Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 13.djvu/20

 Gregg's Brigade in the Second Battle of Manassas. 19

brigade consisted of the Eighty-second Ohio, and four regiments designated as the Second, Third, Fifth and Eighth Virginia, but which we will take leave to assume were not recruited on Virginia soil. Sigel's other division consisted of two brigades of four regi- ments each. So in his corps he had nineteen regiments. Pope in his report estimated this corps, after deducting losses by death, wounds and sickness, prior to the 27th August, as nine thousand strong that is, nearly five hundred men to a regiment. Schurz's di- vision, then, which was marching upon us, of six regiments, was little less than three thousand strong, and Milroy's two regiments, which during the fight, as it will appear, came to Schurz's assistance, added, say, one thousand, making the force assailing our left somewhat about four thousand strong.

It is always difficult, in studying the reports of the opposite side, to locate precisely the relative positions of the particular corps of the contending forces ; but in this struggle we are fortunately able to fix one point with some definiteness, from which we can arrange the positions of the attacking and defending bodies with some accuracy.

Colonel Krzyzanowski, detailing the operations of his brigade, the advance of which commenced at about half past five, A. M., says :

" Scarcely had the skirmishers passed over two hundred yards when they became engaged with the enemy. For some time the firing was kept up, but our skirmishers had to yield at last to the enemy's advancing column. At this time I ordered my regiment up, and a general engagement ensued."

I will not just now follow him in his description of the " general engagement," but will recur to it directly. I skip that now, to quote from the part of the report, telling of the position his brigade occu- pied after we had returned to the railroad, the following :

" We were then enabled to secure our wounded and some of our dead, and also some of the enemy's wounded belonging to the loth South Carolina regiment."

This is no doubt a typographical error for the ist South Caro- lina, and the wounded Krzyzanowski secured were some of our poor fellows who fell while our regiment was out there alone before you had come up, our regiment thus having struck the left brigade of Schurz's division as it was advancing to our attack.

We had not as long to wait the coming of the Twelfth as I have taken to tell you of the forces you were to meet when you came. Promptly answering our summons, you came up under your gallant and beloved commander, Colonel Barnes, and moving upon the left of the First, we joined you, and charged and drove the enemy