Page:History of the Forty-eighth Regiment, M.V.M. during the Civil War (IA historyoffortyei00plumm).pdf/85

 the corner of the woods into the Mount Pleasant road. Quickly the order came down to "Forward the Brigade" (we were attached for the day to the brigade commanded by Col. Benedict). When we came out from the shelter of the woods the fire of the enemy was terrible, but the column moved forward firmly; the rebel line of breastworks was clearly defined before us, with the "Citadel" frowning in the front. As we advanced the march from quick time soon became double quick, and finally a mad rush, passing over dead and wounded in the road. The air fairly hissed with bullets and shell, the groans of the wounded mingled with the cheers and yells of the charging troops, the shouts of the officers and also their imprecations as some poor fellows, losing their presence of mind, would try to dodge the flying missiles as they passed to bury themselves with a sickening "thud" in some other doomed comrade's body; it seemed as if pandemonium was let loose, and when we overtook and passed over the prostrate bodies of the red clothed fascine bearers, who had started in advance of the main column and who, unable to face the leaden storm, had dropped their burdens and taken shelter behind them, they were greeted with cries of derision, which quickly changed to cries of dismay when we came into the vortex and saw the ground swept as it were by a whirlwind, and every man sought shelter in ravines, behind stumps, logs and any object which could afford shelter.

This ended Gen. Dwight's movement. But it had advanced our lines so that we held possession of a rough hill which commanded the "Citadel," which had been the objective point of our assault, and which was the most formidable point in the rebel works. The men