Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 19.djvu/113

 Battle of Drewrys Bluff. 107

before he was killed, he remarked, slapping the roll of blankets he carried, " Don't you think this is a good breastwork ?" Alas, the ball found its way to poor Govan's heart despite his breastwork, and in our hearts " We sadly missed him."

The bodies of Figner, Wynne, Walthall and Via were sent to Richmond, while Govan, Stoaber, Crigger, Toomy and Gillispie found a resting-place that evening in the corner of the field just to the right of where the Twenty-fourth charged.

No sooner had this fatal volley been fired when we returned the com- pliment, and charging among them, we captured those who did not get away. Then, over the enemy's works came the decimated regi- ments, the Eleventh and Twenty-fourth, which had made the fight in front of the works, losing nearly one- third of their men in that fear- ful struggle to take the works in front.

The. loss as stated by the Richmond papers, giving names, was fifteen killed and ninety-four wounded in the Eleventh, and twenty- eight killed and one hundred and eight wounded in the Twenty-fourth Virginia.

Meanwhile the Seventh Virginia, our left regiment, had followed in our wake, but had made a more extended sweep towards the west in the enemy's rear, and many of the blue coats stirred up by us fell into their hands. Among them were General Heckman, Colonel Lee and many other officers. They also captured four battle-flags. These were, one of the Ninth New Jersey, one from the Twenty- third Massachusetts, and two from the Twenty-seventh Massachu- setts at least this is my recollection. They formed an important part in the parade through Richmond on the 2oth of that month, when each of the regiments in Kemper's brigade carried one of those beautiful flags by the side of their tattered Confederate battle-colors.

GENERAL HECKMAN'S CAPTURE.

The capture of General Heckman is described by David E. Johns- ton in his book, "Four Years a Soldier," as follows: "In our head- long rush we ran past General Heckman, standing in rear of his brigade. He wore a heavy overcoat, somewhat of the color of the overcoats worn by our own officers, and believing that some of Gra- de's men had gone in ahead of us and that we had not seen them, some of our men, among them Harry Snidow, supposed that Heck- man was an officer of Gracie's command, and said to him, ' Colonel, is your regiment in front?' ' Yes,' he answered, ' go ahead, you are driving them.' Harry passed on. Not so with Sergeant Blakey,