Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/117



of Rockbriilye Arlitltn/. Ill

in t<> grt into open land, we met men wounded, who were falling back from the direction of the place where we had heard tiring for several hours, but we could get very little information from them aliout the fight, as we had to ask our questions "on the trot," and could not wait for the reply.

THE FIRST BATTLE OF MANASSAS, JULY 2IST.

At last we were halted a few minutes on the hill near what we heard was the " Lewis House." Here we were introduced to some of the horrors of war. Men were carried back to field-hospitals and to this "Lewis House," which had been converted into a hospital; and here we met a part of the Staunton Artillery, Captain Imbo- den's, which had been engaged with the enemy and had been roughly handled, and which took up a new position soon afterwards near that which we presently occupied.

We heard from acquaintances in that company some of the damage which it had sustained, but before we had time to get all the news we were ordered forward. We left the road which we had been fol- lowing and went by a "blind road," turning to the left nearly at right angles with the direction in which we had just been marching. We went down a short hill and up another, probably a quarter of a mile in all, partly through pine thickets, and came to the summit of a ridge whose general direction was parallel with Hull run, and from which could be seen what that day became famous as the " Henry House," lying southward in open land, surrounded by an orchard. As we went up the hill to this ridge we passed a group of young men from the "Liberty Hall Volunteers," students of Washington College, who were carrying off the field a comrade, or comrades, who had been wounded by the explosion of shell which had fallen among them while lying in position with the Fourth regiment, await- ing orders to advance. Near the summit of this ridge we turned to the right through a gap in the fence, and followed the ridge, passing along not far from the crest of it. The infantry of our brigade was lying down in ranks to our right, and we passed on between their ranks and the crest of this ridge. Some artillery was already in position and firing from this ridge towards the "Henry House." Our guns were at once unlimbered, and we took position in line with the other guns and commenced firing.

My impression is that one of our guns on the left was separated from the next two guns by guns of other batteries which were there