Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/53

 Incidents of the Skiivniah at Totopotomoy Creek. 47

to shoot each other down in the streets. How quickly a common cause obliterates individual differences.

On the following Sunday, the zist of April, the corps of cadets, under the command of Major Jackson, was on its way to Richmond. Their first post of duty was at Camp Lee. After rendering at that place and at the Baptist College excellent and much needed service as drill-officers of infantry and light artillery, they scattered in the field, where all served their cause well, not a few with distinction, and many to find a soldier's grave.

Jackson, as is well known, was slow at first to receive from the authorities the recognition which his military abilities deserved ; but once given a command, he displayed the rarest military genius, rose rapidly to the highest rank, never lost a battle, immortalized his name as a soldier and fell too early for his cause, in the midst of vic- tory, adored by his people, respected by the enemy, admired by the world.

Incidents of the Skirmish at Totopotomoy Creek, Hanover County, Vir- ginia, May 30, 1864.

By T. C. MORTON, late Captain Company F, Twenty-sixth Virginia Battalion of Infantry.

It was about dark, on the 3Oth of May, 1864, that the Twenty- sixth Virginia battalion, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel George M. Edgar, to which my company (F) belonged, was drawn up in line on a hill in a cultivated cornfield, above a small creek called Totopotomoy, and not far from Atlee's station on the railroad be- tween Hanover Junction and Richmond, Virginia. Our command was attached to Breckenridge's division, and we had a battery in line on our right, commanded by Major (now Judge) William Mc- Laughlin. Soon after getting in position, orders came for us to throw up breastworks in our front. There were few, if any, spades or shovels, but the men realizing the necessity for the order, as a heavy force was immediately in our front, split their canteens, making scoops of them, and, together with their bayonets and their hands, for the soil was light and sandy, soon had a very respectable earthwork thrown up, and, lying down behind it, it was not long before we were all sleeping soundly.

The next day we remained in that position, but the morning after I received orders to take my company to the foot of the hill and