Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 14.djvu/552

 546 Southern Historical Society Papers.

Under my direction the line was finally straig^htened and an ad • vance of the whole line made, and though the attack in some in- stances was, I know gallantly made, the enemy was too strong behind his breastworks to be again driven fi-om them.

The almost impenetrable growth of wood and brush prevented some of the troops from reaching the enemy at all, but one of my bri- gades, the gallant South Carolina — now led by Colonel Bratton, since Jenkins's death — rushed up to the enemy's works under a withering fire and got into them, but having no support were driven back again, save those who were killed or captured in the works. The enemy's own account of this affair entirely agrees with this, and they said that they were very near being driven from the works and routed. Anderson's brigade, of my division, on the same occasion made a vigorous attack.

It being now about sunset I formed the corps in line of battle per- pendicular to and to the right of the road and bivouacked that night, and the next morning the men threw up breastworks, but except a feeler which the enemy threw against the left of mv line next day, there was no occasion for their use, the operations the next day being limited to heavy skirmishing. The corps occupied the extreme right of the army, Major General R. H. Anderson's division joining it at the plank road on the left. Late on the evening of the 7th, after the battle had been fought and won. General R. H. Anderson, the senior major-general, was assigned to and had command of the corps till the following autumn when General Longstreet again re- ported for duty.

The reports of this and subsequent battles never having been fur- nished, the only account that I have ever seen was one written by Mr. Lawley, correspondent of the London Times, which, though meant to be fair, contained, through ignorance of the truth, one all important error. It is this: He states that at the opening of the fight on the morning of the 6th of May, when two divisions of our army had given way, that Kershaw' s division formed and met the eneiny and repulsed him, ayid that my division was behind and formed upon it — Kershaw's, etc., whereas, the truth is, as I have before stated, that my division was just formed in column by brigades; that the exultant, jubilant enemy was met and driven back by three of the brigades, Gregg's Texans, Benning's Georgians and Perry's Ala- bamians; and that the fate of the day and army is due, I firmly be- lieve, to those three brigades; that I did not form upon Kershaw, and had no connection with him till late in the day. Lawley's mis-