Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/389

 The Battle of Chickamauga. 383

its greatest loss in men and officers. On falling back, under cover of the woods, Captain Cleveland reformed the regiment, and ordered Lieutenant Fuller forward with some twelve or fifteen men, who held the ground until our wounded were removed. This was about 6 o'clock, and we were ordered back some hundred and fifty yards, where we lay in line of battle until the next morning, September 2oth, 1863.

At daylight on this morning (zoth) we were aroused and remained drawn up in line for some time, when we were moved by the right flank about half a mile, where we were held in line of battle until about 10 o'clock A. M., when we were ordered to lay down to allow Folk's corps to pass over us to the front, but they never appeared on that portion of the field. We remained thus until about n o'clock A. M., a spirited fire being kept up upon our right and left, when we were ordered up and forward, there being, as we were told, two lines of battle (Confederate) in front. Captain Cleveland, pre- vious to our advance, addressed a few encouraging words to the regiment and placed himself in front of the colors, where he remained as long as I saw him. We were moved forward in quick time across a wooded flat, and before we gained the hill beyond the enemy hailed down upon us a perfect shower of shot and shell ; but we pressed forward and, just after crossing a small field, we found the enemy's first line of breastwork, but we encountered no one here, the enemy having fled precipitately. About three hundred yards further on we crossed the Chattanooga road, and, on entering a thicket beyond, we were hid for a time from the rest of the brigade, and here an order came from our right to fall back, and Captain Cleveland, supposing it was a general order, commanded us to fall back, and the regiment dropped back about a hundred yards, but, failing to see that our left had done so, he halted us, and had just got us in line, when an order came from General Robertson for the regiment to press for- ward. The regiment soon pressed forward, and by the time we had entered the field beyond the road before mentioned, the balance of the brigade, assisted by a portion of the Fifth, had run over and cap- tured a battery on our left. We were advancing rapidly across this field to rejoin our brigade when we received a fire into our right flank, the enemy being in the woods to our right. The regiment immediately made a right half wheel, and fired a volley which proved so fatal that they scattered and fled. Captain Cleveland, taking the flag and a portion of the regiment, moved off and joined the brigade, and just as he reached the woods upon the heights, the brigade com-