Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 01.djvu/448

 not more than forty or fifty men to man them. This fort the Yankees captured and kept possession of. "Fort Harrison" was one of a series of forts running from "Chaffin's Bluff" almost entirely around Richmond, and connected by earthworks for infantry, with a redoubt for field artillery wherever the nature of the ground admitted. This line of earthworks was laid out by regular engineers, and (as far as I was a judge) showed that the men who built them understood their business.

After the capture of "Fort Harrison," our troops were formed upon the same line of works, but of course a new line had to be formed in front of "Fort Harrison." "Fort Gilmer" was the next fort in the line, which had some five or six heavy cannon, and was manned by about forty men (of what command I never knew). Between Forts "Harrison" and "Gilmer," a distance of nearly half a mile, were stationed Hardaway's batteries, Dance's being the nearest to "Fort Harrison," Griffin's next, and Carter and Graham to their left, supported by the Texans and Tennesseans, with the "City Battalion" deployed as skirmishers. General Ewell was with the skirmish line, constantly encouraging them by his presence and coolness. I remember very distinctly how he looked, mounted on an old gray horse, as mad as he could be, shouting to the men, and seeming to be everywhere at once. I do not remember at what time in the day the attack was made, but it commenced by the Yankees making a furious charge upon Dance's battery, and they came in such numbers and so rapidly that they got within forty yards of Dance's guns before our fire told upon them. Here it was that the Tennesseans did such glorious work. They had trotted (or rather run) from another part of the line when the attack first began, and by the time they reached Dance's guns the Yankees were almost there, but the colonel in command of the brigade leaped across the works, followed by his men, and after an almost hand to hand fight drove the Yankees back. Too much praise cannot be given to this colonel (I wish I could remember his name), for I was told by one of Dance's men that he had never seen a man so entirely free from fear, and that in front of his men he discharged every barrel of his pistol right into the Yankees faces. I do not now remember the loss in this charge, but Captain Dance and a good many of his men were wounded, and several of the men killed.

Almost immediately after the enemy retired from Dance's front, an attack was made upon another part of the line to the left, and