 
 etc., on that highway, and the line of the 
 
Appendix, 381 
 
 plank road." Immediately after this charge 
 Col. Stone moved the brigade two or three hun- 
 dred yards to the left behind a log breastwork 
 and closed a gap in the Confederate line of bat- 
 tle, and ordered the sharpshooters forward. 
 We took position in a thicket forty or fifty 
 yards in front of the brigade, and in a short 
 while had to retire under a terrible fire from a 
 Federal line of battle. This was within two 
 hours of sunset, and the battle raged until dark, 
 but the brigade repulsed the enemy. I remem 
 ber distinctly that the sun seemed to stand 
 still, as if a Joshua had commanded it, as of 
 old. Our chief desire was for sudden and 
 thick darkness. At the point where I crossed 
 the log works there was not sufficient room, and 
 I took refuge behind a sapling which forked 
 about eighteen inches from the ground, in rear 
 a few feet, but the hill rose above the works 
 and I was exposed to sharpshooters. The Fed- 
 eral sharpshooters here taught us a lesson, by 
 firing obliquely up and down the line, away to 
 the left or right, instead of firing straight to 
 the front, and in this way they killed Lieut. 
 Col. Boone of the twenty-sixth Mississippi, 
 also Lieut. Q-odfrey to my left. Capt. Donald- 
 
382 Affendix. 
 
 son was down the hill to my right, and not so 
 much exposed, hehind a large tree. He' suc- 
 ceeded in keeping his head against the tree, or 
 near it, but the Federal sharpshooters kept his 
 body in motion from right to left ; a ball from 
 the right would move him to the left, and vice 
 versa, but Donaldson smiled all the same,* see- 
 ing that I and others were kept on the move, 
 likewise. Col. Stdne was sitting on the ground 
 about twenty steps in the rear of Donaldson, 
 holding his horse, in open woods. I approached 
 him the second time before I got his consent to 
 move Lieut. G-odfrey to the rear; he refused,' 
 saying the litter bearers would be killed, and to 
 wait till dark. Lieut. Godfrey was the last of 
 four young men of' Company B who were orig- 
 inally from Greenville, S. C. Lieut. Ben F. 
 Wham and Sergt. John G. Wham were killed 
 at Gettysburg, and John Scott wounded and 
 afterwards discharged. During the two days' 
 battle we were all the time in the wilderness ; 
 there was no opening in sight of our brigade. 
 
Appendix. 383 
 
 BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS. 
 
 [Correspondence of the L/ondon Herald, May 1?, 1864.] 
 
 The works occnpied by Lee's army on the 
 Bapidan extended on the right three miles be- 
 low Raeoon ford. Swell's corps and Hill's lay 
 behind those defenses, and stretched out on 
 each side of Orange court house, along a line 
 of twenty miles. Longstreet having returned 
 some time ago from Eastern Tennessee, occu- 
 pied the country around Crordonsville, thirteen 
 miles southwest of the position on the Rapidan.. 
 Such had been the disposition of the Army of 
 Northern Virginia during the latter part . of 
 April. 
 
 Grant having declined to assail Lee's front,, 
 determined to turn it by a movement on ^ that 
 oflScer's right. He marched eastwardly from his 
 cantonments in the county of Culpepper, and 
 having reached the river seven mUes lower 
 down at Germania ford,, and also seven miles 
 still' lower down at Ely's ford, crossed the Rap-: 
 idan. The campaign in Northern Virginia, 
 fraught as it is with the fate of the Confederate 
 States and of the United States, took thus its 
 initial form on the 3rd of May. 
 
384 Appendix. 
 
 From Orange court house two roads — the 
 turnpike and the plank road — run on a line 
 somewhat north of east to Fredericksburg. 
 These two routes are in general parallel. The 
 plank road consists of one track of worn plank- 
 ing and another of earth ; its course, very ir- 
 regular, vibrates in and out on the south side 
 of the generally straight line known as the 
 turnpike. A plank way runs from Culpepper 
 court house to Germania ford; extending 
 southeasterly, it crosses the turnpike, and after 
 a route of four or five miles beyond that, termi- 
 nates on the Orange and Fredericksburg plank 
 road. Besides these main lines several others 
 traverse the country around the battle field of 
 the Wilderness — some pursuing a course paral- 
 lel with these, some crossing them more or less 
 transversely. 
 
 Grant's columns advanced from the Bapidan 
 on the 3rd of May. That which marched from 
 Ely's ford followed an earthen way leading to 
 the junction of the Orange and Fredericksburg 
 plank road with the plank road extending from 
 Culpepper court house by way of Germania 
 ford, while the other column moved down the 
 latter route to the same point. That junction 
 
Appendix. 385 
 
 once gained, not only had the position of Lee 
 on the Bapidan been tamed, bat several roads 
 to Richmond woald have been laid open. 
 
 Ewell's corps having been encamped on Lee's 
 right, moved eastwardly on the 4th. A few of 
 his brigades remained behind for a day guard- 
 ing some of the fords across the Rapidan. 
 Johnson's division, having the advance, fol- 
 lowed the tarnpike, and encamped for the night 
 within three miles of a stream flowing north- 
 wardly^— Wilderness Ran. Rodes, next in or- 
 ^er of march, lay in his rear along the same 
 roate ; and Early, who had moved from Ewell's 
 left at Somerville ford, encamped for the night a 
 little behind a place called Locast Grove. 
 The second corps had thus reached on the night 
 of the 4th a position from which it stood ready 
 to strike on the following morning the flank of 
 Grant's column of advance. 
 
 Johnson moved with his division at the head 
 of EweU's corps on the 5th. Having thrown 
 skirmishers out into the woods on either side 
 of the turnpike, he discovered those of the 
 «nemy about six o'clock in the morning. The 
 musketry on each side deepening, he pressed 
 forward with Gen. J. M. Jones's brigade to gain 
 
386 Affendix. 
 
 a hill in his front, and having after a .brief 
 struggle driven back a heavy line of sharp 
 shooters from that position, proceeded to form 
 his troops in array of battle. 
 
 The thicket on all sides of the two armies 
 excluded the use of artillery save only for the 
 width of the turnpike. Jones's brigade had 
 been formed but a, moment across that road 
 when the enemy advanced in what of order is 
 practicable in a tangled forest. He approached 
 with a heavy line of skirmishers, followed by 
 a solid column extending across the whole Con- 
 federate front, four lines deep. Stewart's and 
 StaflEbrd's brigades proceeded to form rapidly 
 on Jones's left. To guard against the danger 
 of an overlapping breadth of attack, the brig- 
 ade of Gen. "Walker, which having nursed the 
 genius of Jackson, is known as the '' Stone- 
 wall," formed at some distance from Stafford's 
 left flank, covering it by a front at right angles 
 to that officer's line. In this position the divi- 
 sion of Gen. Edward Johnson, of Ewell's corps, 
 stood on the morning of the 5 th to receive the 
 enemy's onslaught. 
 
 Johnson's skirmishers were driven in. Those 
 of the enemy took position in the advancing 
 
Appendix. 387^ 
 
 column. The fifth corps of the Federal army, 
 accompanied by two pieces of artillery that 
 came thundering along the turnpike, assailed 
 the Confederate line at the intersection of that- 
 road. Receiving as it advanced a terrible fusi- 
 lade without any sign of wavering, the rear 
 ranks pressing forward those of the front, the 
 attacking masses delivered from a forest of' 
 rifles a fast and furious fire upon" Johnson's 
 line. Closing in upon it with great spirit itt 
 front and threatening to envelope it on its- 
 right, they succeeded after a brief struggle in- 
 forcing back part of the brigade that bad been 
 formed across the turnpike — that of Gen. J. M. 
 Jones. Two of his regiments — the twenty- 
 first Virginia, commanded by Col. Witcher^ 
 and the twenty-fifth by Col. Higginbotham — 
 holding their ground resolutely, Jones strove- 
 in desperation to rally his broken troops. 
 Threatening, entreating, shaming were of no- 
 avail in arresting their disordered flight, and- 
 as he saw his men rushing from the field iu' 
 hopeless confusion, he fell from his saddle a- 
 bleeding corpse. Capt. Early, of his staff, un- 
 willing to desert him; had but a few momenta^ 
 previously wheeled his horse from its retreat, . 
 
.388 Appendix. 
 
 but only to share with, his gallant chief while 
 iu the act the same red burial. 
 
 Stewart moved from his position in the line 
 of battle to close the gap left in it by the brig- 
 ade of Jones. As the Federal masses poured 
 through, his men rushed forward with a cheer, 
 and driving them back by the impetus of his 
 charge, captured their guns. 
 
 Almost simultaneously with the signs of 
 weakness in Jones's line Daniels's brigade of 
 ^orth Carolinians and Gordon's biigade of 
 Georgians, both of Bodes's division, were 
 placed rapidly in line upon the right. Ordered 
 immediately afterwards by Gen. Ewell to 
 •charge, Gordon, holding command of the move- 
 ment, crushed through the enemy's first lines 
 and captured as he went forward a whole regi- 
 ment, men, officers and colors. Driving onward 
 furiously he struck back the Federal front in 
 confusion upon its supports, and scattering 
 both like leaves before a storm, forced them off 
 the field in utter route for a mile and a half. 
 His front thus cleared, Gordon found the en- 
 emy's lines firm on both his wings. Dividing 
 his men into two bodies he formed them at 
 •right angles to the line of his original advance ; 
 
Afpendix. 389^ 
 
 and, sending them botli forward, back to back, 
 took the masses on his right and on his left in 
 flank. Pressing on them eo energetically as to 
 have prevented their formation across either of 
 his lines of movement, he swept them in disor- 
 der from the Confederate front for a width of a 
 mile. 
 
 At the moment of Gordon's brilliant charge- 
 the enemy attacked the brigade of Gen. Staf- 
 ford. A deadly conflict on that part of the- 
 field raged for some time doubtfully. The- 
 marksmanship of Stafford's Louisianians, how- 
 ever, shot truly to the buckles of the Federat 
 belts, strewing the field with death and agony .. 
 Reeling under its deliberate fire, the enemy 
 finally fled, marking his route with his killed 
 and wounded, and adding to his other disas- 
 ters the loss of six hundred prisoners. In this- 
 repulse, however, the Confederates have to- 
 mourn the loss of Brig. Gen. Stafford. He fell 
 mortally wounded. He had been a planter of 
 Louisiana, but having gone through most of 
 the battles in Northern Virginia had become 
 an excellent officer, and was not more beloved 
 by his men for his gentleness than he was ad- 
 mired by them for his daring. 
 
39° Affendix. 
 
 Soon ofter the onslaught upon the Confeder- 
 ate front, the sixth corps of the Federal army 
 advanced upon its left flank. Coming up at 
 right angles to the line of movement of the fifth 
 corps, its skirmishers were encountered by 
 those thrown out in anticipation of attack in 
 that direction from the Stonewall brigade. 
 -Sedgwick, commanding this movement on 
 -Johnson's flank, soon afterward threw the 
 whole weight of his dense column upon those 
 -stout souls ; but, though threatening to envel- 
 ope it on the left, failed to force back the men 
 who had learned heroic constancy from Jackson. 
 Sorely pressed, however, Pegram's Virginians 
 -and Hay's Louisianians deployed rapidly on 
 their left. Charging immediately upon the 
 J'ederal right those fresh troops drove it back. 
 The furious onslaught of Hay's men did not ex- 
 ^pend itself until they had forced the enemy to 
 •retreat in confusion for nearly a mile. In ad- 
 vance of all others on that face of the attack, 
 these splendid troops— the heroes you will 
 recollect of Winchester — having left nearly 
 one-third of their number on the field, fell back 
 with Pegram's gallant fellows to the general 
 ■line of battle. 
 
Apfendix. 391 
 
 ! The enemy routed with great slaughter from 
 all points of his advance, Ewell proceeded to 
 select ground for the morrow's battle. As- 
 sisted by Gen. Smith, of the engineers, he re- 
 viewed his position, and proceeded at once to 
 cover his front with a line of field works and 
 an abatis of felled trees. Skirmishing contin- 
 ued murderously outside the lines ; but the bat- 
 tle of the 5th of Mayy on Lee's left, appeared 
 to have been lost aiid won. Immediately be- 
 fore the close of the evening the skirmishers 
 of Gren. Pegram, on Johnson's left, came run- 
 ning in ; and soon afterwards his sharpshooters 
 sprang back from their rifle pits in his imme- 
 diate front. A column three lines deep moved 
 upon him from the depths of the forest, and, 
 firing heavily as they came on, pressed towards 
 his works furiously. His staunch Virginians, 
 however; met the attack resolutely, and cov- 
 ered partially by their works, hurled volley 
 after volley in withering blasts, breast high, 
 linto its serried ranks. Slaughtered by this 
 terrible fite, the assailants paused, reeled, fled. 
 The Moloch of the North had not, however, yet 
 been sated. In flve lines a column renewed 
 the attack after nightfall, but did so without 
 
392 Appendix, 
 
 other result than to increase terribly the hun- 
 dreds of men that, dead or dying outside the 
 Confederate works, lay weltering in their gore. 
 Pegram — who holds in his veins blood which a 
 gallant member of his family declared to be 
 thicker than waters-fell in this last attack 
 severely wounded. A dashing officer, this ac- 
 cident is deeply regretted by his brigade, but I 
 am happy to add is not supposed to involve 
 any danger of his life. The repulse, which he 
 guided as he fell, closed the work of war for 
 the day on the left, and witnessed the Confed- 
 erates still in possession of their improved po- 
 sition and advanced lines, flushed with 
 undoubted victory. 
 
 Hill was ordered to march on the 4th from 
 Lee's left. Anderson's division having been 
 left behind for the time to guard some fords in 
 its front, Heth, followed by Wilcox, moved 
 eastwardly through Orange court house, along 
 the Fredericksburg plank road. The divisions 
 of those two officers bivouacked for the night 
 near a place called Verdiersville. Heth in ad- 
 vance, they resumed their march on the follow- 
 ing day, still pursuing the line of the plank 
 way. 
 
Appendix, 393 
 
 The ring of small arms on the right an- 
 nounced in the course of the morning of the 
 5th a small cavalry affair near the route of 
 Hill's column. The march still, however, con- 
 tinued, until it encountered at eleven o'clock 
 some dismounted cavalry ; but after a moment's 
 pause, brushing those from its way, still "went 
 forward. At one o'clock musketry was again 
 heard in front ; and though at first thought to 
 indicate the presence of merely a party of 
 horse, proved after some skirmishing to have 
 come from a large body of infantry. Kirtland's 
 brigade of Heth's division deployed immedi- 
 ately on both sides of the plank road, and the 
 whole column proceeded to form in line of 
 battle on its flanks, while the sharpshooters of 
 both armies kept up in front a desultory and 
 somewhat languid fire. 
 
