Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/121

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no pains were taken to protect them, a^ wen- taken in sul queiii battles, when horses became scarcer. The guna and aUMOM were placed in tin- position taken during a drill. The- guns were unlimbered. and the lead-horses of the limber-chest \verestationed about fourteen teet to the rear > hoises heading toward the gun), and the lead -horses of the caissons were placed fourteen feet in rear of their respective limber-chests, horses toward the foot, of course. That day, whether by order of General Jackson or not, the guns were served with ammunition from the rear chests of the caissons, and not from tin- limber-chests of their respective guns. (Mine was not. I carried all the ammunition in my piece-field.)

During this battle a shell of the enemy dropped into a caisson of the "Thomas Artillery," near us on our left, about fifty yards off, and the ammunition was exploded and the tops of the chests wefe blown off. Several men were burnt slightly, but no one was seri- ously injured. (It was not half that distance from my piece, and two horses were killed, I think.)

After a deal of noise and hard work, the order was given to lim- ber up and to move out by our right flank. We lost no time in obeying the order, and whilst we were doing so, the infantry in rear of us rose and advanced between our guns, and, with a wild yell, commenced the charge which resulted in the capture of the artillery of the enemy, and the taking of many prisoners at and near the Henry house. Our company left our position about the time our infantry dashed down the hill on that splendid charge. We re- turned by a route nearly parallel with that which we had taken to reach the hill along which we had been in position in line of battle, and soon got back to the road which had led us by the Lewis house. We then went into a field on a hill which overlooked, at nearly a mile's distance, what was known as the Stone bridge, and here re- ported to General Johnston, who ordered us to a position from which we could guard one of the fords of Bull Run (Beattie's, perhaps, ) opposite which General Miles had a Federal division. Whilst rest- ing and talking over the events of the day, some one raised the question as to how long our battery had been engaged. Some guessed fifteen minutes and some an hour: very few exceeded that limit. Lieutenant McLaughlin settled it by reference to the fact that we had gone into position by his watch at 2 o'clock P. M., and were ordered to "limber up" at half-past 4 P. M.

Several officers and men were slightly wounded, among them Lieutenant Brockenbrough, Sergeant Jordan, and James P. Smith,