Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 08.djvu/561

Rh crest to discover what it meant. They found them lying behind the crest firing at what did not clearly appear, but they with great gallantry charged them with a yell, routed and put the whole mass to flight, most precipitate and headlong, capturing some forty (40) prisoners. In their haste and panic a multitude of them ran across a portion of open field and gave our battery and my line of battle on the right a shot at them, the skirmishers too. We kept up a most effective fire upon them and that field also was thickly dotted with their dead and wounded. My picket line was re-established, and thus ended the battle of the 12th on this part of the line. In this battle I had about twelve hundred and fifty (1250) muskets, and lost in killed and wounded not more than fifteen—prisoners none. We destroyed of the enemy, in killed, wounded and prisoners, in my judgment, at least three thousand (3,000). They left about 500 dead in my front, and it is known that they took many dead from the field (all of those remote from our lines). My officers and men behaved to my entire satisfaction. The men fired with cool deliberation and great effectiveness. While all behaved well, I cannot pass on from this part of my report without making special mention of Captain Harvey, Fifth South Carolina Volunteers and Captain Wood, First South Carolina regiment. They commanded the skirmishers of their respective regiments in the charge upon the enemy, and executed their orders with an energy and boldness that was worthy of all praise. Not long before sunset I was ordered to report to General Ewell on the right without delay. I moved down as rapidly as possible and found General Ewell in rear of that portion of the line which had been taken from Johnson's division in the morning known as the "mule shoe." My brigade was put in position to support the withdrawal of some troops of ours from this same "mule shoe." We lay there under fire, but doing no fighting all night, and were withdrawn about daybreak to a new line constructed during the night some four or five hundred yards in rear. We were in the course of the morning relieved and ordered back to General Field, who held us as reserve for our division until we left this part of the line.

We lost during the night in killed and wounded about seventy men, the enemy's fire was incessant throughout the night.

We did not fire a gun. On the night of the 14th we moved with the division towards the extreme right of our line, and were put into position on the right of Gregg's brigade, which was on the left of the division. On the morning of the 16th erected works but had no fighting here other than a little skirmishing some distance in front of the line. On the evening of the 21st the whole corps marched for Hanover