 Hill's advance followed, it will be recollected, 
 the plank road, while Ewell's pursued theliurn- 
 pike. Parallel lines in their general directions, 
 these movements stood at the time of the de- 
 ployment of Kirtland's brigade from three to 
 four miles apart. The country intervening and 
 round about for several miles is known as the 
 " Wilderness ;" and having very few clearings, 
 
394 Appendix. 
 
 consists almost wholly of a forest of dense un- 
 dergrowth. The enemy, apparently bewildered 
 \ij the character of the site and of the ap- 
 proaching conflict, sent out scouts and skir- 
 mishers in every direction from his front. 
 Eight or ten of these having strayed in between 
 the column of Hill and that of Ewell, came into 
 an open field, in which they might have shot — 
 as he sat with Gen. Hill and other officers on 
 the ground — that idol of the army, Gren. Lee. 
 Those adventurous blue coats finding them- 
 selves in front of two brigades of Wilcox's di- 
 vision, made a rapid retreat, ignorant, most 
 happily, that a very precious life lay for a mo- 
 ment at the mercy of their rifles. 
 
 The interpolation of those skirmishers be- 
 tween his two columns suggested to Gren. Lee 
 the necessity of opening communications with 
 Ewell. Capt. Hotchkiss, of the engineers of 
 the second corps, having come up immediately 
 afterwards, indicated the route for that pur- 
 pose; and Wilcox's division, moving accord- 
 ingly to the left — having captured two hundred 
 of the enemy on the way — effected after a 
 march of a mile and a quarter a junction with 
 Gordon's brigade on Ewell's extreme right. 
 
Affendix. 395 
 
 The line of battle thus completed, extended from 
 the right of the plank road through a succession 
 of open fields and dense forest to the left of 
 the turnpike. It presented a front of six miles, 
 and with Flat Creek in its rear, occupied a very 
 irregular plan along the broken slopes of a 
 broad ridge that rises from the stream known as 
 Wilderness Run. The thicket that lay along 
 the whole face of the Confederate array is so 
 impenetrable as to have excluded the use of 
 artillery by the enemy, save only for the 
 breadth of those openings where it is penetrated 
 on the left by the old turnpike and on the right 
 by the plank road. 
 
 The attack on Bwell having been repulsed, 
 musketry began, at half past two, to deepen in 
 volume in front of Hill. Large columns of the 
 enemy, enveloped in clouds of dust, were seen 
 at that time moving up from the rear in the di- 
 rection of the deafening fire. Possession of the 
 intersection of the plank road from Grermania 
 ford with that from Orange court house, open- 
 ing as it would a favorable line for Federal ad- 
 vance southward, was shown by the enemy's 
 movements to be about to become the subject 
 of a bloody encounter. 
 
39^ Appendix. 
 
 Hetli's skirmishers were driven in about 
 3 o'clock. They were followed closely by a 
 heavy column, that appeared to move forward 
 spiritedly. Firing with great rapidity as it 
 advanced, its musketry, in the ears of a man 
 approaching the field of battle, rolled through 
 the depths of the forest like the roar of mighty 
 waters. Resolute defense on the one hand, 
 and on the other an attack that sought to force 
 its way rather by constant pressure than by 
 dashing enterprise, the struggle in Hill's front 
 continued for two or three hours, unbroken in 
 its terrible monotony by even any disturbance 
 of the rapid regularity with which it added to 
 its masses of grim death or of mortal agony. 
 
 Heth's division bore, at first, the whole brunt 
 of the Federal onslaught. The heavy columns 
 pressing so obstinately upon its front failed to 
 break its heroic constancy. Thick and fast its 
 men crept to the rear, bleeding, or dropped in the 
 ranks, dead — but still it gave no signs of yield- 
 ing. One half its number of the morning had 
 been placed hors de combat. The weight of the 
 immense masses hurled against it having excited 
 in Lieut. Gen. Hill some fears for its solidity, 
 orders were sent to Wilcox to come up with his 
 
Affendix. 397 
 
 divisiou from Ewell's right, at the double quick. 
 That gallant officer arrived at 4 o'clock, while 
 the roar of the rifles in front, accompanied by 
 the thunders of four or five guns on the plank 
 road, declared the combat to be one of extra- 
 ordinary fierceness. 
 
 Wilcox, guided by the heaviness of the fire, 
 placed his leading brigade in rear of Heth's 
 center, and deployed it to the right and left of 
 the plank road. The conflict soon afterwards 
 deepening in that direction he next formed his 
 second brigade, as it arrived upon the field, on 
 the left flank ; but had no sooner drawn it up 
 in line of battle than it became exposed to 
 musketry so completely in reverse as to have 
 wounded some of his men in the back. Chang- 
 ing front instantly to the rear, and swing- 
 ing round his left, he found himself confronted 
 by a Federal line of battle. 
 
 Reasoning from the crushing weight of mus- 
 ketry in Heth's front, Wilcox drew up another 
 of his brigades in that officer's rear, on the 
 right of the plank road. The hoarse roar of 
 the fire extending, subsequently, in that direc- 
 tion, he placed his last brigade for the protec- 
 tion of that flank, in extension of Heth's array 
 
39^ Appendix. 
 
 on the extreme right. Two of Wilcox's brig- 
 ades lay thus in reserve in rear of the center, 
 while another occupied each of the two flanks 
 of the line of battle. 
 
 The losses in Heth's division had become so 
 heavy that "Wilcox's brigades in reserve were 
 moved, at about half past five, to the front. 
 McGowan's South Carolinians thus brought 
 into action, their gallant chief, impatient of 
 delay, leaped his horse over a rank that had 
 lain down to let his men pass. Spurring for- 
 ward, waving his sword as he went, he was 
 followed by his brigade, with a cheer, and 
 plunging immediately into the depths of the 
 conflict drove back the enemy by his impetu- 
 ous dash for several hundred yards. Wilcox, 
 seeing the Federal lines on each side of the 
 breadth of that charge of the fiery South Caro- 
 linians stand firm, became apprehensive for 
 their safety ; and, ordering them at once to fall 
 back, placed them in the position assigned 
 them in the array of battle. The murderous 
 conflict raged in fierce monotony until night 
 closed over the Confederate line in the position 
 it had originally taken. The prisoners cap- 
 tured included men from the sixth corps, the 
 
Appendix. 399 
 
 second and fifth corps ; and this fact points to 
 the supposition that the gallant divisions of 
 Heth and Wilcox actually held at hay, from 
 3 o'clock until half past 7, three corps of the 
 Federal army. 
 
 Heth's division was ordered during the night 
 of the 5th to go to the rear as teserve. Lane's, 
 Scales's, McGowan's and Thomas's brigades, 
 constituting the division of Gen. Wilcox, occu- 
 pied the front. Videttes were sent out, but 
 ventured only a short distance from the line of 
 battle. The two armies lay indeed so close to 
 each other throughout the night as to be within 
 easy earshot. A small stream on the Confed- 
 erate left constituted their mutual supply of 
 water, and was so near both that men from 
 either side going to fill their canteens from it 
 were often captured by some from the other. 
 Col. Baldwin, of the first Massachusetts regi- 
 ment, more thirsty than prudent, became in 
 that way a tenant of the Libby prison. 
 
 Longstreet's corps, it will be recollected, lay 
 on the 3rd thirteen miles southwest of the po- 
 sition on the Rapidan. Ordered forward by 
 Gen. Lee, it marched from the neighborhood of 
 Gordonsville on the morning of the 4th. On 
 
400 Appendix. 
 
 the morning of the 5 th it halted within twelve 
 miles of the field of battle of that day. In- 
 tending to follow a road known as the 
 Catharpen, with a view to a movement upon 
 the rear of the enemy's left flank, it became 
 necessary under the rapid development of 
 Grrant's masses of attack to call it to the sup- 
 port of the front. Its intrepid chief, informed 
 after midnight of the danger of Hill's corps, 
 was ordered to move up to the plank road with 
 the view of meeting the renewal of the shock 
 of the fifth upon the right. Breaking up his 
 bivouac, Longstreet commenced his march, 
 aboat 3 o'clock in the morning to the field of 
 battle. 
 
 Gen. Lee, concluding reasonably that feint 
 upon the left would occupy sufficient time to 
 delay the attack upon the right until the arrival 
 and deployment of Longstreet's men, regarded 
 the state of things on the dawn of the 6th with- 
 out alarm. Wilcox had, however, looked 
 anxiously throughout the night for the coming 
 of the divisions of Anderson and Field, and 
 disappointed in the delay of their arrival, be- 
 gan at daybreak to cover his front by an 
 abatis of felled trees. The men employed for 
 
Appendix. 401 
 
 that purpose were immediately fired upon by 
 the enemy's skirmishers, and in the next mo- 
 ment rushed to their rifles before the advance 
 of an attack in heavy column. The Federals 
 had spent the night in securing good positions 
 for their onslaught of the morning, and coming 
 now in great force from points threatening 
 Heth's and Wilcox's envelopment, forced the 
 gallant divisions of those officers to waver. 
 Shattered in strength by the terrible struggle 
 of the day before, and having already main- 
 tained a resistance for three-quarters of an 
 hour against numbers absolutely crushing, they 
 finally gave way. Continuing at first a desult- 
 ory fire as they retreated, the right wing south 
 of the plank road broke into disorder and 
 finally fled in confusion before the enemy's 
 overwhelming columns. 
 
 Wilcox seeing his lines shattered hopelessly,, 
 rushed back to report to Gen. Hill. The Fed- 
 eralists pressed forward so vigorously that he 
 had but arrived at that point when he looked 
 back to behold his disordered ranks surging 
 already within 150 yards of the position of 
 Gen. Lee. The head of McLaw's fine division 
 of Longstreet's corps came up immediately 
 
402 Affendix. 
 
 under the command of Brig. Gen. Kershaw, and 
 so outspoken was the augury of victory in its 
 flashing eyes, that its appearance bound up at 
 once the wounded spirits of Heth and Wilcox 
 as they writhed in the presence of Gren. Lee 
 under a reverse which that officer declared 
 during the day had illaminated their previous 
 struggle with unflinching constancy. 
 
 Apprehension was for a moment entertained 
 that the rapid movement and heavy fire of the 
 enemy's advance would prevent the deploy- 
 ment of the approaching columns in line. 
 Kershaw's own brigade of South Carolinians 
 and Humphrey's brigade of Mississippians, 
 having the advance of Longstreet's corps, had 
 the honor to be the first to form. Drawing up 
 across the plank road — thus covering the trains, 
 the artillery and the shattered retreat of Heth 
 and Wilcox ^-they at once checked the enemy's 
 advance, in the teeth of a fire, in which they 
 stood firm, as though it were a storm of mere 
 hail. Their resistance it was, however, feared 
 at the time could not be maintained for many 
 minutes. Their front swept by a tempest of 
 bullets, they were threatened on their right 
 flank with envelopment. Their heroic firm- 
 
Affendix. 403 
 
 ness triumphed, however, for the ring of their 
 rifles had before long whirred its death rattle 
 in so many Federal hearts that the assail- 
 ants began after awhile to recoil. Other 
 brigades having in the meantime begun to 
 drop into line on the right, the enemy was 
 soon afterwards checked at all points, and the 
 tide of battle commenced after a short time 
 to roll slowly back. 
 
 McLaw's division once in line, under Ker- 
 shaw, Field's men formed on it as it came 
 up. Anderson's splendid fellows, left by Gren. 
 Hill to guard fords in the rear of the march 
 from the Rapidan, soon came in a rush. Com- 
 manded by Gen. Mahone, they deployed imme- 
 diately in array of battle. Breadth and weight 
 thus given to Lee's front, the fortunes of the 
 day quickly turned. The Confederate line 
 moved majestically forward, and, in the teeth 
 of a bloody and stubborn resistance, mowing 
 down the enemy's ranks with its terrific mus- 
 ketry as with the sword of the destroying an- 
 gel, drove him back for nearly a mile. 
 
 For about an hour the battle sunk into a lull 
 of apparent exhaustion on both sides. The 
 brigades of Gr. T. Anderson, of WoflFord, and of 
 
404 Appendix. 
 
 Mahone, were in the meantime directed against 
 
 the enemy's left flank. 
 
 Having formed perpendicularly to his line, 
 they struck it suddenly at about a mile south 
 of the plank road, and giving it no time to fall 
 into position in their front, drove it nearly up 
 to that highway in a confused mass. The en- 
 emy carrying with him the debris of this route, 
 retreated to the breastworks he had thrown up 
 near the line of planking, along which he had 
 advanced from Grermania ford. 
 
 The flanking force thus having done their 
 work triumphantly, halted within a few hun- 
 dred yards of the Orange and Fredericksburg 
 plank road. The Confederate line of battle on 
 the left of their position, on learning of the en- 
 emy's route, broke into column, and, delighted 
 at the complete success of their chieftain's 
 strategy, moved forward amidst shouts of tri- 
 umph. Longstreet rode up with his staff to 
 take his place at the head of the advance, and 
 was received as he passed along the moving 
 mass with thunders of applause. Gen. Jen- 
 kins, spurring to his side, grasped his hand in 
 a glow of pleasure, and the whole scene was 
 one of universal rejoicing. Their faces glow- 
 
Appendix. 405 
 
 ing, their horses prancing, the cavalcade sur- 
 rounding the lieutenant general had, however, 
 not passed more than a hundred yards in ad- 
 vance of the column when their mood was 
 sobered into profound regret. One of the brig- 
 ades of the flanking force, heated with the work 
 of destruction that they had executed so splen- 
 didly, mistook the glad group of horsemen that 
 came prancing along the plank road for a 
 party of the flying foe. It poured into them at 
 short range a deadly fire. Poor Jenkins fell 
 instantly from his horse with a bullet in his 
 pulseless brain. An enthusiastic son of Sonth 
 Carolina, he was beloved by his troops for his 
 fine qualities as a man and an officer. Long- 
 street received a ball that entered his throat 
 and passed out through his right shoulder. 
 Bleeding like an ox, he was helped from his 
 horse so prostrated that fears were entertained 
 of his immediate death. Major Walton, a 
 gallant Mississippian on his staflf, threw open 
 his vest and shirt collar, and found great relief" 
 in discovering that he was mistaken in sup- 
 posing that the ball had cut the carotid artery. 
 Placed on a litter, the wounded general was 
 removed from the field ; but feeble though he 
 
4o6 Appendix. 
 
 was from the loss of blood, did not fail to lift 
 his hat from time to time as he passed down 
 the column, in acknowledgment of its cheers of 
 applause and sympathy. 
 
 The column of advance deployed into line. 
 Some of Field's and McLaw's men had already 
 encountered and driven back the enemy on the 
 left of the plank road, when Anderson's divi- 
 sion of Hill's corps was ordered to their sup- 
 port. The brigade of Alabamians which had 
 illuminated the name of Wilcox, having come 
 up first in the order of march, was placed rap- 
 idly by its chief, Gen. Perrin, in the position 
 of Law's brigade of Field's division, its right 
 resting on the plank road. 
 
 It had hardly taken its place when the enemy, 
 who had been previously driven back in fine 
 style by Law, came up again, and under a ter- 
 rible fire from Perrin's rifles retreated with 
 precipitation. Renewing his advance, he once 
 more emerged from the forest, but contented 
 himself with quick and wild firing, as he lay 
 down at a distance of a hundred and fifty yards 
 from the front of the Confederate line. The 
 Federal oflBlcers were heard at that moment 
 urging their men to rise and charge. Their left 
 
Affendix. 407 
 
 pressed up to within a distance of seventy-five 
 yards, but the deadly minnie cutting their 
 close front into shreds, they fled after a 
 struggle of ten minutes in utter confusion. 
 Flinging away knapsacks, cartridge boxes, 
 muskets and blankets the attacking party 
 seemed stricken with terror, as well it might 
 have been, in a field where its dead lay so 
 thickly — sometimes one upon another — as to 
 have traced out distinctly the line of the array 
 in which they stood at the moment of their 
 death. 
 
