Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/57

 Incidents of the Skirmish at Totopotomoy Creek. 51

keep a close watch on the enemy, and in the morning annoy him all you can, and try to keep up the impression that our command is in the breastworks, still on the top of the hill above you, but we will not be there. General Breckinridge has discovered that his division is out of line nearly a mile too far to the front, and he is going to retire it at once, and in order that we may have time to fortify our new position he directs that you carry out your part of the ruse he is going to play on the enemy, by fighting as though the main body were directly in your rear, and that you hold your position until the enemy forces you out of it." " And what then ? " said I. " Well, he says when you can't stay here any longer, you must get back to the command the best way you can, and I have brought you sixty rounds of extra ammunition to do your extra fighting with." "Are we to have any reinforcements, sergeant?" "No, sir. I reckon General Lee thinks he can't afford to lose any more men than he has out here on this picket line now." And so we were in for it, and after making things as snug as circumstances would admit of, I sat down in my rifle-pit and began to think of home, and wife and children, whom I never expected to see again. For what chance could two hundred or so of men have in retreating a mile across open fields with Hancock's whole corps right after them and on them ? for we had to stay in our rifle-pits until they drove us out. As I sat there thinking, as I had never thought before, for never had death seemed so near, 1 heard a familiar voice in the dark calling my name in a low tone, for the enemy's line was within ear-shot. Answering in the same tone, Captain John Swann, whose company was on my right, came up and asked me "What orders I had?" I told him. "I have

the same d n orders," said he. " We'll all be in hell or Boston

before to-morrow night. What matter is that? We won't be missed down here," he went on to say. " General Lee will report to-morrow night that in the morning he had had a skirmish in his front, his pickets engaging the enemy on Taylor's farm, and only lost about two hundred killed and missing." That's all of us, you know, but we aren't hardly worth counting down here among all these men.

After talking over the situation and trying to arrange for some plan of concerted action with Captain Pratt, of Derrick's battalion, whose company was also in line on my left, we parted, and soon after, squatting in my rifle-pit, I was fast asleep, nor did I awake till the noise of an exploding shell near aroused me to find the sun