Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 21.djvu/172

 164 Southern Historical Society Papers.

In a moment there was another shell, and this one burst in the midst of Company C, Fourteenth Louisiana regiment, killing two men, James Kelly and James Baker, and wounding two or three others. Presently another, and off goes a leg of General Pryor's mare; at the same moment he came up and one of his staff remarked: "You may as well shoot her." " Oh, no," said General Pryor, " I can't do that, you must do it." In a moment more he put a ball between her eyes, and stopped the pain.

It was now four o'clock, and General Pryor received orders to ad- vance his brigade into the fight.

As we advanced we discovered that the brigade on our right had been repulsed, and the enemy was making it very warm for us in our front and on our flanks. Nevertheless, we were ordered to charge the enemy, and our regiment moved boldly forward through an open field.

The enemy now opened upon us with renewed vigor, and as we further advanced our left became more exposed to an enfilading fire that compelled us to fall back again to the edge of the woods.

In this charge several officers and men were killed and wounded, and our color-bearer, James McCann, was killed.

We held this line until nightfall, momentarily expecting the forces of Magruder to make their appearance on our left, when we expected to outflank the enemy and drive him into the Chickahominy.

Whilst we were holding this line there was music in the air; the boom of artillery, the bursting of shell and the roar of musketry made music, the kind a soldier likes to hear when he is fighting in a just cause.

At a critical moment in the battle the Donaldsonville Artillery came up on our right, and in a few moments made things -very lively in the enemy's lines.

Late in the evening our brigade was relieved by General Gregg, but just before his arrival I received a severe wound which put me out of the fight.

Our troops held the line, and during the night the enemy retreated.

At the close of the struggle the field was covered with the enemy's dead and wounded. Many prisoners, including a general of division, were captured, several batteries and thousands of small arms. If the other commands could have co-operated the enemy would have been completely routed.

Guns and caissons captured at Frazier's Farm: Seven 12-pounder