Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 04.djvu/180

172 position commenced moving out. A little afterwards I heard a heavy infantry fire on the left, in the direction in which Colonel DuBose had gone. Subsequently, I learned from him that after following the ridge for five or six hundred yards, he suddenly found himself in the immediate presence of two long lines of the enemy, one almost at right angles to the other, with his own line between the two, the head of it being not far from the angle they made with each other. They opened fire on him, which he returned so as to check their advance a little. He then fell back, and availing himself of a stone fence, fought his way out, not, however, without a heavy loss in prisoners, and some loss in killed and wounded. He was fortunate to escape at all. His escape is high evidence both of his skill and courage. I did not go to his assistance, because when I heard the fire it seemed to be, and was indeed, so far on my left, that I thought some of General McLaws' men had been sent forward to check an advance of the enemy, and that it came from a collision between them and the enemy.

The other three regiments got out with slight loss.

The whole loss of the brigade in the movement to the rear was about one hundred, of which about eighty or ninety belonged to the Fifteenth Georgia.

A report of the killed, wounded, and missing for the two days has been sent up. The total was five hundred and nine. The loss on the first day was about four hundred.

The next day (the 4th) the division was formed in line of battle facing down the Emmettsburg road, and ordered to erect breastworks, which it did. My brigade was on the left, its left resting on that road. About 12 o'clock at night the division commenced moving back towards Hagerstown by Fairfield, my brigade bringing up the rear.

Nothing more of much interest happened to the brigade until the division had crossed the Shenandoah. It crossed that river at Berry's Ford by wading, and found the water deep and swift.

At dawn the next day, the division took the road from Front Royal to Linden by Manassas Gap. It found the Gap occupied by the enemy's cavalry and artillery, with pickets some distance in their front, and some regiments of cavalry between these and the Gap. My brigade was stretched across the road (relieving a portion of General Corse's brigade), on a ridge parallel with the Gap,