Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 13.djvu/386

 Battle of C hickamauya, 385

hill. Seeing that my force was too weak to hold the hill with my loss momentarily increasing, I ordered them to fall back just behind the crest of the hill. On seeing this the enemy pushed forward his infantry to the crest. As soon as they appeared on the hill they were charged and driven back. In this charge I had three regi- mental commanders wounded, whilst gallantly leading and cheering their men on, viz: Major J. C. Rogers, Fifth Texas ; Lieutenant- Colonel J. P. Bane, Fourth Texas, and Captain D. K. Rice, First Texas. Immediately upon reaching the hill, I sent a courier for reinforcements and a staff officer for a battery. Brigadier-General Benninig camt up promptly with his brigade, and with his usual gal- lantry assisted in holding our position until nightfall, when we were moved, by order of General Law, to our position on the left of the division, relieving General Hindman, where we bivouacked for the night. I sent three different messengers for a battery, all of which returned without any. I then went myself, but could not get the officer in command of the only one I could find to bring his battery up. I have no hesitation in believing that if I could have got a bat- tery in position, that we could have inflicted heavy loss on the enemy, as his infantry was massed in heavy columns at the far end of the field from us. Early in the action, and while the Third Arkansas, my left regiment, was driving the enemy in superior numbers before it, the gallant Major Reidy, of that regiment, fell mortally wounded whilst leading his men with his usual coolness and daring. At day- light on the morning of the 2oth we were moved by the right flank to our position, where we remained until about eleven o'clock, when we were ordered to move forward in the rear of General Law's brigade. On reaching an open field, our troops in my immediate front were heavily engaged, and just as I reached the open field they charged and took a battery. There was also heavy firing on my extreme right. General Benning, on whose left I had started, had been detached before I reached the field, and moved to the right. On looking to my right I found that there was a considerable space between our forces on the left and those on the right, occupied by the enemy, and I determined to engage them. I moved my brigade by the right flank to the proper point, and then changed my front forward on first battalion. I, at the same time, sent messengers to the forces lying in the field on my right, and requested their com- mander to join my right and advance with me, and one to those on my left, requesting that they join me on my left and advance with me. These messages I sent three different times as I advanced