Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 08.djvu/84

72 skirmish, Company F was withdrawn from the front, and Company A ordered to assume that position, in order to divide the labors of the march. Captain Knox's company was actively engaged for a while in firing upon an actual or supposed enemy in our front but there was no response.

About the middle of the afternoon, having learned that the greater portion of Major-General A. P. Hill's division had crossed the Chickahominy and was in front of us, I reported to you, whereupon I was ordered to unite my command with the rest of my regiment, under Colonel Campbell. I may confidently assert that no unnecessary time was spent in the various skirmishes just described.

About an hour and a half before dark we reached Mechanicsville, under a terrible fire of shot and shell. For a short time we were compelled to wait until we could receive orders from General Hill. Before dark, we were ordered to take our position in a road which appeared to run at right angles with the road we had previously occupied and to the left of it. Upon the appearance of General Archer, the Seventh and Twenty-eighth regiments were ordered by you to report to him, but, upon Colonel Campbell's application, we ascertained he had no immediate duty for us to perform. It was then fully dark, though the artillery conflict still continued, and, as soon as it ceased, we were ordered to take our position immediately in front of the enemy's batteries and about a quarter of a mile therefrom, being still in the front of your brigade. At this point we bivouacked for the night, and were prepared for action at three o'clock next morning, under orders from you. In a short time after this, the enemy's batteries opened upon us, as did some of their sharpshooters. Under this fire we remained for about an hour and a half, when we were ordered into the woods on the right of the road last spoken of, to which position we moved, marching by the right flank.

About 10 o'clock A. M. of the 27th ultimo, we were ordered again to take our position in the road, which we accordingly did. After remaining there for some time, it was ascertained that the enemy had abandoned his position in the batteries. We then took up our line of march for Gaines' mill, which point we reached between 3 and 4 o'clock P. M. of the same day. Almost immediately upon arriving at this point, our regiment was ordered into action. We advanced upon the right-hand road, having thrown forward two companies as skirmishers, who were immediately