 A struggle equally sanguinary with that on 
 the left of the plank road raged at the same 
 time on its right. In the meantime, however, 
 a force had been sent out with the design of 
 turning the enemy's flank on that side. That 
 movement was, however, foand after a long 
 march to be impracticable. Triumphant on 
 both sides of the plank way, Lee decided on 
 an attack in front. Perrin having just moved 
 by the left flank sufficiently far to admit those 
 troops between his right and the plank road, 
 Benning's brigade of Field's -division, and 
 Kershaw's of McLaw's division formed upon 
 his right. Their line extended from the road- 
 
4o8 Appendix. 
 
 way at right angles. Perrin and Law, drawn 
 up in array of battle parallel with the road, 
 lay at the moment of the advance transversely 
 in the rear of Perrin's left. Right and left of 
 the plank road the Confederates began to move 
 forward. Kershaw, Benning and Perrin finding 
 the enemy, pushed onward, freely swinging 
 around their left somewhat adventurously into 
 the unknown depths of the forest through 
 which they moved. 
 
 In the meantime Federal skirmishers spring 
 from tree to tree as they came on with a heavy 
 fire, drove in those of Perry and Law. Fol- 
 lowed in hot haste by a blue line of battle, the 
 whole pressed back the brigades of those offi- 
 cers with great spirit towards the plank road. 
 Alarmed by the firing going on during that 
 movement in the rear of his left, Perrin sent 
 his adjutant, Capt. Wynne, to communicate on 
 the subject with Gen. Harris. That gallant 
 fellow, seeing that no time was to be lost, rushed 
 with his impetuous Mississippians on the face 
 of the advancing attack and succeeded in driv- 
 ing it back handsomely for a sufficient distance 
 to give protection to the rear of Kershaw and 
 Beniiing. Perrin — on the extreme left be it 
 
Appendix. 409 
 
 recollected — stood still, exposed to imminent 
 danger. As the whole breadth of the line from 
 the plank way retired, he endeavored at the 
 same time to swing back his exposed wing, 
 but found it suddenly enfiladed by the fire of 
 the enemy's skirmishers. His position became 
 critical. Capt. "Wynne led oflf two regiments 
 from the exposed flank, and had placed them 
 in position in the rear just as Davis's fine brig- 
 ade of Mississippians came sweeping up to 
 complete, by connecting with Harris's right, 
 the protection of the whole transverse front, 
 Harris and Davis having thus saved, by a 
 timely movement, the three brigades on the 
 left, the artillery trains, etc., on that highway, 
 and the line of the plank road. The enemy 
 foiled in this design, fell back, after a brief en- 
 counter, from the front. The symmetry of the 
 Confederate line was restored subsequently in 
 the day by the disposition of Hill's whole 
 corps on Longstreet's left. 
 
 The forward movement progressed on the 
 right of the plank road while events were thus 
 threatening it on the left. Longstreet's men 
 on that part of the field moved forward, went 
 on for some distance without finding the enemy 
 
4IO Appendix. 
 
 until G. T. Anderson's brigade of Georgians 
 coming on, an array of battle in Federal blue 
 rushed at it with such impetuosity as to have 
 become almost immediately master of the field 
 works. The single line of this attack was, 
 however, too weak to hold what it had so hand- 
 somely won ; and having been, as is too often 
 the case in those apparently ill advised charges 
 of the Confederates, unsupported, was com- 
 pelled by the concentration of a crushing 
 force in its front to retire. 
 
 The work of war on the right was done. So 
 alarming had been the aspect of the field at 
 one time that, fearing for the constancy of his 
 troops. Gen. Lee had, as Field's division came 
 under fire, placed himself at the head of 
 Gregg's brigade of Texans. Ordering them, in 
 that devotion which constitutes the great charm 
 of his character, to follow him in a charge 
 upon the triumphant line that came sweeping 
 down upon him over the debris of Heth's and 
 Wilcox's divisions. Longstreet protested 
 against such an exposure of a life so valuable. 
 A grim and ragged soldier of the line raised his 
 voice in determined remonstrance; and was 
 immediately followed by the rank and file of 
 
Appendix. 411 
 
 the whole brigade in positive refusal to ad- 
 vance until their beloved general-in-chief had 
 gone to his proper position in the rear. Yield- 
 ing to their touching solicitude, and thus ter- 
 minating one of the most remarkable incidents 
 in war, Gren. Lee retired ; and well did Gregg's 
 gallant fellows fulfill the promise with which 
 they urged his withdrawal, by rushing for- 
 ward, through a tempest of bullets, with a 
 fury which nothing could withstand. 
 
 All the ground that had been lost wae re- 
 covered, the enemy driven, routed, into his 
 entrenchments, the Confederate lines advanced 
 threateningly so far as to hem him closely in ; 
 and thus, almost helpless as its fortunes stt one 
 time appeared to be, the second day of the 
 battle of the Wilderness terminated aroiind 
 the Southern Cross of the right wing in bloody 
 triumph. 
 
 The 6th of May opened on Ewell's front with 
 Rodes's division on the right of the turnpike, 
 Johnson's on the other side of that road, and 
 Early's still further to the left. In th* morn- 
 ing a column of attack came up in front of 
 Pegram's brigade and of part of Johnson's di- 
 vision, and attempting to force its way, pressed 
 
412 Appendix. 
 
 that part of the line heavily. Reinforced by 
 a few regiments from Gordon's brigade, the Con- 
 federates with unflinching solidity hurled the 
 onslaught back, mangled and bleeding. Again, 
 however, and yet again, the obstinate masses 
 renewed their advance, until the line of their 
 movement, strewed thickly with evidences of 
 the terrors in their way, they finally shrank 
 from an encounter that had proved so dis- 
 astrous. 
 
 The battle on the left appeared after the re- 
 pulse of the morning to hang fire. Direct ad- 
 vance so sternly repelled, the enemy determined 
 to make a movement on Ewell's flank. Wil- 
 cox's division having been withdrawn the day 
 before for the support of Heth, the two wings 
 of Lee's army continued still unconnected, and 
 through the space thus open Burnside moved a 
 force at about 2 o'clock, with the view of crush- 
 ing our line from right to left. Ewell, who is 
 gifted with the instincts of a military genius, 
 stood, however, pressed at all points. As the 
 flanking force of the enemy came up, moving 
 perpendicularly to Rodes's line of battle, a bat- 
 talion of sharpshooters from Ramseur's brigade 
 of North Carolinians, following their bold com- 
 
Appendix. 413 
 
 mander, Major Osborne, had the audacity to 
 charge a whole division of the Federal army. 
 A whole division of the Federal army advanc- 
 ing on that handfnl of men, fled before 
 Osborne's fellows at the top of their speed, 
 leaving behind it in its flight all its knapsacks, 
 and as many as fifteen hundred of its muskets. 
 Burnside's movement against Ewell and Heth 
 thus defeated by an amazing boldness, a repe- 
 tition of such an enterprise was prevented by 
 an immediate junction with the line of battle 
 that had just been restored on the right wing. 
 The extreme left was held by the Georgians 
 of Gen. Gordon. Our line at that part of the 
 field extended beyond the enemy's right for the 
 width of a brigade front. Gordon, anxious to 
 employ this advantage, urged that he be 
 allowed to use it for a moment against the 
 Federal flank. Ewell and Early, yielding to 
 his repeated representations, finally gave him 
 the order to move. The sun was, however, at 
 that instant about to set, and but a limited 
 time remained therefore for the execution of an 
 enterprise so important. But Gordon's men 
 moved briskly out of their works ; and forming 
 
414 Apfendix. 
 
 at right angles to their previous position, 
 moved forward in line of battle, supported by 
 R. D. Johnston's brigade of North Carolinians. 
 In complete surprise they struck the enemy's 
 flank, and crushing his array as they swept 
 forward majestically, drove everything before 
 thejtn like chaflF before the wind. Brigade after 
 brigade fled from the Federal works, and at- 
 tempting one after another to wheel around 
 into line in order to check the advance, was 
 borne back under the rapidity of Gordon's 
 movements before the seething mass that 
 struggled down upon it in utter rout. 
 
 Gordon swept all before him for a distance 
 along the enemy's line of two miles. The 
 forest through which he advanced was so dense 
 with undergrowth that by the setting in of 
 nightfall he had become separated from his 
 supports. Pegram's brigade paused, however, 
 after nightfall upon his left. He paused before 
 he had completed a movement that, if under- 
 taken earlier in the day, would have completely 
 routed at least the Federal right. The enter- 
 prise, notwithstanding its incompleteness, was 
 crowned with brilliant success. The Confed- 
 
Appendix. 415 
 
 erate loss in that service numbered in killed 
 and wounded but twenty-seven. To the enemy 
 the results involved terrible slaughter. Four 
 hundred Federals were buried next day in the 
 ground over which that admirable movement 
 had been made. 
 
 The field for two miles in extent was strewn 
 with trophies flung wildly away — knapsacks, 
 blankets, cartridge boxes, cooking utensils, 
 and even large supplies of abandoned rations. 
 The route was one of indiescribable panic. 
 The woods in front were alive with masses of 
 men struggling to escape with life. The sixth 
 corps of the Army of the Potomac was so com- 
 pletely broken up that, unable to restore its 
 spirits, Gordon bivouacked for the night in its 
 immediate front, in undisturbed repose. A 
 brilliant stroke thus closed on Swell's front the 
 second day of the battle of the Wilderness in 
 crowning triumph. 
 
 Victory smiled during the night of the 6th of 
 May on the warriors that lay sleeping, from 
 right to left, behind Lee's works. The losses 
 of the Confederates in killed, wounded and 
 missing do not exceed for the two days six 
 
4i6 Affendix. 
 
 thousand. The result to the enemy in some 
 parts of the field cannot be described by any 
 word less forcible than massacre. Eleven hun- 
 dred and twenty -five Federal dead were buried 
 in front of that part of Ewell's line lying to 
 the left of the turnpike. Five hundred more 
 were buried on the right of that road; and, in 
 addition to about a hundred dead officers 
 whose bodies must have been removed, the 
 number of corpses lying on the field within 
 range of the enemy's sharpshooters is esti- 
 mated at fully three hundred. The Federals 
 killed in the struggle on the right may there- 
 fore be declared positively to number as many 
 as two thousand. I have no data on which to 
 estimate the breadth of the slaughter in the 
 fierce conflicts of the right ; but from the stub- 
 bornness and volume of these, feel quite confi- 
 dent that they must have added to the slain as 
 awful an account as that rendered in front of 
 Ewell. With three thousand prisoners and 
 four thousand dead, the usual proportion of six 
 or seven to one for the wounded would show 
 that the losses of Grrant in the battle of the 
 
Appendix. 417 
 
 Wilderness cannot have been less than twenty 
 thousand men. 
 
 Gen. Lee, in attempting to lead Gregg's Tex- 
 ans into the jaws of death, has given history a 
 striking proof of the attachment of his troops 
 to his person. The world did not, however, 
 want any evidence of his own devotion ; and 
 can hardly fail to pronounce judgment against 
 his course, on that occasion, as one of rash- 
 ness. His exposure during the present cam- 
 paign has been so unusual, and apparently so 
 unnecessary, as to have impressed his troops 
 with profound concern. The explosion of a 
 shell under his own horse, the killing of the 
 horse of his adjutant general, Lieut. Col. Tay- 
 lor, and the wounding in the face of another 
 officer attached to his person, Lieut. Col. Mar- 
 shall, have had the depressing effect of a deep 
 anxiety on the morale of his army. The 
 President, sharing the general apprehension in 
 and out of the field for the safety of Gen. Lee, 
 has, I am glad to say, written to him a touch- 
 ing letter of remonstrance. The relation, pri- 
 vate and public, of the two men, will no doubt 
 give great weight to that protest; notwith- 
 
4i8 Appendix. 
 
 standing that it comes from a man who, though 
 charged in a struggle for all that is dear to a 
 freeman with the fate of millions, had, under 
 an error of his own devotion, but just returned 
 from alarming exposure to the terrible missiles 
 that screamed, and burst, and crashed in thun- 
 der claps around Drewry's Bluff. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 MISSISSIPPI SHARPSHOOTERS. 
 
 [Continued.] 
 
 On the 7th of May we lay on the battle field 
 awaiting attack by the enemy, bat nothing 
 transpired worthy of note. During the day, 
 and subsegaently daring the campaign, the 
 gallantry of Col. Stone was frequently men- 
 tioned, and it was talked in camp that he had 
 been complimented by Gens. Hill and Heth in 
 person. Whether or not this was true is not 
 known by the writer, but it is known that he 
 was entitled to compliments and promotion. It 
 is stated in the "Military Annals of Missis- 
 sippi," page 83, that Gen. A. P. Hill said that 
 he had earned stars as a general officer. The 
 ranks of the army had been so thinned by 
 casualties in battle that there was a sarplus 
 of officers, which fact operated against the 
 promotian of many who were deserving. 
 
420 Appendix. 
 
 Col. Stone's promotion finally came — during 
 the reconstruction period, when Aimes, the car- 
 petbag governor of Mississippi, was impeached, 
 and he was chosen as governor in his stead. 
 The veteran Mississippi soldiery of the Army 
 of Northern Virginia have always rallied to 
 the support of Col. Stone, and aided materially 
 in electing him governor for the various terms 
 he has served the state so ably and satis- 
 factorily. 
 
 On the night of the 7th our part of the line 
 manceuvred in getting into position from dark 
 until about 11 o'clock. About that time a 
 mighty cheer rose on our right and came along 
 the line to the left, and every Confederate 
 joined in as it approached, and it passed along 
 to the left until it passed out of hearing. It 
 was accepted as an assurance that all was go- 
 ing well on the right wing of the army. On 
 the morning of the 8 th (Sunday) Lee's army 
 was moving by the right flank in column of 
 fours towards Spotisylvania court house, and 
 the Federal sharpshooters were more aggressive 
 than before, and in stronger force, masking the 
 movement of the Federal army to the left. 
 There was a single occurrence of the day's 
 
Appendix. 42 1 
 
 sharpshooting which I think worthy of men- 
 tion. Early in the day the Federal sharp- 
 shooters fired into Davis's brigade, and we ad- 
 vanced on them without meeting opposition for 
 some distance and came in sight of the Federal 
 line of works, when appearances indicated the 
 presence of the Federal sharpshooters along the 
 line ; their small tents still standing. The unu- 
 sual quiet that pervaded the wilderness at this 
 point caused me to feel that the Federal sharp- 
 shooters were awai ting our near approach, with- 
 holding their fire. I must confess that to me 
 this was a more trying ordeal than any event 
 of the campaign thus far. I felt that each 
 Federal sharpshooter had selected his Confed- 
 erate; that his rifle was pressed against his 
 shoulder ; and that he was taking aim and had 
 begun pressing the trigger gently. So I or- 
 dered my company to halt and assemble. I 
 told them my fears, and called their attention 
 to the advantage the Federals had (if there) 
 behind breastworks, while we were in the open 
 woods. I then told them that I wanted two 
 men to go forward in advance of the main line 
 of sharpshooters to draw the fire of the enemy, 
 and called for two volunteers. Brit Jones and 
 
422 Appendix. 
 
 " Hub " Campbell stepped forward, two of the 
 remaining three originally selected and drilled. 
 I directed them to go forward rapidly from tree 
 to tree, and we would follow. 
 
