Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 04.djvu/179

Rh wounded. The last was a work of great labor, as owing to some fault or mistake in the surgeon having charge of the brigade ambulances, but two of them made their appearance, so that the labor to the litter-bearers became very heavy.

The enemy employed the whole night in throwing up two lines of breastworks, one above the other, on the mountain side. These works were formed from the loose stones which abounded on the surface of the mountain. The sound of the stones dropping into place could be distinctly heard from our line during the whole night. The morning light revealed the two long lines completed. The upper line was sufficiently above the lower for its fire to pass over the lower. The crest was still frowning with its old line greatly strengthened since the day before. From this line the fire of both artillery and infantry would pass over both of the lines below.

Until late in the afternoon nothing occurred more important than picket firing. About 5 o'clock, two or three pickets of McLaws' division came to me and told me that the troops of General McLaws had for some hours been withdrawn from my left, leaving my flank entirely exposed. This was the first notice I had of that movement, so important to my brigade. I immediately ordered the strongest picket force I could spare to the abandoned post of General McLaws' line. Shortly afterwards a courier from General Law came to me and told me that General Law wished me to move to the crest of the hill. I asked him what crest—what hill. He said all he knew was that General Law waved his hand thus (making a wave of his hand). I was much at a loss to know what the wave meant. It seemed to me, however, to be in the direction of a ridge that ran through the woods towards the ground from which McLaws' troops had been withdrawn, and I concluded that the object of the order was to cause me to occupy that ground. Consequently, I immediately gave Colonel DuBose orders to take his regiment along the crest to that ground, his regiment being most convenient at the beginning of the crest. He moved off at once. In a few minutes afterwards I received what was the same order from General Law, but this time clearly and in a very different sense. It was to move back immediately to the crest of the hill from which we had advanced the day before. I gave the necessary orders and the three regiments remaining in