Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 07.djvu/545

Rh with Lieutenant Cochran, of Montgomery's battery, and perhaps others. The remaining twelve guns of my battalion were captured, to wit: five brass twelve-pounders and two iron rifles in and close to the salient; and five iron rifles some one hundred and fifty yards or more to the right. Had our guns been in position, my capture along with them might have been a necessity. As it was, I escaped just as I would have done from a captured wagon train. The seven guns in and near the salient could easily have been, and probably were, at once hauled off by the enemy, through an opening, just at the salient, in the works, made by us previously, for the express purpose of passing guns. I remained on the field until ordered by General Long to collect, at some point near the Courthouse, what men and material I had left, and there to await further orders—Montgomery, that gallant officer, remaining on the field with one gun.

About eight P. M., I received orders, through Lieutenant S. H. Pendleton from General Long, to report to General Ewell, at the Harris house, with the men I had, for the purpose of hauling off four brass guns, said to have been recaptured during the day. Sergeant S. S. Green (son of the late Doctor Green, U. S. N., and formerly of Culpeper), of Montgomery's battery, was with me, and volunteered to search for the guns, with the view of sending me word if he found them, so that I could join him with the rest of the men, about thirty all told. Sergeant Green, however, returned after about an hour's absence and reported that he had been unable to find any guns, although he had gone with the guide furnished by General Ewell. I reported this to General Ewell, but at once went, in person, with all the men, and forming them into a skirmish line, searched for those guns until about three A. M., when we were compelled to relinguishrelinquish [sic] the work owing to the withdrawal of our picket-line. For the correctness of this statement, I refer you to Sergeant Green's letter, herewith inclosed. I remember distinctly that we found caissons but no guns. The manner in which we distinguished them as caissons was by feeling them, as it was too dark to see. When I returned to report to General Ewell, he was gone, nor do I remember ever to have spoken to him or thought about it since, as I considered that I had endeavored to do my duty to the best of my ability, and so thought the matter had ended, until I saw General Ewell's report. It appears, therefore, that if four guns were there to be hauled off, and I do not deny that they were, I failed to find them, but not without a