Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 13.djvu/436

 Colonel Hayood's Report of Campaign of 1864. 436

the advance. I here discovered that the regiment which should have moved on my right was not there. In the density of the forest, I concluded it had temporarily gotten lost, and I gave no more thought to it. Under a destructive fire I attained the enemy's works, and drove him from them. He retired to a second line, keeping up a terrific fusilade, assisted by several pieces of artillery. The regiment alluded to a few lines back, was still missing, my men and ammunition almost exhausted I deemed it inexpedient to attempt anything further. I abandoned this position only when the troops on my left gave way, (there were none on my right during any part of the advance), and the enemy threatened to cut me off. No further attack was made during the day. I carried into action twenty-six officers and two hundred and thirty-five men; lost two (2) officers killed and three (3) wounded, eight (8) men killed and seventy-nine (79) wounded.

Slight skirmishing lasted during the jth and 8th ultimos. On the night of the latter day we took up the line of march for Spotsylvania Courthouse, which we reached early on the following morning after an exhaustive night march. Everything was gotten in readiness to attack the enemy, who had arrived here at the same time with us. We advanced, but failed to find him in the direction originally taken, when we changed front and pursued a course at right angles with the last. We shortly began skirmishing, which was kept up until night put a stop to it. On the next day we moved a short distance to the left, and erected a line of temporary works of fallen trees. On the morning of the loth the enemy assaulted our position, but was repulsed after a sharp contest of an hour and a half. My skir- mish line, slightly reinforced, held its position throughout the fight. More or less skirmishing occurred during the following day. On the 1 2th the enemy made a more determined attack, which was met with great gallantry by our men, and repulsed after several hours of hard fighting. The density of the woods, the smoke and other causes prevented me from ascertaining the moment of the enemy's withdrawal. I, therefore, advanced my skirmishers, assisted on my left by Captain Lyle, commanding Fifth South Carolina, and suc- ceeded in capturing seventeen or eighteen of the enemy. A few days later the enemy abandoned our front, when we were transferred to the right extremity of the army. Nothing worthy of report oc- curred here until the night of the iyth of May, when we evacuated our lines and moved in the direction of Hanover Junction. I began the action of Spotsylvania Courthouse with twenty-one officers and