Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 08.djvu/412

400 Oscar Lane, my aid, and Private James W. Shepherd, my courier, were of great assistance to me throughout the fight, often carrying orders and messages for me under the hottest fire.

Our ambulance corps was very efficient, and removed our wounded rapidly. Lieutenant James A. Bryan, Ordnance Officer, was untiring in his exertions to keep the command supplied with ammunition.

Our loss in officers was two killed, twenty-five wounded and five prisoners; enlisted men, sixty killed, two hundred and thirty-two wounded, one hundred and eighty-three prisoners and twenty-eight missing—an aggregate of six hundred and twenty-five.

, Brigadier-General.

As soon as Pelham ceased his fire, all their batteries, right and left, opened a terrific fire upon the positions occupied by my batteries, and shelled the woods promiscuously. There being no reply from any of our batteries, and being unable to elicit any discoveries from this sharp practice, continued for an hour or more, the advance was again sounded, and preceded by clouds of skirmishers they right gallantly essayed another attempt. To cover this advance, their batteries were now served with redoubled activity, and now the masses of infantry being within point-blank range, the roar was deepened and made deadly to the enemy, as shell and canister from our long silent but now madly aroused batteries plowed through their ranks. The enemy, however, continued to advance, and the three batteries already mentioned as having been posted in advance of the railroad were compelled to retire, their withdrawal being covered by Lieutenant-Colonel Hill with the Seventh North Carolina. Lane's brigade was the first to encounter the masses of the enemy, who, recoiling somewhat from his direct front, shifted their main attack to his right, endeavoring to penetrate through the interval between Archer and himself. The attack directly in front of Archer and of Walker's guns had been gallantly repulsed, the enemy finding what shelter they could along the railroad. Concentrating their columns of attack, the enemy now made a bold effort, and pushing onward turned Lane's right, although obstinately resisted by the Twenty-eighth and Thirty-seventh North Carolina regiments. Colonel Barbour, of the Thirty-seventh, finding his right turned, changed front with three of his