 Experienced sharpshooters will at once rec- 
 ognize what a hazardous advance this was, for 
 these two men especially. In my whole expe- 
 rience as a soldier I never looked upon any with 
 so much pride as upon Jones and Campbell. 
 Jones was nearly of middle age, Campbell a 
 smooth faced boy. At the command the com- 
 pany, having deployed, rushed forward on the 
 breastworks. The Federal sharpshooters 
 waited until Jones and Campbell had advanced 
 within thirty steps, when they fired on the 
 whole line, and fled. We drove them from the 
 field without the loss of a man, killed or 
 wounded. By reference to a letter written by 
 myself, dated May 29, 1864, in regard to this 
 battle of the Wilderness, I find that I was on 
 the battle field all day Sunday, the 8th, 
 amongst the unburied dead, and drove the en- 
 emy's sharpshooters over two or three lines of 
 Federal works. The carnage was fearful, and 
 indescribable. The woods were thick, yet I 
 stood at one point and counted around m« 
 
Appendix. 423 
 
 fifty-four dead Federals. My eBtimate, as I 
 then recorded it, was that I saw ten or fifteen 
 Federals to one Confederate dead. In thick 
 groves of saplings bullet marks on the Federal 
 side showed that they overshot the Confeder- 
 ates, a large percentage of the balls passing 
 from eight to fifteen feet above ground. Birds,, 
 squirrels and pheasants were found killed. 
 
 On the morning of the 9th we arrived on the 
 field of the battle of Spottsylvania. Of course, 
 the sharpshooters covered the front of the line of 
 battle, but nothing occurred to vary the monot- 
 ony of desultory sharpshooting. The next; 
 day, however, the 10th, when Gen. Early, in 
 command of Hill's corps, " flanked the Federal 
 flankers," as you will note in the correspond- 
 ent's account of the battle, the sharpshooters 
 played a conspicuous part. The sharpshooters 
 of Davis's brigade crossed the Po on a foot log 
 under fire of the Federal sharpshooters, above 
 a mill on that stream. The fear of being 
 drowned, if wounded, was equal to the fear of' 
 being burned to death if wounded, while 
 charging through burning woods in the wil- 
 derness, where we passed several wounded 
 Confederates brushing away the leaves around. 
 
424 Affendix. 
 
 them with their ramrods to keep the advancing 
 flames from closing in on them. Having crossed 
 the Po we deployed up stream along the bank 
 and moved on the enemy, and drove them. 
 There was no line of battle supporting us ; our 
 deployment to the left was in extension of the 
 line of battle. We captured several prisoners 
 and drove the remainder off the field, when we 
 halted to keep in line with the line of battle on 
 our right. The Federals were fleeing across an 
 open field, and the sharpshooters kept them 
 moving until they passed out of sight and 
 range. Up to this moment it had been a picnic 
 with ns. But soon grape and canister rained 
 down in our midst. When there was a cessa- 
 tion of firing, a single sharpshooter appeared 
 at the farthest point on a hill in front. He 
 stood in plain view, the sky being the back- 
 ground to the picture. I called Brit Jones and 
 told him to raise the thousand yard sight on 
 his Enfield rifle and flre on him. He did so, 
 taking rest and deliberate aim. There was no 
 other firing going on. The Federal sharp- 
 shooter drooped. At first we thought he had 
 dodged from the noise of the passing bullet. 
 We kept our eye on the spot, and in a few mo- 
 
Appendix. 425 
 
 merits his comrades came aad bore Mm 
 from the field. It was a thousand yards dis- 
 tant or more, and the best shot I witnessed 
 during the war. 
 
 We were ordered to the right several hun- 
 dred yards along the line, and were directed to 
 drive out the Federals that had collected in a 
 thicket in front. It was densely thick and not 
 one of them could be seen. As we closed in on 
 it a Federal captain's voice rang out, " Fire 
 into 'em, boys ! " I presume that the Confeder- 
 ate sharpshooter who killed him instantly, 
 must have fired at the sound of his voice. He 
 was directly in my front, and as I advanced I 
 found his sword, and then the scabbard, several 
 feet apart. It was Capt. J. B. Owen, of the one 
 hundred and twenty-fifth New York regiment. 
 Up to this date, from May, 1862, 1 had carrie,d 
 the Confederate sword of Lieut. Col. W. A. 
 Rankin, who was killed at Shiloh while in 
 command of the ninth Mississippi regiment ; 
 his sister, Miss Laura A. Rankin, being then 
 my affianced, and at the time of this battle my 
 bride. I had never drawn his sword from the 
 scabbard nor returned it thereto, without a 
 thought of the gallant Rankin and his sister; 
 
426 Appendix. 
 
 the one a christian hero (see the enlarged edi- 
 tion of the " Old Guard in Gray," by J. Harvey 
 Mathes), the other a perfect type of pure chris- 
 tian womanhood, a daughter of the typical 
 ante-bellum Southern planter. I afterwards 
 returned home the sword of Col. Rankin and 
 carried the Federal sword of Capt. Owen, both 
 of which I still have. 
 
 Returning to our position in line near the 
 court house of Spottsylvahia, the 11th was 
 spent in sharpshooting without casualty or 
 thrilling incident; but what shall I say of the 
 12(;h. Of all the days of the campaign, from 
 the firing of the first gun in the Wilderness 
 until the last, at second Cold Harbor, June 3rd, 
 none was so awful to the sharpshooters of 
 Davis's brigade. The correspondent will tell 
 you that " at 4 o'clock in the morning of that day 
 the hostile lines burst, as under the sudden bid- 
 ding of an electric wire, into a fierce cannonade 
 — an explosion in its suddenness, it raged from 
 the first moment of opening in the full depth of 
 its fury." " The suddenness of the thunders 
 with which the artillery rent the air was not 
 greater than the deafening storm which burst 
 from the infantry. The musketry that followed 
 
Appendix. 427 
 
 immediately after the first gan was so great in 
 its volume from the opening, that it bespoke 
 clearly the presence of large masses of men. 
 Rising in a deep roll, one and unbroken, its 
 blended ringing declared that the hostile 
 thousands from whom it rose must have met 
 in conflict, hand to hand. The peals in 
 quick succession of the artillery did not 
 drown the voice, but on it went distinctly, a 
 flowing roar that rose to heaven like the con- 
 stant outcry of a rushing river." I have no 
 remembrance as to how the sharpshooters 
 scrambled over the breastworks in the fog and 
 darkness to the front, through the tangled 
 brush, over the abatis of fallen trees sixty or 
 eighty yards deep in our front, with limbs 
 sharpened towards the enemy; but I have a 
 vivid recollection of that day's fighting in 
 front of the fallen timber, under a constant 
 fire from the sharpshooters, and sometimes 
 from the line of battle, all day. We were in 
 an open glade of pines ; the enemy were in 
 thick bushes. I took a central position along 
 the line of my sharpshooters, and we all shel- 
 tered as best we could behind the pines. Early 
 in the day the sharpshooters declared to me tha t 
 
438 Appendix. 
 
 the enemy's line of battle was not over sixty 
 yards distant. I could not see the line and 
 discredited their statement, bat subsequent 
 events proved that they were correct. I noticed 
 soon after our line was posted that a Federal 
 bullet passed the tree I was behind at un- 
 usually regular intervals. I stood with my 
 left aide to the tree, except when I moved 
 along the line on duty. While I was standing, 
 and leaning a little too far forward, a bullet 
 passed in front of my eyes and lodged in the 
 body of a tree a little in front and to my right, 
 so near that I could lay my hand on it. It 
 was not long before I was convinced that a 
 Federal sharpshooter had chosen my head for 
 a target. When duty called me to other 
 points I left immediately after he had fired, 
 and returned before he could reload. Gren. 
 Davis reinforced our line from the line of battle 
 during the day more than once, and the firing 
 finally became so deadly that messengers 
 could pot go direct to our line and live. 
 
 After noon the commands were sent into our 
 line qn the right, at a point less dangerous, and 
 passed from one to another of the sharpshoot- 
 ers until I received them. " G-en. Davis says, 
 
Appendix. 429 
 
 ' Forward the skirmish line ! ' " I kne# that 
 Gen. Davis could not know the situation, that 
 we were so close to the Federal line of battle, 
 and I further believed it would be certain death 
 or wounds to almost every man. t made no 
 reply and sent no message. In a shbrt ii^hile 
 the order came again in the same wotds. I 
 never saw such a dreadful expression od the 
 faces of men who never flinched in battle. It 
 was not long before the order came down the 
 line again, " Gen. Davis says, ' Forward the 
 skirmish line!'" Under the circuinistances I 
 thought I had some right to exercise discretion 
 in the matter, and that unless the line of battle 
 was to advance with us it would be a udeless 
 sacrifice of life. I felt that a positive disobe- 
 dience of orders would result in a court martial 
 and dishonor, so I ordered the sharpshooters 
 to go forward ; but to my surprise not a single 
 man moved. They looked at me but said not 
 a single word. They had led me through the 
 wilderness and all along down the line in every 
 skirmish. It had come my time to work in the 
 lead, and I must confess it was a mild man- 
 nered lead and ended abruptly. "Boys, we 
 have to go ; come ahead !" I passed the line ten 
 
43° Affendix. 
 
 feet or more, and tliey all moved as one man, 
 and by the time they had closed up with me 
 and gone ten steps, the very earth tremhled 
 under us from the shock of Federal musketry. 
 The twigs, bark and leaves rained down upon 
 us. As I turned to go back to our line of 
 bat tie I saw that Jones and Campbell were 
 both wounded, and it looked like nearly all 
 the men were down. 
 
 It was as difficult for lis to retreat over the 
 abatis of fallen trees as for the enemy to ad- 
 vance over it. When we did reach our breast- 
 works the greatest confusion existed, and some 
 of the sharpshooters were wounded from our 
 own line of battle. I walked up in front of a 
 rifle aimed at the enemy ; a moment later and I 
 should have caiight the ball. The firing 
 ceased, except the sharpshooting, and as soon 
 as a detail was made to replace the many that 
 had fallen, we had to retrace our steps and es- 
 tablish our line where it was before. I went to 
 my old stand. After awhile Dan Yocnmb came 
 and stood near me, looking pale and in dread. 
 I directed him to take his place in line, and 
 while he hesitated I said to him, " Dan, if you 
 stay here a minute you will be killed ; a sharp- 
 
Appendix. 43 1 
 
 shooter has been shooting at me here all day." 
 I had not finished the sentence before Yocumb's 
 knee joint was crushed with a Federal bullet, 
 and his comrades carried him back to the rear, 
 to die next day. Not until I began this day's 
 story of the sharpshooters have I ever thought 
 of what might have been passing in young Yo- 
 cumb's mind. Doubtless he had noticed that 
 he was the only sharpshooter left of the orig- 
 inal twenty four men who started in the cam- 
 paign only a week before, and he could reas- 
 onably have concluded that his chance to 
 escape death or wounds was slim ; and so it 
 was. The attention of the Confederate sharp- 
 shooters was attracted by this fatal result of 
 the Federal sharpshooter's aim, and it was not 
 long before he ceased firing, being either killed 
 or wounded. 
 
 I do not know whether Jones survived the 
 war or not. Campbell was killed by the 
 Federals near Oxford, Mississippi, while at 
 home wounded. Recently I met Sergt. Abner 
 Myers, of Byhalia, Mississippi, who belonged 
 to the eleventh Mississippi regiment of Davis's 
 brigade, and who was a sharpshooter in front 
 of that regiment on that day. In conversation 
 
432 Appendix. 
 
 touching our experience that day he asked if I 
 knew what Gen. Davis said when we were 
 driven in by the enemy's line of battle. I re- 
 plied that I did not. Said Myers: "When I 
 crossed our works Gen. Davis was sitting 
 against them, and I said to him, ' General, their 
 line of battle is coming.' He replied : ' D — n 
 a line of battle ; my sharpshooters can whip a 
 line of battle. Forward, my sharpshooters ! ' " 
 Abner Myers says that the sharpshooters of 
 the eleventh Mississippi lost five commanders 
 during the campaign, and one or two resigned 
 on account of the hardships and fatality in 
 that service, and a part of the time he, as ser- 
 geant, was in command. 
 
 The night of the 12 th came on, fihding 
 Davis's brigade in the same position and 
 the line of sharpshooters in front of the 
 abatis in the same position as when the 
 battle began in the morning. On this part of 
 of the battle field, so far as my vision extended, 
 the extra hazardous service of the sharpshoot- 
 ers was never more forcibly illustrated. AH 
 day long the sharpshooters were on the fore- 
 front of battle at close quarters with the enemy, 
 under constant fire, without protection save 
 
Appendix, 433 
 
 trees and stamps, with a belt of sixty to eighty- 
 yards of fallen pines in the rear, which was a 
 serious obstacle in the way of retreat ; while 
 the line of battle was not engaged save for a 
 few minutes when the sharpshooters were 
 driven in by the Federal line of battle. I here 
 submit the correspondent's account of this 
 battle. 
 
 BATTLE OF SPOTTSYLVANIA COUKT 
 HOUSE. 
 
 [Correspondence of the I^ondon Herald, May 2S, 1864.] 
 
 On the morning of the 7th of May Lee's 
 troops lay in line on the field of their victory 
 of the Wilderness ; Ewell still on the left and 
 Hill in the centre. Longstreet's corps, under the 
 command of Maj. Gen. R. H. Anderson, held 
 the right. Some desultory skirmishing in front 
 was the only evidence presented during the 
 day that we were in the presence of the enemy. 
 As I passed along the line of battle in a gear 
 rather better than that of the soldier and 
 somewhat worse than that of the officer, the 
 men showed themselves in their amusing com- 
 
434 Appendix. 
 
 menta on my appearance to "be in excellent 
 
 spirits. 
 
 From the headc[uarter8 of Gen. Lee and of 
 Oen. Hill I went on the evening of the 6th to 
 those of Wilcox. I found the latter officer en- 
 gaged with Gren. Smith, of the engineers, in an 
 examination of the ground with a view to a 
 revision of the line of field works. Changes 
 decided on in my presence at some points of 
 those improvised defences were immediately 
 shown by stakes; and working parties actively 
 at their execution. As I rode on to the left I 
 observed revision going on at other parts of 
 the line, new batteries being planted, epaule- 
 ments for guns being thrown up, and other in- 
 dications that the Confederates were deter- 
 mined to remain where they were. Gen. Ewell, 
 Gen. Early and Gen. Johnson were in glowing 
 spirits, and entertained clearly no intention of 
 abandoning the great advantages of their 
 present position. Everything along the front 
 showed that Lee, judging doubtless from his 
 knowledge of Grant's character, looked for a 
 renewal of the attack ; and far from any inten- 
 tion of moving from the field of his bloody 
 
Affendix. 435 
 
 triumph, awaited its delivery in confident 
 preparation on the ground he then occupied. 
 
