Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/388

 382 Southern Historical Society Papers.

At 3 o'clock P. M. Saturday, the Fifth Texas regiment, under the command of Major Rogers, being in line of battle, was ordered for- ward through a thick wood on a side hill, and just before we struck the flat some of our men were struck down by the shells of the enemy, but we pressed forward, and on the edge of the woods, bor- dering the road to Chattanooga, we encountered the enemy in force. They delivered but one volley, and fell back across the road. The regiment pressed them and urged them into a field, across which they fled. The enemy up to this time were in possession of this entire field; but where the Fifth Texas engaged them, the woods extended much farther out in the direction of the enemy than it did upon our immediate right or left, and we were thus covered by the timber in our advance some two hundred yards further forward than our friends on our flanks. Our numbers being thus hid from the view of the enemy, the impression prevailed among them, both upon the right and left of us, that they were flanked, and after de- livering a feeble fire into our flanks they fled across the field to the cover of the woods beyond, and it was with the greatest difficulty that our men could be held back from their pursuit. After a time Major Rogers, assisted by Captain Cleveland, succeeded in getting the regiment in line on the side of a ravine running near and parallel to the field. Here we remained for one hour or more, the enemy giving us occasional volleys from their small arms, and throwing over us charge upon charge of grape and canister. We held them in check, preventing any forward movement in our immediate front or flanks, and we thus remained until ordered to fall back, Major Rogers having sent repeatedly in the meantime to notify our friends upon our left of our position. After falling back some two hundred and fifty yards we were halted, and in a short time the enemy ad- vanced and showed themselves about fifty yards oft". Major Rogers ordered us to charge, and we threw ourselves upon them at a run, the enemy falling back in great disorder. The men followed the fleeing enemy to a ravine in the field, the brave Major Rogers all the time urging them forward, until he saw that our friends had failed to come up upon our right and left, when the order was reluctantly given to fall back. We were here exposed in going in and returning to an incessant shower of grape and canister from a battery on the oppo- site side of the field. It was in falling back from this field to our original position that the gallant Major Rogers fell from a severe wound, and the regiment is thus deprived for a time of the services of one of its best officers. In this last charge the regiment sustained