Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/237

 The Thirty-eighth Virginia at Battle of Five Forks. 231

Arriving on the I4th, it proceeded to Alice's station, and continued to follow after Sheridan until he crossed to the south of James river, when, on the 26th of March, the regiment proceeded to Battery 45, south of Petersburg, and threw up fortifications, but left on the 3Oth to meet Sheridan again, who was approaching from Dinwiddie Court- house, acting as rear guard for the division. It continued to skir- mish with the enemy during the day, and bivouacked at night at Five Forks. The division moved on the 3Oth at 8 A. M., and engaged the enemy about 2 P. M., driving him until dark stopped operations. The regiment did not become actively engaged. The enemy bringing up a heavy force of infantry at night, the com- mand commenced falling back at $ l / 2 A. M. on the ist of April : halting at Five Forks, it proceeded to throw up rifle-pits. The enemy attacked in the evening, first with cavalry, but finally bringing his infantry into action. Every front attack was successfully re- pulsed, but with Pickett's and Johnson's divisions of infantry and Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry, to oppose thirty-five thousand infantry and all of Sheridan's cavalry, the contest was too unequal. Early in the action Colonel Griggs (with the Thirty-eighth) was ordered from his brigade, and to go to the left of Brigadier-General Ransom, which he did at a double quick. Finding no troops but a few cavalrymen, who left to join (they said) their command, he deployed his regiment into single file, and opened a destructive fire upon the enemy, who were marching in view, to the rear of their line of battle, in three columns to our left. Colonel Griggs dispatched a courier to brigade and division headquarters to report this movement of the enemy, and continued to deploy his regiment and fire upon the enemy, and kept his front in check ; but there being no troops on his left, the enemy's column soon passed to the rear of his line and opened upon his front and rear. Many of the men having expended all their ammunition, and the enemy rapidly closing all means of escape, the few men left were ordered to retire. After cutting through the lines of the enemy, Colonel Griggs reported in person to General Pickett the condition he was in. The general replied, "He knew it, but could not help it had done all he could." The regiment fought odds of about ten to one, in full view of the enemy, where each private could see for himself the odds against him. Yet there seemed no unusual excite- ment or fear among them, and some were seen to club their muskets after they had fired their last round of ammunition.

GEORGE K. GRIGGS, Colonel Thirty-eighth Virginia.