Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 4.djvu/77

Rh his seven regiments average about 600 men to the regiment, a high average for Confederate regiments, and especially for those that had been over as much territory as Branch's. Even McClellan, with his fondness for big numbers on the Confederate side, admits &quot;the regiments (Confederate) will not average over 700 men.&quot; Some of the regiments that opposed Branch that day reported fewer than 600. Porter does not state his numbers. General Webb says that Porter had &quot;about 12,000 men.&quot; Probably, as Porter had one whole division (Morell's) and one brigade (Warren's), this is not far wrong. General Warren gives the number in each of his regiments, and the aggregate is 2,705; his regiments averaging 653 men each. In Morell's division there were fourteen regiments (eleven infantry, two cavalry, one sharpshooters), three batteries, and two companies of sharpshooters. Putting these regiments and batteries at the same as Branch's (600 to the regiment), they aggregate 8,700, and with Warren's make a total force of 11,405 at the very least nearly three times the Confederate force.

At the approach of the two forces, General Branch advanced Colonel Lane with the Twenty-eighth North Carolina, and a section of Latham's battery, under Lieutenant Potts, to support his pickets. The regiment soon became heavily engaged with Porter's van, the Twenty-fifth New York regiment, and drove it back, inflicting heavy loss. Pressing the Twenty-fifth they encountered Butterfield's entire brigade. Helped by a friendly wood, Lane maintained his position for some time. However, in spite of the efforts of his two guns, Butterfield's force was soon overlapping both his wings, and so Lane gave orders to retire along a fence. All the horses of one of Pott's guns had been disabled, and he was —