Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 08.djvu/319

Rh August 27th—My brigade occupied three of the old batteries and redoubts at the Junction. Captain Latimer's battery warmly engaged this day with the enemy, and very effectively dispersing several bodies of the enemy's infantry and cavalry, marched to Centreville unopposed and back to the Junction.

August 28th—Marched with the army to old Manassas battleground, and thence to near Page-land, where, at sunset, the advance columns of General Pope's army were attacked by Jackson's and Ewell's divisions—General A. P. Hill being near Sudley's mills.

My brigade occupied the left wing of our attacking force—General Lawton's brigade on my right, General Jackson's division on the extreme^right. General Early's brigade, not engaged that night, as the enemy had not advanced to his front, was a fourth of a mile to my left, and somewhat in the rear.

On the order of General Jackson to advance, my brigade moved forward in beautiful order in line of battle, across an open field, soon met the fire of the enemy, and returned it briskly, but not effectively, as the opposing force was under the brow of the plain. It soon grew dark, and the contest was fiercely maintained for an hour by both forces, with severe loss on both sides. About 8 o'clock a charge was ordered, when the Twenty-first Georgia, Major Hooper, and Twenty-first North Carolina, Lieutenant-Colonel Fulton, gallantly advanced in the face of a terrific fire of musketry—Colonel Fulton taking his flag and displaying most conspicuous bravery. The fire was the more fatal from the circumstance that the Fifteenth Alabama, being in a skirt of wood, did not advance—not hearing the order. This exposed the two regiments to a front and cross fire from the enemy, who outflanked them, and whose position under the hill, enabled them to see the forms of our men against the sky. They rose up when our line was within thirty steps, and delivered a most deadly fire, in which Colonel Fulton was mortally wounded.

The two regiments held their ground most resolutely, until ordered to fall back to the fence, forty steps in the rear, where they continued until evening, retiring across the turnpike, three-fourths of a mile.

The Fifteenth Alabama, in advancing to the front, passed through a skirt of woods and halted at the fence bordering an open field, in which troops were seen. A doubt was expressed whether they were our own or the enemy's many voices cried out, "Don't fire on our own men"; others said, "They are Yankees." In this