Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 18.djvu/240

 240 Southern Historical Society Papers.

During this march Ramseur's men were frequently engaged in suc- cessful skirmishes and battles with the enemy, but the great battle in which he shone conspicuously was on the i2th of May, at

SPOTSYLVANIA COURTHOUSE.

On the afternoon of the nth there was severe fighting on our right, when Ramseur's men mounted over our works and drove the enemy from our front in a hand-to hand engagement. It was expected by Lee that during the night Grant would withdraw his troops for the purpose of continuing his advance on Richmond. In order to be in readiness to confront him when he should make this change, Lee had directed that the guns in front of Ed. Johnson's Division, in a point in our lines known as the "salient," should be withdrawn during the night to facilitate our movements in the morning. This fact became known to Grant through a deserter from our lines. Hancock's corps was in front of this point, and he was directed to approach under the cover of night and a dense fog and assault the line at early dawn. The attack resulted most successfully, for our works were captured, together with a large number of prisoners. To restore in part this line became Ramseur's duty. In his report of the action he speaks substantially as follows : That in anticipation of an attack on his front on the morning of the i2th he had his brigade under arms at early dawn. Very soon he heard a terrible assault on his right. He therefore moved Cox's regiment, which was in reserve, to a position perpendicular to his line of battle. At this time the enemy was massing his troops for a further advance. For the purpose of driving him back he formed his brigade in a line parallel to the two lines held by the enemy. The men in charging were directed to keep their alignment and not pause until both lines of works were ours. How gallantly and successfully these orders were executed were witnessed by Generals Rodes and Ewell. The two lines of Federal troops were driven pell-mell out and over both lines of our original works with great loss. The enemy held the breast- works on our right, enfilading the line with destructive fire, at the same time heavily assaulting our right front. In this extremity, Colonel Bennett, of the Fourteenth, offered to take his regiment from left to right, under a severe fire, and drive back the growing masses of the enemy on our right. This hazardous offer was accepted as a.