 The contest of the Wilderness presented to 
 Grant on the evening of the 6th the choice of 
 massacre, inaction or retreat. Two-thirds of 
 his splendid army yet capable of duty, he 
 determined on a movement by which, while not 
 exposing the fact of his bloody defeat, he 
 would be enabled to renew the struggle on 
 open ground. From the point of conflict on 
 the Orange and Fredericksburg plank track 
 and earthen way known as Brock's road, 
 follows the direction along which he would now 
 seek naturally to move. The opening of that 
 route was in fact one of the advantages sought 
 from the attack on Lee's right. The employ- 
 ment of that road for his purpose having, how- 
 ever, been made impossible by the position of 
 the Confederates at the close of the battle, he 
 was obliged to adopt in its stead some of the 
 inferior lines of movement in his rear. Under 
 cover of his skirmishers he withdrew his right 
 quietly on the evening of the 7th; moved it 
 down behind its centre to the Orange and 
 Fredericksburg plank road; and directing it 
 along that track for some distance eastwardly, 
 
43^ Appendix. 
 
 dropped it down by several minor roads still 
 farther to the south. The centre he next 
 broke into column in the rear of heavy skir- 
 mishers, and marched it in the same direction 
 behind the solid masses of the left. During 
 the night that wing moved in like manner jout 
 of its works, and soon afterwards, followed by 
 the sharpshooters that had been employed to 
 mask the whole movement, took its position in 
 the line of march. 
 
 The scene of the battle of the Wilderness is 
 situated mainly in Spottsylvania. The court 
 house of that county lies at a distance from the 
 field of the 5t]i and 6th of May of nine miles, 
 in a direction almost exactly southeast. The 
 country around that village consists to a great 
 extent of open fields, and watered by the heads 
 of the Mattapony — those called, by a strange 
 conceit, the Mat, the Ta, the Po, the Ny — pre- 
 sents excellent positions for the employment of 
 artillery. The occupation of the village itself 
 offering possession of a leading road to Rich- 
 mond, became the first object of the new move- 
 ment, and one that appeared very easy of ac- 
 complishment, seeing that the only obstacle in 
 
Appendix. 437 
 
 the way on the morning of the 7th was a brig- 
 ade of Fitzhugh Lee's division of horse. 
 
 The scouting of the Army of Northern Vir- 
 ginia is, no doubt, a most active and efficient 
 agency. But intuition of the very highest or- 
 der can alone explain the rapidity with which 
 Lee acts in reference to the movements of the 
 enemy. Whether the cavalry conflict for the 
 possession of that village, or some revelation 
 from scouts or angels, may have appraised him 
 of Grrant's design, the army was directed by 
 Gren. Lee on the night of the 7th to move rap- 
 idly towards Spottsylvania court house. Maj. 
 Gen. R. H. Anderson, holding the right with 
 Longstreet's corps, ordered forward the di- 
 vision commanded for the present by Brig. Gren. 
 Kershaw. WoflFord's brigade broke at once 
 into column, and followed close up by Brian's, 
 started with vivacity, at 11 o'clock in the night, 
 to the support of Fitzhugh Lee. As these 
 splendid troops began to move, the spirit with 
 which they appeared to go forward shot like 
 electricity from rank to rank, and found utter- 
 ance in a cheer tb^t, running b^ck along the 
 forming column for miles, rang like the roll of 
 
43^ Appendix. 
 
 musketry from front to rear from the depths 
 of the midnight forest, loud and clear. 
 
 The enemy in his race for Spottsylvania court 
 hourt house had a start of a few hours. Hav- 
 ing begun his movement, however, from a point 
 opposite our extreme left, while we began ours 
 from the extreme right, that advantage must 
 have been nearly equated. There remained to 
 us, however, no time to spare. We were 
 obliged to push for the goal directly. Our 
 shortest route lay, unfortunately, through a 
 forest in which accident or design had, during 
 the day, set the leaves on fire. The smoke of 
 the burning continued still to hang in clouds 
 upon the ground, threatening the troops as they 
 went on with actual suflEbcation. Heated, 
 blinded, choking, to a degree almost insupport- 
 able, they bore their sufferings patiently on their 
 march through those smoking woods for a dis- 
 tance of seven miles. The ten thousand Greeks 
 of Xenophon did not, when they saw the sea, 
 feel more relief than the thousands of Lee's 
 men did when they emerged from that forest 
 pandemonium into the open country and un- 
 tainted air. 
 
Appendix. 439. 
 
 Kershaw, having reached the high road, 
 moved forward rapidly. Having on his way 
 detached Humphrey's Mississippians and his 
 own South Carolinians to the left, for the relief 
 of Fitzhugh Lee, he pressed on with Woffbrd's 
 and Brian's men to Spottsylvania court house. 
 He succeeded in reaching that place in time — 
 about sunrise of the 8th of May — to obtain 
 possession of it without firing a shot. In the 
 meantime Humphrey, in the command of the 
 force sent to the left, turned from the road of 
 Kershaw's advance to a point known as the 
 Block house, about a mile and a half in front 
 of the court house. Pressing up rapidly he 
 had arrived at an opportune moment — on the 
 morning of the 8th — to sustain an attack upon 
 the position that had been for some time held 
 against both cavalry and infantry by some of 
 Fitzhugh Lee's horse. The defenses improvised 
 at that point in front of the court house con- 
 sisted of a rude barrier of dead trees; but, 
 even feeble as they were, they, still worse, fell 
 short in their extent of the breadth of Hum- 
 phrey's front. 
 
 Robertson's and Griffin's division of the 
 corps of Gen. Warren — the fifth — advanced 
 
44° Appendix. 
 
 with great spirit upon the Confederate position. 
 The deadly marksmanship of the Mississippi- 
 ans and South Carolinains in their front, shot 
 with terrible truth to their belt buckles. 
 Though they dropped dead like deer struck 
 down in a herd, still they came on. Volley 
 after volley swept through their solid mass ; 
 but though finally showing signs of faltering, 
 they continued to advance until they had actu- 
 ally crossed the Confederate barrier. The a,s- 
 sailants having bayoneted some of the men 
 who withstood them so fiercely, quailed before 
 their unflinching firmness, and with the loss of 
 a considerable number of prisoners and a large 
 number in killed and wounded, fled. The 
 South Carolinians behaved magnificently dur- 
 ing the repulse, but held their ground as the 
 enemy retired. The Mississippians sprang 
 over the breastworks in hot pursuit. They 
 had not advanced across the field more than a 
 quarter of a mile when they were driven back 
 in turn with the loss of many men, and two 
 stands qf colors captured, as was supposed at 
 the time, by the enemy. That supposition, 
 however, proved to be a mistake. Haying 
 after separation from their comrades found 
 
Appendix. 441 
 
 themselyea free, thev moved several miles 
 through the woods around the enemy's left, 
 and next day, to the great rejoicing of the 
 whole brigade, came back safely, men and 
 colors. 
 
 The assault upon Humphrey was repeated 
 during the day several times, but in each in • 
 stance without any other result to the assail- 
 ants than defeat and death. Foiled thus in 
 direct attack. Gen. "Warren attempted to carry 
 the position by a movement against its flank. 
 Law's brigade of Alabamians were accordingly 
 put in on Humphrey's left with the purpose of 
 resisting the blow about to be struck from that 
 direction. The Federal advance came up with 
 great vigor, but after a brief struggle was flung 
 back by the stubborn resistance of the fresh 
 troops by whom it had been confronted. The 
 combats of the 8 th, brief and bloody as they 
 were, had thus terminated for the day ; and 
 saw Lee in triumphant possession of all the 
 positions covering the roads running south- 
 wardly from Spottsylvania court house. In 
 the fights of the day, as in the race of the night 
 previous, the Confederates had thus come off 
 completely victorious. 
 
442 Appendix. 
 
 Longstreet's corps continued to pour into the 
 field during the early part of the day. The 
 position of the divisions pointed out by Gen. 
 Anderson as they came up, were immediately 
 afterwards covered by a line of breastworks. 
 At daylight on the morning of the 8lh, the 
 second and third corps still holding the field of 
 the Wilderness, the former, under Ewell, broke 
 into column, and moving behind the latter 
 (Hill's) proceeded on its way to the scene of 
 the impending conflict. Having arrived on the 
 field, it drew up on Longstreet's left. Rodes's 
 division having driven back the enemy in a 
 charge for a mile, the whole corps spent the 
 night after a very severe march, taking and 
 Btrengthening its position. 
 
 Hill's corps, after having covered the left of 
 Swell's column, moved out of its works. Its 
 leading division (Anderson's), commanded for 
 the present by its senior brigadier. Gen. 
 Mahone, was assailed on its march towards 
 Spottsylvania court house, near a place called 
 Shady Grove. Having, after a brief delay, re- 
 pulsed the attack, it moved on ; but the whole 
 corps bivouacked only a short distance in ad- 
 vance of the scene of that passing conflict. 
 
Appendix. 443 
 
 On the morning of the 9th it reached the field 
 of the approaching battle, and taking its place 
 on the right, proceeded rapidly to cover its 
 front with a line of field works. The illness 
 of the lieutenant general charged with the 
 command of that grand division of Lee's army 
 had unfitted him for the service when I saw 
 him on the field of the Wilderness during the 
 6th of May. He remained, however, at his 
 post ; and the chafing of his spirit in impatience 
 of his prostration at a moment fraught with 
 such great events, appeared to me as I stood 
 speaking to him in his ambulance on the field 
 of the Ny, to have delayed his recovery. Gen. 
 Early, of Bwell's corps, had accordingly been 
 placed for the time in command of that of Hill 
 at the approach of the bloody trial which ap- 
 peared to hang over it on the 9th of May. 
 
 Our position lay in advance of the Po. Be- 
 fore it flowed the narrow and muddy stream of 
 the Ny. Our lines wound in front along irreg- 
 ular slopes ascending from the latter branch of 
 the Mattapony, and embracing within tbem the 
 approaches southwardly from Spottsylvania 
 court house, swept on the left back to the •So. 
 The enemy's army stood partly in rear and 
 
444 Appendix. 
 
 partly in front of the Ny, and presented to the 
 convexity of our alignment the general plan of 
 a concave curve. The rainshed of the greater 
 part of our position fell into the Ny, and the 
 slopes looking down upon that stream wit- 
 nessed the heat and burden of the battle. The 
 approaches to Lee's works lay partly through 
 forest, partly through field, but presented at 
 many points excellent positions for artillery, 
 while those open to the enemy for that purpose 
 were generally much inferior. Such, in brief, 
 was the attitude of the two armies when I 
 bivouacked on the field, the Ny, with Gen. 
 Ewell and his staff on the night of the 9th of 
 May. 
 
 Field's division, resting on the Po, held Lee's 
 left. A main road from Fredericksburg gave 
 the enemy access to the rear of that wing of 
 our army. The bridge on which we had crossed 
 tbe river on our march from the Wilderness lay 
 on the line of the detour that thus laid Field 
 open to serious danger. Some cavalry having 
 been said to be threatening that crossing of the 
 stream, the brigades of Harris and Perrin — 
 both- of Anderson's division — were sent back 
 with orders to hold it against all comers. They 
 
Appendix. 445 
 
 arrived there at 7 o'clock in the evening. 
 Night had nearly come on, and they knew 
 nothing of the position or force of the enemy. 
 After consultation with Maj. Gen. W. H. F. 
 Lee, of the cavalry — son of the commander in- 
 chief of the Army of Northern Virginia — the 
 enemy being in present force, pickets were 
 thrown out but a short distance in advance of 
 the brigade, and a regiment placed for their 
 support on a hill to the left of its immediate 
 rear. The brigades of Perry, Wright, Perrin 
 and Harris — all of Anderson's division— drew 
 up in a favorable position for resisting any 
 direct attempt of the enemy to obtain posses- 
 sion of the bridge. 
 
 Mahone had just made his dispositions when 
 masses of men were heard moving down to the 
 opposite bank of the Po. A thundering cheer 
 from the midnight darkness which reigned 
 around revealed that the Confederates on this 
 side of the river lay in the presence of a host 
 of armed men. Picket firing opened immedi- 
 ately in front of the bridge ; but after a while 
 subsiding, the thousands who stood on • that 
 part of the field confronting each other in 
 
44*5 Appendix. 
 
 deadly array, lay down to take a night of 
 
 peace in the sleep of the battle bivouac. 
 
 Massing of the enemy in his front appeared 
 to tlireaten Field on the morning of the 10th 
 with serious attack. Gordon, who lay a re- 
 serve in rear of the second corps, was ordered 
 up soon after sunrise to that officer's support. 
 A heavy cannonade from both sides appeared 
 to be the regular preface to an advance, and 
 was followed by the appearance of the enemy 
 coming forward in heavy column of five or six 
 lines d^ep. That mighty mass came sweeping 
 steadily, on, and, absorbing its line of skirm- 
 ishers^ appeared of a volume sufficient to over- 
 come all resistance. Field's sharpshooters in- 
 serted death in a hundred incisions through its 
 solid* front, and the lightning flash of his artil- 
 lery cut through its living material in gashes 
 broad and deep. Halting within two hundred 
 yards of the works it retreated, leaving many 
 a wretch behind in mortal agony or in the mer- 
 ciful repose of death. Again and again during 
 the day the same demonstration was repeated, 
 and on each occasion with the same result. 
 
 Masses of the enemy appeared collecting 
 rapidly, in the afternoon, on the front of Gen. 
 
Appendix. 447 
 
 Rodes. Gordon was at once ordered back to 
 his support from the rear of Field. Eight or 
 ten lines deep, a column of blue coats moved 
 through the forest and hurled its immense 
 weight against Dole's brigade of Rodes's divi- 
 sion. Dropping its living and dead offal on all 
 sides, under a well directed fire of rifle and 
 gun, it still kept on its way, and by the heavy 
 pressure from its rear burst a living torrent 
 over the works held by Dole. Bearing like a 
 mighty river everything before it, it swept 
 surging to the rear of the Confederate position 
 for spvpral hundred yards, when it struck with 
 a heavy recoil against the rocklike solidity of 
 Gordon's front. He had j ust come up from the 
 left, and charging, cheering as he went, hurled 
 back the heavy masses in a terror as great as if 
 the flash of his bayonets were the deadly light 
 of the Gorgon's eye. His fire reserved until 
 the enemy broke, he poured into him as he fled 
 volley after volley with an aim and rapidity 
 truly murderous. Twenty minutes having 
 finished this stern work and restored the line 
 to its original position, that valuable oflB,cer re- 
 tired from the immediate front to his position 
 in reserve. 
 
44^ Appendix. 
 
 The movements upon Field's lines during the 
 morning of the 10th were designed,' doubtless, 
 to employ our attention during the operations 
 against his rear. The Po follows a course gen- 
 erally parallel with the line taken up during 
 the night of the 9th by the division under Ma- 
 hone. Sweeping back, however, around that 
 flank, at a short distance below his left, it ex- 
 posed him from that part of the opposite bank 
 to the fire of some guns, taking him even some- 
 what in reverse. Crossing the works they had 
 thrown up during the night to protect their 
 front, his troops sought shelter from the mis- 
 siles of that battery by crouching on the outer 
 slope. Under cover of the cannonade the en- 
 emy, hot daring an attempt to force the bridge, 
 crossed the river lower down, in full exposure 
 to a well directed fire from some field pieces 
 that had been planted on the Confederate left. 
 Having driven in the skirmishers of Wright's 
 brigade of Georgians, the Federal column be- 
 gan to form in line on this side, and, for a mo- 
 ment, war seemed about to subject to another 
 fiery trial the well proved metal of Anderson's 
 division. 
 
