Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 18.djvu/79

 The Truth of History. 79

Lane's brigade commenced the movement, and had not proceeded far when it encountered and attacked, in a piece of woods in front of my line, the Ninth corps under Burnside, moving up to attack a salient on my front. Lane captured over three hundred (300) pris- oners and three battle-flags, and his attack on the enemy's flank, taking him by surprise, no doubt contributed materially to his repulse. Mahone's brigade did not become seriously engaged. The attacking column which Lane encountered got up to within a very short dis- tance of a salient defended by Walker's brigade, of Heth's division, under Colonel Mayo, before it was discovered, as there was a pine thicket in front, under cover of which the advance was made. A heavy fire of musketry from Walker's brigade and Thomas's, which was on its left, and a fire of artillery from a considerable number of guns on Heth's line, were opened with tremendous effect upon the attacking column, and it was driven back with heavy loss, leaving its dead in front of our works. This affair took place under the eye of General Lee himself."

The original of the following communication is still in my posses- sion:

HEADQUARTERS ARMY NORTHERN VIRGINIA, ON BATTLEFIELD, May 13, 1864.

General C. M. WILCOX,

Commanding Division :

GENERAL : General Lee directs me to acknowledge the receipt of the flags captured by Lane's brigade in its gallant charge of yester- day, and to say that they will be forwarded to the Hon. Secretary of War with the accompanying note and the names of the brave captors.

I am, very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

C. S. VENABLE, A. D. C.

The Index is again mistaken when it says, " Instead of achieving success at Jericho Ford May 24th, as Pollard relates, his brigades (Lane's and McGowan's) behaved most disgracefully and were re- placed by Davis' s and Cooke's troops, of Heth's division." The Thirty-seventh regiment alone of my brigade behaved badly on that occasion ; ,but in justice to this regiment it must be remembered that it lost its colonel and many of its bravest company officers in the fight of the 1 2th. The Seventh was guarding a point on the river,