Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 14.djvu/553

 Campaign of 1864 and 1865. 547

take — and others may have made the same — was natural, because a few minutes before Kershaw was leading, but I formed and charged first — the ground was open in my front and impassible in his, and the enemy was just in my track This error is a very important one, and it is due to my gallant fellows that it should be corrected. I was myself twice struck during this charge, and several of my couriers wounded. I had but two staff-officers with me, Major Jones and Major Masters, both giving most efficient and hard service. I should state that after Longstreet's fall a good many other brigades were under my command, but I forget now what troops they were; also that General Lee was near me giving verbal directions.

Throughout the night of the 7th, our corps, commanded now by Anderson, was marching to Spotsylvania Courthouse, near which place it arrived about 8 o'clock next morning, and found our cavalry engaged with the enemy, infantry and cavalry, and hard pressed. Kershaw was leading, and General Anderson not knowing what force the enemy was in, or where he was exactly. Perry's Alabama brigade of my division was sent off to the left, and soon joined Humphreys's Mississippi brigade, and had a hard struggle with the enemy all day, whilst I with the rest of my division, and Kershaw with some part of his, was sent down the road to the Courthouse, about a mile and a half distant, to drive the enemy from and secure that point. We found the town occupied by sixteen pieces of artillery and a body of cavalry, but seeing our approach they fled without firing a shoL Seeing nothing to be done here, I wheeled to the left and moved on about two miles to where Perry had been engaged, and picking him up formed line and threw up works and constituted the extreme left of the army when it all came up, which it did that night. The enemy threw up works just in front of ours, and deadly sharpshooting was maintained for the four or five days that I remained there, besides many vigorous assaults being made.

I think it was on the loth that the enemy, after having tried other parts of the line and failed, tried to break through our left. He ac- cordingly charged the Texas brigade, which was my left and the left of the army — came up to the works, some of them even clambering over, but these last were instantly killed or captured, and the balance driven back. On another occasion the enemy charged over the same ground and against the same brigade, but were handsomely driven back, chiefly by some guns of Cabell's battahon, under Major W. H. Gibbes, posted a little to my left and rear, I think it was on .the 1 2th that they again made a determined effort to break through