Appendix. 449 
 
 Gen. Early had in the meantime crossed the 
 Po at a bridge lower down than that in the 
 front of the division of Anderson. With He th's 
 division and Mahone's superb brigade, he con- 
 tinaed his march on the opposite bank up 
 stream, until striking the flank of the Federal 
 flankers he drove them before him without en- 
 countering any resistance. The thundering of 
 his guns, the shouting in wild triumph of his 
 troops, came near and still nearer to Ander- 
 son's fellows, as they stood ready for a mortal 
 struggle; and those welcome sounds as they 
 swelled up from the woods heralded the arrival 
 of a staff officer, who having dashed into the 
 stream, rode up in full speed, his horse's flanks 
 still dripping with water, to announce to 
 Mahone that the enemy was withdrawing from 
 the bridge in full retreat. 
 
 The Federal masses were seen by Mahone's 
 artillerists moving across the open ground of 
 heights on the other side of the Po. Shot and 
 shell were immediately hurled into them as 
 they rushed back hurriedly from Early's crush- 
 ing advance. The division moved down at 
 once to the bridge, and having crossed, formed 
 on the opposite side in line of battle parallel 
 
450 A.ffendix. 
 
 with the road by which the enemy had come — 
 that from Shady Grove. Wright's Georgians, 
 drawn up on Field's left, rested their right on 
 the river; Perrin's Alabamians came next; 
 then Perry's Floridians, Harris's Mississip- 
 pi ans and Mahone's Virginians. Heth's men 
 as they came up with Early took position on 
 the left. The enemy had formed in line of 
 battle a half mile off. His front, covered by 
 breastworks, was further protected by four 
 improvised redoubts. The losses of his hur- 
 ried retreat had been serious, and would 
 probably have been even more so had he not 
 embarrassed the pursuit by setting fire behind 
 him to the leafy woods, in which he had 
 dropped the dead and wounded of his flight. 
 The two arrays lay on the ground they had 
 just taken, and continued to look at each other 
 during what yet remained of the day, without 
 demonstration or attack save only to the 
 extent of occasional shelling. 
 
 Foiled by Early in flanking the left of our 
 position. Grant attempted to break it by direct 
 attack. Night had almost set in when the 
 heavy column that had threatened the left so 
 often during the day burst upon it at last in 
 
Appendix. 451 
 
 terrible earnestness. Covering the whole front 
 of the division, that tremendous attack came 
 under the fire of the brigade on the left of 
 McLaw's — Woflford's Greorgians. Gen. G. T. 
 Anderson's brigade received the shock in ter- 
 rible force, but could be seen from the position 
 of Maj. Gen. R. H. Anderson and Maj. Gen. 
 Field to hold its ground as steadily as if it 
 were on dress parade. Rapidly and regularly 
 it threw up cloud after cloud of smoke, and 
 the flashes of its fire burst along its front every 
 few minutes in threadlike lines. 
 
 An^nglein the line of the Confederate ar- 
 ray — a salient, as it is termed by engineers — 
 presented the weak point of the defence. The 
 breadth of its fire necessarily contracted, and 
 its sides exposed to enfilade, that part of the 
 Confederate line was held by Gregg's brigade 
 of Texans. Uncovered by traverses, his men, 
 after the attacking column had swept up within 
 a short distance of the works, encountered a 
 fire from both front and flank ; and finally, as 
 the wave of the onslaught surged over head- 
 long into their defences, were forced to fall 
 back before its irresistible weight. That they 
 did not yield in any feebleness of spirit was 
 
45 2 Appendix. 
 
 attested as they retired with their faces to the 
 foe ; by several of their comrades who lay in 
 the trenches dead or dying under thrust of • the 
 stem bayonet. Stung with humiliation by 
 their repulse, the gallant fellows paused in 
 their retrogression, and springing furiously 
 forward, drove the enemy — ^just as he began to 
 quail before the terrible slaughter along other 
 parts of the line — out of their works, that was 
 followed by their unerring rifles for a quarter 
 of a mile. The losses of Grant in that repulse 
 of the 10th must have been very severe. 
 
 Two brigades of the right wing had been 
 sent during the day to support Ewell, in anti- 
 cipation of attack repelled so splendidly by 
 Gordon. The sun had almost set when that 
 wing of the Confederate army became itself 
 subject of more or less serious threatening. 
 Two lines of battle moved from the woods in 
 front of Wilcox, but were met by the fire of a 
 heavy line of sharpshooters, and by a thunder- 
 ing cannonade from batteries posted advan- 
 tageously in that officer's immediate rear. 
 Having contributed its victims to the carnage 
 of the field, that threatening advance broke 
 into a retreat. The attack on Field driven 
 
Appendix. 453 
 
 back abont the same time, night closed upon 
 the two armies in a repose that was unbroken, 
 outside the lines, save by the venomous whirr- 
 ing of bullets from the sleepless sharpshooters. 
 
 The morning of the 11th broke, unheralded 
 by the shock of arms. A feeble demonstration 
 against our left, and another against our cen- 
 ter, deepened for a brief time the volume of the 
 skirmish fire. During the weak show of at- 
 tack made thus on Ewell's left, the country 
 lost for a time the services of that gallant fel- 
 low, Brigadier General Hays. He received a 
 wound which, though not at all dangerous, ap- 
 peared when I saw him to be very painful. 
 With the exceptions of some threatenings the 
 battle dragged on throughout the day in the 
 Indian like warfare, that, during the pauses of 
 the heavy collisions, raged, apparently without 
 intermission, outside the opposing lines. 
 
 On the 12th of May the battlefield lay, be- 
 fore dawn, enveloped in a hazy fog. At four 
 o'clock in the morning of that day the hostile 
 lines burst, as under the sudden bidding of an 
 electric wire, into a fierce cannonade. An ex- 
 plosion in its suddenness, it raged from the 
 first moment of opening, in the full depth of its 
 
454 Appendix. 
 
 fury. The metallic peal of the solid shot, the 
 sharp clap and the flat crash of the shell rose 
 from side to side with rapidity. They seemed 
 to shake the very earth with their thunders. 
 That terrific storm, while undiminished in 
 depth, underwent immediately after its first 
 outburst a change in character ; for the sharper 
 peals of shot and shell were succeeded by the 
 duller thuds, that, hurling forward grape and 
 canister, told of a struggle deepened into the 
 sternness of close quarters. 
 
 The suddenness of the thunders with which 
 the artillery rent the air was not greater than 
 that with which the deafening storm burst from 
 the infantry. The musketry that followed im- 
 mediately after the first gun was so great in its 
 volume from its opening that it bespoke clearly 
 the presence of large masses of men. Bising 
 in a deep roll, one and unbroken, its blended 
 ringing declared that the hostile thousands 
 from whom it swelled up must have met in 
 conflict, hand to hand. The peals in quick 
 succession of the artillery did not drown its 
 voice ; but on it went distinctly, a flowing roar 
 that rose to heaven, like the constant outcry of 
 a rushing river. Divination was not necessary 
 
Affendix. 455 
 
 with all those evidences to tell me, as I rose 
 from my blanket in the rear, that, as in the 
 case of our own conflict at Inkerman, an attack 
 prepared with deliberation in close proximity 
 to the Confederate lines had moved suddenly 
 from the cover of the morning fog. 
 
 The field works that protected Ewell's right 
 on the morning of the 12th extended through a 
 wood. They occupied the line of a low bridge, 
 and, by what appears to me to be a grave 
 error, lay somewhat down its reverse slope. 
 An enemy approaching them could not be seen 
 from some parts of the works until he bad ap- 
 peared over the rise, in their immediate front. 
 Retreating from them, he received, once behind 
 that swell of ground, protection from the fire of 
 part of those defenses. The course of the breast- 
 works followed that of the bridge, and accord- 
 ingly formed at one place a salient with an 
 angle so small as to be almost acute. It con- 
 sisted of two lines which ran one parallel with 
 the other, and containing between them a space 
 sufficiently wide for a line of battle, described 
 by military engineers as a " double sap." 
 Epaulements were placed in support of the 
 whole at several points of the liue ; and, at the 
 
4^6 Appendix. 
 
 salient, sufficient for so many as twenty guns. 
 A general understanding of the position may 
 be obtained from this description, after it has 
 been stated that the sides of the salient, sub- 
 ject as they were, in the event of -an attack, to 
 enfilade from its apex, were protected for some 
 distance down the line with a series of short 
 traverses. 
 
 Gen. J. M. Jones's brigade occupied the 
 salient. On the left of Jones's men were 
 formed the Stonewall brigade, under Walker, 
 and next in order in the line of battle were the 
 Louisianians under Hays. The right of Jones, 
 who held the salient, rested on the brigade of 
 Stewart. Such was the distribution on the 
 morning of the 12 th, behind the breastworks 
 of Ewell's right wing, of the men constituting 
 the division of Gen. Edward Johnston. On 
 the right of the division was an unoccupied 
 part of the works about two hundred yards in 
 length, and further on that s taunch brigade of 
 Wilcox's division — Lane's. Jones's brigade 
 had sent one of its best regiments — the twenty- 
 first Virginia — from the salient, to cover the gap 
 between Stewart and Lane as skirmishers. 
 Two others were also sent out of the works in 
 
Appendix. 457 
 
 the same capacity, with the view of protecting 
 the angle of the position from sudden attack. 
 But three regiments of the brigade remained to 
 defend a weak point that had been held pre- 
 viously by six. Of twenty guns that had been 
 placed in the salient, sixteen had, under an ex- 
 pectation entertained during the night of an 
 attack upon the extreme right, been with- 
 drawn. Such was the array and strength of 
 Ewell's right on the morning of the 12th. 
 
 Johnston, informed at 3 o'clock, a. m., that the 
 enemy was massing in his front, sent ofl in hot 
 haste for guns to replace those that had been 
 removed from his works during the night. 
 
 In the meantime the signs in front began 
 rapidly to take the definite fortn of an attack. 
 His skirmishers came in at short notice, and 
 the forest behind them impressed the senses- 
 with the feeling that, wrapt as it was in a fog, 
 it was swarming with the inasses of !bQ'££(an 
 life. Page's battalion of artillery had, tn iie- 
 sponse to the demand of Gen. Johnston, do'tbii 
 up to the salient in a trot ; but a tremen'^tlA 
 column of the enemy having at that foment 
 emerged from the haze, it arrived only t^ !bave 
 its horses shot dead in their traces, and its 
 
458 Appendix. 
 
 men mowed down in the act of unlimbering. 
 So terrible was the fire of the enemy that hut 
 one of the guns was brought into action. Capt. 
 "W. Carter had, with great devotion, suc- 
 ceeded, unassisted, in making that ready for 
 work ; and, standing at it, heroically alone, 
 continued until his capture to fire it, charged 
 with grape and canister, into the Federal 
 ranks. 
 
 Gen. Johnston had no sooner become 
 aware of the exact point of attack than he 
 rushed towards the salient. He was too late. 
 The column that had burst from the fog upon 
 that weak point held it already in possession. 
 Three regiments which had been left in line 
 for its defense had fled before the storming 
 mass without firing a shot. Johnston, caught 
 in the rush of friend and foe, was made pris- 
 oner, and was thus left by the bad conduct of' 
 some of his own men to waste his brave spirit 
 ingloriously in prison. His bravery is of the 
 antique. His conduct as a general officer was 
 marked by constancy and address. A great 
 favorite with Lieut. Gen. Ewell, he was known 
 amongst the rank and file, in affectionate recog- 
 
Affendix. 459 
 
 nition of his courage and obstinacy, as "Old 
 Blucher." 
 
 The salient carried, and one-half of Jones's 
 men killed, wounded or captured, the enemy 
 poured through the Confederate line in im- 
 mense force. The Stonewall brigade, on the 
 immediate left of the gap thus opened in the 
 Confederate ranks, became exposed on the 
 right flank. Gen. Walker, its chief, at- 
 tempted immediately to swing that wing 
 around, but while in the act was disabled by a 
 very severe wound in the side. Pressed hotly 
 by the Federal advance, that movement be- 
 came then, after even the brief delay conse- 
 quent on that accident, impossible. The pres- 
 sure upon its flank having commenced, many 
 of the men forced into disorder were killed, 
 wounded or captured ; but several of the regi- 
 ments, wheeling into position behind the short 
 traverses running back from their breastworks, 
 disputed every foot of ground they held with a 
 steadiness worthy of their traditions. Col. 
 Terry, while holding with unflinching firmness 
 one of those short fronts, received a severe 
 wound. The Stonewall brigade, however, over- 
 borne by the movement upon its flank, was 
 
460 Appendix, 
 
 finally forced tack ; and what of it was neither 
 captured, wounded nor killed, found protection 
 behind the battle array of the brigade that had 
 been in line on its left — Hays's Louisianians. 
 
 Stewart's brigade, on the right of the regi- 
 ments that had occupied the salient, was taken 
 by the surging masses of the Federalists in 
 flank. Those of them who were neither cap- 
 tured, killed nor wounded found shelter behind 
 the brigade that had been in line upon their 
 right — Lane's, of Wilcox's division. Engaged 
 in front with a heavy column of the enemy. 
 Lane, on learning of -the miscarriage at the 
 salient, became alarmed for his left flank ; and 
 having immediately swung his line around 
 almost squarely with its original position, he 
 encountered the enemy's triumphant advance. 
 Charging in fine style he drove it back after a 
 contest that must have cost it dearly. His 
 North Carolinians thus won the glory of being 
 the first to stem the tide of Federal victory on 
 the right. 
 
 While the Stonewall brigade fought and fell 
 back, that next on its left — Hays's — had time 
 to swing around. Col. Monaghan, its sen- 
 ior colonel, being in command, it confronted 
 
Appendix. 461 
 
 the rushing advance to the left. Standing be- 
 hind a traverse that extended perpendicularly 
 from the original position of the brigade, it 
 presented a front as firm as a ledge of rock. 
 The wave of the enemy's triumph surged up to 
 that barrier; but having broken upon it in 
 mere spray, left the honor of the arrest of its 
 overflow on that side of the field to those 
 houseless, landless warriors of Louisiana. 
 
 Between Hays's men on the one side and 
 Lane's on the other, the Federalists had driven 
 all opposition from their path. For a width of 
 a mile they had swept the works of their de- 
 fenders ; but, though complete masters within 
 that limit, they were confronted by an impass- 
 able barrier on the one hand and on the other. 
 Pouring through the gap they had made, their 
 masses formed rapidly from the right and from 
 the left, with the view of turning the line of 
 Hays on that side and of Lane on this, by 
 pressure on those oflB.cers' exposed flanks. 
 
