Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 14.djvu/425

 Becollections of Fredericksburg. 419

Howison Hill to ihe Howison House, and one of Hays's regiments still further to the right; the Washington Artillery to occupy the various redoubts along the hill. I told him that if the real attack was made at Marye's Hill, he did not have men enough to hold it. He replied with emphasis: "Well, sir, we must make the fight, whether we hold it or are whipped." I saw he was displeased with Early's arrangement, and I returned to the city to await events. About 2 o'clock a small rocket was seen by Lieutenant Denman, of Company G, Twenty-first regiment, thrown from the top of a build- ing in the city, and immediately three signal guns were fired from the Lacy House, opposite the city. Soon afterwards the picket of Company F discovered a party of pontooners approaching stealthily to the point above the Lacy House (where the upper pontoon was laid on the night of December ir, 1862). and commenced laying down pontoons. Captain Fitzgerald opened fire upon them and drove them off, but drew down on his brave Tallahatchians a shower of shell and shrapnel from the Stafford Heights ; at the same time a line of the enemy's infantry charged across Hazel Run upon Company E and Company G. Our brave boys gallantly struggled against the overwhelming odds, but were driven back to the railroad. Finding further resistance impossible, I ordered the pickets on the river, be- low the canal, to fall back through the city, as the enemy advanced, to Marye's Hill. I then crossed the canal at the factory; destroyed the bridge at that point, and withdrew the pickets from the river above and retired across the canal by the two bridges at the foot of Taylor's Hill. A party was left to destroy the two bridges, but the enemy had crossed at Falmouth, and following us so closely that the party was driven off just as they had stripped off the plank without destroying the frame work.

I arrived at Marye's Hill before daylight, and found that portion of my regiment that retired through the city safe in the trenches to the left of the hill, having sustained a small loss. Just then I re- ceived orders from General Barksdale to report my regiment to him on Lee's Hill. I moved immediately, and when I reported to him he seemed much chagrined at the mistake made in transmitting his orders, and ordered me to move back rapidly to the position assigned me, as the enemy was advancing. I moved back double-quick all the way. As I crossed Marye's Hill, in the rear of Marye's House, I saw the enemy's line advancing to charge the Eighteenth regiment behind the stone wall. A heavy artillery fire was directed at the Twenty-first regiment, but we gained our position with only a few