Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 4.djvu/119

Rh advantages far. When Branch advanced, part of the Seventh regiment under Capt. McLeod Turner was deployed as skirmishers around Crenshaw’s battery. The Thirty-seventh regiment first became engaged. The Eighteenth and Seventh marched to its aid. Col. R. F. Hoke, with the Thirty-third, was further to the left, and gallantly advanced into the open field and drove the enemy from his front. The Twenty-eighth, under Colonel Lane, fought determinedly in conjunction with Field s left. Finally this brigade, Gregg’s and Field’s, succeeded in freeing their front of the enemy. This was done, however, only after prolonged and costly effort. Fender, seeing that Thomas was in sore need of support, moved his brigade against the enemy, who had reached the railroad cut, and there, after a struggle, forced back the foe occupying the portion of it in his front, and drove him behind his batteries. He moved alone, and after waiting in vain for support to attack the batteries, retired unmolested to the railroad line. During this battle, General Fender was knocked down by a shell, but refused to leave the field. The official reports of both sides bear testimony to the unyielding spirit with which this contest was waged. Gen. A. P. Hill, to whose division both Fender and Branch belonged, says: &quot;The evident intention of the enemy this day was to turn our left and overwhelm Jackson s corps before Longstreet came up, and to accomplish this the most persistent and furious onsets were made by column after column of infantry, accompanied by numerous batteries of artillery. Soon my reserves were all in, and up to 6 o’clock, my division, assisted by the Louisiana brigade of General Hays, commanded by Colonel Forno, with a heroic courage and obstinacy almost beyond parallel, had met and repulsed six separate and distinct assaults.&quot;

Meanwhile, Longstreet had reached the field and taken position. At 6:30 o’clock, King s division, under General Hatch, encountered Hood s Texas and Georgia bri-