 Apprehension of attack during the night on 
 the front of Hays had led to the transfer to its 
 support of the fine brigade of Pegram. The 
 other brigades of the division under the com- 
 mand of Gordon — two — were, at the time of the 
 
462 Affendix. 
 
 assault upon the salient, half a mile to the left. 
 Springing forward without orders, Grordon had 
 moved at double quick in the direction of 
 the fire that had hurst upon the dawn in 
 sudden thunders. Rushing into the fog, he 
 could see neither friend nor foe ; hut, guided 
 by the instincts of a soldier, still sped forward 
 rapidly under the bidding of the battle's 
 hoarsest roar. The thick haze into whose un- 
 known depth he drove on, soon lit its murder- 
 ous terrors, as he closed into the conflict, with 
 lurid flashes ; and, in the next instant, flung 
 out a sheet of lightning that hurled about the 
 ears of his advancing ranks a very tempest of 
 bullets. 
 
 Grordon had come up in column. Gen. 
 R. D. Johnston's brigade, first upon the field, 
 he threw rapidly into line, and launching it 
 against the enemy through the fog, checked 
 the advance. Having arrested thus at one 
 point the surging ranks of the foe, he sought to 
 stop him as he swept around his right. The 
 torrent streaming rapidly in that direction, he 
 was about to be borne back by the flank, 
 when, bringing up his own brigade, its firm 
 line presented to the river like rush an addi- 
 
Appendix. 463 
 
 lional width of Carrier. The living jlood of 
 Federal triumph, dashing against it in vain, 
 svrept still farther around, again threatening 
 the Confederate right with destruction under a 
 rapid movement upon its flank. Gordon by 
 this time having brought up his third brigade 
 — Pegram's — forms it, under the command of 
 Col. HuflFman, somewhat detached from the 
 others, across the new front of the enemy's 
 advance. The whole line then delivered a 
 murderous volley into the dim masses of hu- 
 man life that stood before it shrouded — and 
 very, very many of them winding sheeted — in 
 the morning fog. Instantly seizing the colors 
 of his center regiment of his own brigade, Gor- 
 don spurred forward under a storm of bullets 
 ordering a charge. His men rushed upon the 
 misty ranks that they had just cut gashes 
 through with their deadly fire. Their fury 
 bore down all resistance. The charge had be- 
 come a chase. Huddling the Federalists in 
 headlong flight over the breastworks that had 
 been held during the night by Stewart, that 
 murderous race was continued for half a mile 
 beyond. Opposition had disappeared before 
 the pursuit ; still, however, it held its way in 
 
464 Appendix. 
 
 unabated fury. Starting out suddenly from 
 the fog upon a hostile force in line, Gordon's 
 demand for surrender having, in the confusion 
 of his sudden appearance, obtained no reply, 
 the Federalists fell where they had but a mo- 
 ment before stood in lusty life, a battle array of 
 dead and dying. 
 
 The enemy still held the ground he had won 
 on Stewart's left. Gordon falling back, there- 
 fore occupied the works he had carried so 
 gloriously. His charge had cost the Confeder- 
 ates the services for a time of Brig. Gen. R. D. 
 Johnston. That gallant officer was disabled 
 by a wound that is, however, not very severe. 
 Col. Jones, a soldier of high promise, lay on the 
 field wounded mortally. Lieut. Col. McArthur 
 and Col. Garrett, both officers of ability, gave 
 up upon that field their life blood in manly as- 
 sertion of the liberties that have been handed 
 down to them from our common ancestors of the 
 days of Ranneymeade. Terribly, however, 
 were the Confederates' lives, lost in that moment, 
 avenged. For a width of three hundred yards 
 the Federal slain were scattered over a length 
 of three-quarters of a mile ; and, in all the open 
 fields included within that space, lay a sicken- 
 
Appendix. 465 
 
 ing slaughter. Four guns that had been taken 
 at the enemy's advance were, during the charge, 
 recaptured, and in the absence of horses, sent 
 by hand some distance to the rear. 
 
 The Federalists continued to hold their 
 ground in the salient and along the line of the 
 works, to the left of that angle, within a short 
 distance of the position held by Monaghan's 
 (Hays's) Louisianians. Ramseaur's North 
 Carolinians of Rodes's division formed, cover- 
 ing Monaghan's right, and, being ordered to 
 charge, were received by the enemy with stub- 
 born resistance. The desperate character of 
 the struggle along that brigade front was told 
 terribly in hoarseness and rapidity of its mus- 
 ketry. So close was the fighting there for a 
 time that fire of friend and foe rose up rattling 
 in one common roar. Ramseaur's North Caro- 
 linians dropped from the ranks thick and fast, 
 but still he continued with glorious constancy 
 to gain ground foot by foot. Pressing under a 
 fierce fire resolutely on, on, on, the struggle 
 was about to become one of hand to hand, 
 when the Federalists shrunk from that bloody 
 trial. Driven back, they were not defeated. 
 The earthworks being at the moment in their 
 
466 Affendix. 
 
 immediate rear, they bounded to the opposite 
 side ; and, having thus placed them in their 
 front, renewed the conflict. A rush of an in- 
 stant brouf^ht Ramseaur's fellows to this side 
 of the defenses ; and though they crouched 
 close to the slopes, under enfilade from the 
 guns of the salient, their musketry rattled in 
 deep and deadly fire on the enemy that stood 
 in overwhelming numbers but a few yards from 
 their front. Those brave North Carolinians 
 had thus, in one of the very hottest conflicts of 
 the day, succeeded in driving the enemy from 
 the works that had been occupied during the 
 night by a brigade whiuh, until the 12th of 
 May, had never yet yielded to a foe — the 
 Stonewall. 
 
 The Confederate line had been re-established 
 by Ramseaur to the position held during the 
 night by Gen. J. M. Jones's left. It had been 
 restored by Gordon to the point occupied 
 during the same time by Jones's right. The 
 gap originally made remained, however, still 
 in the possession of the enemy ; and with it all 
 the guns — with the exception of the four re- 
 taken by Gordon — that had been captured at 
 the time of the rush into the salient. Through 
 
Affendix. 467 
 
 that the Federal masses swept oat between the 
 flank of Grordon — of Pegram's brigade — on the 
 one hand, and of Bamseaar on the other, en- 
 deavoring, by movements to the right and to 
 the left in conjunction with heavy attacks in 
 front, to give the unrecovered space greater 
 width. They still protruded from the open in- 
 terval between the flanks of these officers, and 
 continued to press still forward with the view 
 of preventing their connection by an interven- 
 ing array of battle. Moving out in tremendous 
 force with the ultimate purpose of driving them 
 still farther apart and of turning their lines, 
 they were encountered by the stern front of 
 Perrin's Alabamians, of Rodes's division. 
 
 Perrin met the crushing weight of the ad- 
 vance unaided. He sought to insert his line 
 between Gordon's left — Pegram's men — and. 
 the right of the brave fellows under Ramseaur. 
 Receiving the shock of the forward movement 
 as a rock hurls back a wave of the sea, he 
 pressed after the recoil, foot by foot. Closing in 
 on it slowly, he succeeded, after a severe strug- 
 gle, in pressing it back into the breastworks of 
 the salient — for a part, be it recollected, a 
 "double sap" — underafireof musketry that ex- 
 
468 Appendix. 
 
 ceeded anything I everheard in its rapidity and 
 volume. It roared unceasingly, a very river of 
 •death. Forcing his way on with heroic reso- 
 lution, now straining forward, then standing in 
 obstinate resistance, and next, for a moment,, 
 yielding stubbornly, as the mortal struggle 
 swayed from side to side, Perrin kept with in- 
 domitable courage laboring onward, inch by 
 inch. Aided by the fire of Ramseaur's men on 
 the left flank of the Federalists, he succeeded 
 finally in driving them from part of the works 
 on that officer's right. Perrin fell dead at the 
 head of his brigade, and Col. J. C. Sanders 
 succeeded to command. 
 
 The gap in the Confederate array had been 
 reduced to a small extent by Perrin's left. 
 The other part of his line continued to swing 
 ^heavily backwards and forwards as the tide of 
 battle rolled from side to side. Shattered ter- 
 ribly by the severity of the contest, he was re- 
 inforced by Harris's Mississippians, of Ander- 
 son's division, and by McGowan's South Caro- 
 linians, of Wilcox's division. The heaviness 
 of the fire at the point where these brigades 
 went into action was terrible. Two young 
 oaks, each upwards of twelve inches in diam- 
 
Appendix. 469^ 
 
 eter, pierced so often across their trunks, were 
 thus actually cut down, to the serious injury of 
 some of McGowan's men, by minnie hullets. 
 
 Fresh troops being put in continually, in 
 front of Harris and McGowan, the contest grew 
 in fierceness. Keeling to and fro for the width 
 of a brigade front it surged now to this side,, 
 then to that, over a bloody space of two hun- 
 dred and fifty yards. The guns that had been 
 captured in the salient by the rush of the first 
 attack lay, during the fierce struggle, in their 
 original position, at one time within the on- 
 ward roll of the Federal lines, and at another 
 enclosed within the surging ranks of the Con- 
 federates. Maj. Cutshaw, a gallant officer of 
 the battalion of artillery, whose pieces lay 
 thus between the ebb and flow of battle, hung 
 devotedly in their immediate rear ; and watch- 
 ing the moment that saw them included in the 
 advancing array of the Confederate infantry,, 
 sprang forward from his lair in the thicket to 
 load them with canister and grape. Bang! 
 bang! bang! he plied them in hot haste ; and 
 thus tearing the ranks of the enemy at close 
 quarters into shreds, he continued with rare 
 steadfastness, hurling his thunders until the- 
 
470 Appendix. 
 
 line of his supports had begun once more to 
 yield. Retiring again and again as the tide of 
 strife rolled back upon him, he continued on 
 each occasion to watch his opportunity in pa- 
 tient resolution; and whenever the battle 
 surged onward, bounded to his guns to work 
 them with the same ardor and with the same 
 havoc. 
 
 McGowan behaved gloriously in the struggle 
 for the works at the salient. He fell, in its 
 progress, painfully, butlhope not dangerously, 
 wounded. Several of his best oflBcers yielded 
 up their lives on that field of blood. Gen. 
 Harris set a brilliant example to his brigade 
 in the stern strife ; but though he escaped ac- 
 cident in the tempest of bullets which swept 
 on the wings of death around him, he lost 
 heavily. His losses in officers included 
 some men of high promise. Col. Baker and 
 Lieut. Fletus, of the sixteenth Mississippians, 
 and Col. Hardin, of the nineteenth, are 
 not amongst the least of the gallant' sol- 
 diers who fell dead from the Confederate lines 
 in that murderous salient. South Carolinians 
 and Mississippians continued, however, to 
 rival each other iu their persistent striving to 
 
Appendix. 47 1 
 
 recover the captured works, and finally ob- 
 tained firm possession of them still further in 
 advance of the foothold that had been secured 
 in them previously by Perrin. Consolidating 
 within the defenses thus far recovered on the 
 left of the salient, the strife was renewed in 
 their front — and very often so close to the muz- 
 zles of their rifles as the opposite slopes of the 
 breastworks behind which they crouched under 
 enfilade from the apex of the salient. 
 
 From four o'clock in the morning until half 
 past one the struggle within the salient had 
 raged in terrible fierceness. At the expiration 
 of that time it sunk into a comparative 
 lull. The roll of the heavy skirmish shooting 
 went on without intermission, however, around 
 that angle of blood, and swelled after a brief 
 break in the main contest into the furious roar 
 of a renewed attack. The restored front on 
 each side of the salient burst into threadlike 
 fiashes ; and from two o'clock through the 
 evening until nightfall, and from nightfall until 
 midnight, and from midnight until the approach 
 of dawn of the 13 th, a close and rapid fusilade 
 rushed up in commingled roar from the con- 
 tending ranks. At one time bursting through 
 
47 2 Appendix. 
 
 the gap on Gordon's right and endangering his 
 flank ; at others raging up to the face of the 
 very works held by that officer, by McGrowan, 
 by Harris, by Sanders and by Ramseaur, the 
 conflict raged furiously until, the enemy re- 
 pelled firmly at all points of his attack, it set- 
 tled long after midnight into the sharp and 
 venomous whizzings of the sharpshooters' 
 rifles. 
 
 The four guns that Gordon had recaptured 
 still remained two hundred yards in his rear. 
 They could not be removed under the terrible 
 fire that swept over the ground they occupied. 
 Fourteen guns remained in the possession of 
 the enemy, and with these four constituted 
 substantially the only object of continuing the 
 murderous struggle for the salient. The con- 
 ditions of that contest had changed Lee's policy 
 of defense for that of attack, and had thus 
 made a further maintenance of it highly expe- 
 dient. A material advantage, of some impor- 
 tance to the enemy, lay in the possession of 
 the height on which the salient stood; bat 
 even this did not, in the opinion of the com- 
 mander in chief, justify an avoidable waste of 
 the lives of his men. Before dawn on the 
 
Appendix. 473 
 
 morning of the 13tli a line of works had been 
 thrown up by the pioneers of the second corps, 
 under Maj. Green, half a mile rear of the 
 point to which the contest of the day had been 
 narrowed; and, connecting the original de- 
 fenses on the right with those on the left by a 
 route considerably shorter, presented a favor- 
 able position for return to the policy of de- 
 fense. Covered by skirmishing, the gallant 
 fellows who had fought their way so stubbornly 
 over the bloody ground within the salient into 
 the works that had been captured by the en- 
 emy in his rush of the morning of the 12th, re- 
 tired before day on the 13th to that new line. 
 
 In the battles of the Ny no officer earned 
 such glory as Gen. Gordon. His admirable 
 flank movement at the Wilderness, his repulse 
 of the enemy's rush through the position of 
 Dole, and his dash and skill in stemming the 
 Federal torrent from the salient on the 12th 
 won the admiration of the army. Gen. Lee 
 acknowledged on the field publicly the great 
 -services of that officer, and, informing him at 
 the time that he should ask for his promotion, 
 has had him rewarded with the rank of major 
 ' general- 
 
474 Appendix. 
 
 The battles, ending with the morning of the 
 13th, had closed. A more stubborn contest 
 than that of the 12th has not been witnessed 
 during the war. The losses of the Confeder- 
 ates during those struggles include between 
 two and three thousand prisoners, eighteen 
 guns, and from six to seven thousand killed 
 and wounded. Those of the enemy in the con- 
 flict of the 10th and of the 12th, including as 
 they do the disaster at the hands of Early's 
 flanking force, the murderous repulses from the 
 front of Field, and from that of Dole, and the 
 terrible havoc of Gordon's charge on the right 
 of the salient, cannot have been less than from 
 fifteen to twenty thousand in killed and 
 wounded. The rotting dead found unburied 
 on the ground the Federalists occupied during 
 this contest presented a spectacle utterly hor- 
 rible in the immensity of their numbers. 
 
