Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 07.djvu/293

Rh front, much of it on the road, and extending far beyond either flank of the brigade.

My men occupied this position till about 3.20 P. M. Our artillery opened fire upon the enemy's artillery and upon ground supposed to be occupied by his infantry. This fire was responded to promptly by the enemy's artillery, and continued with the greatest vivacity on either side for one hour. In no previous battle of the war had we so much artillery engaged, and the enemy seemed not to be inferior in quantity.

During all this fire my men were exposed to the solid shot and shell of the enemy, but suffered comparatively little, probably less than a dozen men being killed and wounded. The brigade (Kemper's) lying on my right suffered severely. Our artillery ceased to fire after about one hour; the enemy continued to fire for awhile after ours had ceased. I do not believe a single battery of the enemy had been disabled so as to stop its fire.

Pickett's division now advanced and other brigades on his left. As soon as these troops rose to advance, the hostile artillery opened upon them. These brave men (Pickett's) nevertheless moved on, and, as far as I saw, without wavering.

The enemy's artillery opposed them on both flanks and directly in front, and every variety of artillery missile was thrown into their ranks. The advance had not been made more than twenty or thirty minutes before three staff officers, in quick succession (one from the Major-General Commanding division), gave me orders to move to the support of Pickett's division.

My brigade, about twelve hundred in number, then moved forward in the following order from right to left: Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Eighth and Fourteenth Alabama regiments. As they advanced, they changed direction slightly to the left so as to cover in part the ground over which Pickett's division had moved. As they came in view on the turnpike, all of the enemy's terrible artillery (that could bear on them) was concentrated upon them from both flanks and directly in front, and more than on the evening previous.

Not a man of the division that I was ordered to support could I see, but as my orders were to go to the support, on my men went down the slope until they came near the hill upon which were the enemy's batteries and entrenchments. Here they were exposed to a close and terrible fire of artillery. Two lines of the enemy's infantry were seen moving by the flank towards the rear of my left.