Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 14.djvu/371

 The " Stoneivall Brigade" at Chancellor sville. 865

the ground in daylight, when my attention might have been called to distances, I will only say, I think we were some three-quarters of a mile in front of the Chancellorsville House.

The brigade remained in this position during the night. With daylight, artillery firing commenced, and very soon furious infantry firing was heard on the right of the plank road. During the night the enemy had constructed some temporary breastworks on the right of the plank road, from which they were driven in the attack referred to.

Soon after, the " Stonewall Brigade" was moved from the left to the right of the plank road, and moved some distance to the right; then moved by the front, and again direction was changed to the right. About this time Brigadier-General Paxton, commanding, was mortally wounded — for we were under fire all this time. A word of explanation here will serve to explain what followed. The Second Virginia infantry was on the right of the brigade; my regiment was the second in line, with the Fifth, Twenty-seventh and Thirty-third to my left, but their order in line I do not now remember. The order given us was to follow the movements of the regiment on the right of the brigade. After crossing the plank road some distance, then moving by the front, and again changing direction to the right, we were brought near the temporary breastworks from which the enemy had been driven in the early morning, and behind which were then lying the troops who had captured them. I did hear then the name of the brigade in our front, who had participated in the morning attack, but I do not now remember it. (I hope this article will fall under the eye of some member of that command, and that they will remember it.) As I have stated, we had now approached near the breastworks, and were moving by the right flank. In the left company of the regiment to my right the command was given, " By the left flank, march." This I promptly gave to my regiment, and it was re- peated to the three regiments to my left. I have never heard any explanation of the order given to the company to my right, and have no doubt there was some mistake; but at the instant I had no reason to question it, and I promptly obeyed. The result was that the company to my right, my regiment and the three regiments to my left moved by the front over the troops and breastworks into the woods beyond ; and, moving forward some one hundred or one hundred and fifty yards, we became engaged with the enemy. I naturally sup- posed that we were supported on the right and left in this advance, but it turned out that only the left company of the Second Virginia