 During the campaign the losses in Swell's 
 corps, according to an oflScial statement of the 
 chief of its medical staff— Dr. Hunter Maguire 
 — does not exceed thirty-ifive hundred in killed 
 and^wounded, after summing the losses 6f each 
 Of its brigades up to the 13th of this month. 
 With this basis of approximate estimate, aird 
 
Affendix. 475 
 
 the further fact that the numher of wonnded 
 that had heen sent to the rear up to the 19th 
 "by those devoted men, the Richmond committee 
 for the relief of the wounded, had not reached 
 ten thousand, including those disabled by 
 sickness, there can be very little doubt of 
 the conclusion that Lee's total losses in killed 
 and wounded, inclusive of the battle of the 
 12th, have not overrun at most eleven or twelve 
 thousand. About three thousand five hun- 
 dred prisoners added to that, the depletion 
 of his forces by the battles of the campaign 
 up to this time is fully represented, I should 
 think, by fourteen or fifteen thousand men. 
 Grant's army has shown — in the increasing 
 feebleness of and longer intervals between his 
 attacks, in his change from offense to defense, 
 from fighting to manoeuvreing — unmistakable 
 evidence of the crippling unavoidable, under 
 losses that, including aboutfour thousand pris- 
 oners, must certainly amount to forty thousand, 
 but that fall, in all probability, not much short 
 of fifty thousand. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 LANE'S SHARPSHOOTERS. 
 
 Gen. Lane, in the history of his brigade, 
 pays this short tribute to his battalion of 
 sharpshooters, which is both abstract and 
 summary, and dismisses the snbject : 
 
 " Our corps of sharpshooters was organized 
 in the fall of 1863 at Liberty Mills. It was 
 composed of picked marksmen and brave men. 
 Its officers, too, were cool and brave. This 
 fine body of men were not only instructed in 
 skirmish drill, but were frequently practiced 
 in calculating and stepping off distances, firing 
 at targets and similar exercises, which ren- 
 dered them very efficient. The first com- 
 mander was the intrepid Capt. John G. 
 Knox, of the seventh regiment, who was cap- 
 tured in the wilderness. Capt. - Wm. T. 
 Nickolson, of the thirty-seventh; another brave 
 young officer, temporarily commanded them 
 
47^ Appendix. 
 
 until Maj. Thomas J. Wooten, of the eight- 
 eenth, was assigned as their permanent com- 
 mander. Maj. Wooten was exceedingly 
 modest, but a cool, cautious and fearless young 
 officer, who was universally beloved by his 
 men. 
 
 " This body, composed of men from the differ- 
 ent regiments of the brigade, first distinguished 
 themselyeaa under Knox in the WilderBess, 
 vnhiere tlieyi d&sbed into, the enemy on the left 
 oC the roftdiiv a<ud: captured a large number of 
 prisoners. Oa the 12 th of May, at Spottsyl- 
 va>nia; cQprt h,Qase, under Mckolson, they were 
 kepi oat a loag time in front of the salient to 
 the left .of the Fredericksburg road, where they 
 behaved.withjfreat gallantry in the presence 
 ofi Grea., Liea, and were complimented by 
 him onitl^^ field- Under Wooten they estab- 
 lifhed.a' still more glorious reputation, espe- 
 cially ia,th«ir first dash at the enemy's picket 
 line, which called forth a complimentary com- 
 manication from superior headc[uarters ; in 
 their doable quick deployments and advance, 
 and captures in the battle of Jones's farm; in 
 their sudden rush into the enemy's disordered 
 ranks and large captures at the Pegram house, 
 
Appendix. 479 
 
 and in the part they bore in the recapture of 
 the (Mcllwaine) hill, taken from us on the day 
 of Gordon's attack on Fort Steadman. They 
 also behaved with great gallantry when Grant 
 broke our lines at Petersburg, and on the re- 
 'treat to Appomattox court house they were 
 frequently thrown forward to fight the enemy 
 when the brigade was not engaged."-^ Vol. X, 
 page 806, '^Southern Historical Papers." 
 
 * 
 * * 
 
 The above sketch, though complinaentary, ia 
 meagre, a mere intimation of the splendid rec- 
 ord of this magnificent battalion. There was 
 no better corps ia the entire line of Lee's sharp- 
 shooters than the battalion commanded by 
 Maj. Thos. J. Woolen. Like its gallant com- 
 mander it was absolutely fearless, and a com- 
 plete record of its daring deeds during that ter- 
 rible campaign from the Wilderness to Appo- 
 mattox would fill a volume of most thrilling 
 interest, and one that would enrich as well as 
 adorn the history of our great struggle. I 
 know whereof I speak. 
 
480 Appendix. 
 
 EVANS'S (GA.) SHARPSHOOTERS. 
 
 The battalion of sharpshooters of Evans's 
 Georgia brigade, under command of Capt. 
 "Wm. Kaigler, according to his own statement, 
 led his brigade successfully in the last conflict 
 in which the Army of Northern Virginia was 
 engaged. Gen. Gordon, of whose division 
 Evans's brigade constituted a part, was ordered 
 by the commanding general to make an as- 
 sault on the Federal lines drawn across the 
 Lynchburg road on the line of his retreat, and, 
 if possible, to cut his way through, that the 
 army might follow. Without hesitation Gen. 
 Gordon formed his corps and proceeded to 
 the desperate task assigned him. He moved 
 to the assault with Evans's division in front. 
 Kaigler's sharpshooters were deployed and 
 thrown forward, and soon became engaged. 
 Then, gathering up his full strength, Kaigler 
 charged and broke the enemy's lines, captur- 
 ing several pieces of artillery and a number of 
 prisoners. About this time notice of the sur- 
 render was received by Gen. Evans, who sus- 
 pended the movement and retired. 
 
Apf en dix. 481 
 
 The dash made by the sharpshooters was a 
 
 brilliant success, and proved to be, according 
 
 to Kaigler's contention, the last tilt between 
 
 the two contending armies. 
 
 Capt. Kaigler supports his position by the 
 following: Gen. Evans says in a letter to 
 Capt. Kaigler: "There is no question in 
 my mind of the fact that the last shot fired and 
 the last capture made by the army under Gen. 
 Lee were through you and your picked 
 corps of sharpshooters. * * * It is one of the 
 proudest of my thoughts that we were shooting 
 with all our might when the army was sur- 
 rendered ; and I have not the slightest doubt, 
 captain, that you burned the last grain of 
 powder and directed the last Confederate bul- 
 let from the great old army of Gen. Lee." 
 
 The Philadelphia Times says : " On the 
 morning of the surrender Gen. Evans was 
 ordered by Gen. Gordon to place his divi- 
 sion in order of battle across the Lynchburg 
 road. Capt. Kaigler, commanding the division 
 skirmishers, moved in front and the division 
 itself followed soon after. In their advance they 
 encountered a line of dismounted cavalry and 
 drove them back. Once more they were sud- 
 
482 Appendix. 
 
 denly threatened in flank, when Evans changed 
 the front of one brigade under heayy fire and 
 made an attack, supporting Kaigler, who made 
 a dash and a capture. This occurred after or- 
 ders were issued for their return, to camp, b<ut 
 which had not been received. Receivings i\fy 
 orders, they returned to camp and found that 
 Lee had surrendered." 
 
 This incident in thehistory of Evan,a's sharp- 
 shooters indicates a splendid record behind it, 
 which, so far as I know, has never been pjib^ 
 lished. And whether Captain Kaigler's con- 
 tention that he fired the last gun at ApppQ^a,t- 
 tox court house — which is controverted; by 
 some — be true or not, his achievements on that 
 eventful day are worthy of preservation in tke 
 annals of that revolutionary period. 
 
 MoRAE'S (N. C.) SHARPSHOOTERS. 
 
 The battalion of sharpshooters of McRae's 
 brigade was commanded by Capt. Lilly, the 
 fame of whose exploits in "the forefront of 
 battle " was known throughout the army, i^ 
 scarcely mentioned in the history of that terri- 
 ble campaign. 
 
Affendix. 483 
 
 The writer happens to know that when the 
 «ixth Federal corps captured our picket lines 
 west of the Weldon railroad, after Gordon's 
 splendid failure at Fort Steadman, March 25, 
 1865, Lilly's battalion was the only command 
 on that long picket line that successfully re- 
 sisted the Federal onslaught, and held his po- 
 sition against all odds until the entire line on 
 both sides of him was swept back, and until 
 he was ordered to retire. But the story of his 
 campaigns has gone into oblivion like those of 
 :So many others in that arduous and hazardous 
 service. 
 
 The following letter from Sergt. L. D. 
 JDavis, a member of that gallant corps, is all 
 that I have been able to gather : 
 
 Dear Sis and Comrade : Replying to yours of the Sth 
 inst., requesting that I contribute for insertion in your 
 book, "Lee's Sharpshooters," a short sketch of the part 
 I played in that wonderful campaign, " from the Wilder- 
 ness to Appomattox," I have to say that it has been so 
 long since, and all my energies, both mental and phy- 
 sical, have been so completely taxed in fighting the battles 
 of life, that I have forgotten nearly all of my operations 
 except the " hairbreadth escapes," of which I will men- 
 tion a few, and then you can insert, or not, any part of it 
 or none, as you see proper. I only want your book to re- 
 f-resh my memory, and feel that in its perusal the humble 
 part I played will be brought back to my recollection. 
 To begin : 
 
484 Appendix. 
 
 I remember very distinctly that our brigade was engaged 
 in the opening of the battle of the Wilderness on the 
 morning of May S, 1864, but it is not my recollection that 
 the sharpshooters were thrown out. If so, the line of 
 battle overtook us and the whole line advanced through 
 that scrubby, small growth of (principally) blackjack 
 timber until near 12 m. From then on to Spottsylvania, 
 and from there to Petersburg, my recollection is very in- 
 distinct, further than to remember that it was almost one 
 continuous battle. 
 
 For some time after reaching Petersburg our regiment 
 occupied the "blow up," and while there the sharp- 
 shooters kept up a continuous fire through port holes from 
 breastworks. 
 
 Some time along in the latter part of sum.mer or early 
 fall we (the brigade) sallied forth down on the South Side 
 railroad to intercept and prevent the enemy from captur- 
 ing that important road. Arriving there the command 
 was halted, and in less time than it takes to tell it the 
 sharpshooters were thrown forward and advanced in a 
 jiffy. We soon found the enerny's sharpshooters, com- 
 pletely routed them, advanced up to their line of battle 
 and engaged it until our line came up and relieved us. 
 Acting then as provost guard, I was so engaged person- 
 ally that I did not discover a full line of battle of the 
 enemy right at us in the rear. I was captured, and it 
 did seem to me that a dozen or more Federals would take 
 charge of us two as prisoners, in spite of all their captain 
 could do ; anyhow, he sent three of his men to the rear 
 with two of us. They got lost ; and we five lay out in the 
 woods all night. Ladd and I were so agreeable with them 
 that we gained their entire confidence. The next morning 
 they were completely lost ; and pledging them that we were 
 more than willing to be prisoners of war, they let us 
 guide them out ; but to their chagrin we pilotted them 
 into our own command. At this battle all our commis- 
 sioned and non-commissioned officers were captured, and 
 
Appendix. 485 
 
 I was made orderly, and commanded the company for 
 quite a while. 
 
 On evacuating- Richmond and Petersburg-, April 2, 186S, 
 I was called on by the major commanding the regiment 
 to make a detail to reinforce the picket line ; the other 
 orderlies were so tardy in sending forward their quota 
 that Maj. Steadman directed Ivieut. Sneed — then com- 
 manding the company — to take his company and re- 
 inforce the picket line. We moved off at once, with in- 
 structions to hold the same at all hazards. I was4irected 
 to pick five men and occupy a farm house in the near 
 distance. After gaining the house we did not have to 
 wait but a few minutes before we saw, as appeared to us, 
 the whole Federal army advancing slowly but surely upon 
 us. With my squad I arranged every detail of combat. 
 We loaded and fired into them as men never did before, 
 perhaps, until seeing that we were about to become 
 prisoners, I ordered a retreat, and from the back door 
 sent out one at a time. Seeing the enemy picking up 
 the dirt all around my men as they almost flew back to 
 our breastworks, and knowing that I was to make the 
 run last, the enemy right upon me, my feelings can bet- 
 ter be imagined than described. I made the break, and it 
 seems now as then that I did not touch the ground in but 
 two or three places. I^add and I made the run success- 
 fully and soon reached our lines, left there to cover the 
 retreat ; and after resting awhile we pushed on and over- 
 took our own command the second day after. We then 
 reorganized the regiment as best we could, but only had 
 about fifty men out of an original number of twelve hun- 
 dred. From then on to the surrender our rations were 
 shelled corn. During the entire term of service I was in 
 seventeen pitched battles, captured five times, was ex- 
 changed once, got away three times, and paroled at Ap- 
 pomattox, and have that parole now. 
 
 This statement is abbreviated, disconnected and not 
 satisfactory to myself, but am satisfied that as soon as I 
 shall have seen your book my mind will be refreshed. 
 
486 Appendix. 
 
 when I might be able to give many and more interesting- 
 details which perhaps you as well as I have overlooked. 
 
 I came to this State in the winter of '66-'67 without a 
 dollar on arrival. Have settled five different places. Have 
 now a fine farm, out of debt, fine stock of all kinds from 
 horses to goats, and neither expect nor desire Senator 
 Butler's bill to become a law. 
 
 The Army of Northern Virginia was com- 
 posed of three (3) army corps, nine (9) divi- 
 sions, and about thirty-six (36) brigades, exclu- 
 sive of artillery and cavalry. 
 
 To each of which (brigades) there was at- 
 tached a battalion of sharpshooters, composed 
 of from two to four companies, and from one 
 hundred and twenty-five to two hundred picked 
 men to the battalion. Of this array of sharp- 
 shooters the author only mentions some six or 
 eight battalions, because of the absolute si- 
 lence of history as to their existence, opera- 
 tions and achievements. Like the gallant 
 brigades to which they belonged, it remains a 
 question as to which performed the best ser- 
 vice or earned the highest honors. In vain has 
 the writer searched the records for data upon 
 Which to base a story of their exploits ; but, 
 finding nothing, he is constrained to conclude 
 that whatever of distinction they may have 
 won was absorbed in the official reports of each 
 
Affendix. 487 
 
 engagement, and accredited to the brigades to 
 which they were severally attached. From 
 what has been said of the few battalions men- 
 tioned, it readily appears that if an accurate 
 and detailed account could be given of each of 
 the thirty-six battalions in their distinctive 
 capacity as sharpshooters, many chapters of 
 absorbing interest would be added to the vol- 
 umes of Southern history already written of 
 that stirring period. 
 
 The correspondent of the London Morning 
 Herald, whose articles on the battles of the 
 Wilderness and Spottsylvania court house 
 are herein above inserted, evidently wrote after 
 both battles were fought ; for while he adheres 
 somewhat closely to the facts in gross, he is 
 mixed in his details, and attributes to one 
 field incidents which belong to the other. Be- 
 sides, his letters in style are somewhat florid 
 and exorbitant, and had to be toned down in 
 such degree as to speak the truth. 
 
 The story of " Lee's Sharpshooters," however, 
 is based upon the personal experience of the 
 author, as noted in his pocket diary at the 
 time, and upon facts contributed by others who 
 were on the field and knew whereof they wrote^ 
 
488 Affendix. 
 
 The style of the book as a whole, though some- 
 what rambling and desultory, is the best that 
 the author could do under the circumstances, 
 and the little volume is given to the public for 
 what it is worth, trusting that it may fall under 
 the eye of some skilled writer and evoke his 
 interest in this fruitful theme, so that the in- 
 vestigation thus begun shall be pursued until 
 full and exact justice shall have been done to 
 each and every battalion that stood with 
 "Lee's Sharpshooters" in the "Forefront of 
 Battle." 
 
 OMEGA.