Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/177

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direction of tin- Seventeenth, and told them if they would push on they would turn ;md rapture that battery. They sprang forward with a rheer. I was riding on their extreme left, and remember Captain Daniel and Lieutenant Wilson ( i. Laml) waving their swords and urging on the men. All the field officers of the regiment were on foot except Colonel Nethercutt. As soon as our line emerged from the woods we ran up against a very strongly-intrenched line of the enemy, obstructed by trees they had cut down, and supported by artillery. They poured a hot fire into us and we made our men lie down. I told the Seventeenth, Lieutenant-Colonel Sharpe, to hold their position and I would go to General Kirkland and get re- inforcements from our division. I then rode to Kirkland and told him we had struck a strong line of works. He replied, "Go back and hold our line, and I will go to Hoke for help." During this time the Forty-second had broken its lines and rapidly fallen back, leaving Major L. ]. Johnson, our inspector, a prisoner. Colonel Nethercutt tried to force his regiment over the works, and I learned that he rode his horse right up among the obstructions. But the Sixty-sixth followed the Forty-second ; then Colonel Sharpe withdrew the Seventeenth, which fell back in good order, shouting defiance to the foe and daring them to come out of those works. The enemy meantime threw out a regiment on our left, which was unprotected. So when I returned to the front, instead of finding friends, I rode into the advance skirmish line of the enemy, as the woods were very thick. Four of them halted me and inquired who I was. The shells and bullets were still falling fast around us, and my captors were dodging and did not make me dismount. I took advantage of this, and told them to put down their guns and go with me or we would all be killed. They loolishly did this and we started towards the rear, or away from danger, as we thought. Suddenly we came upon a Federal regiment in line of battle. My captors made signals not to shoot, and seemed delighted to find friends. I turned my mare and ran off in the opposite direction, both spurs in her flanks. A volley from their skirmishers passed me without harm, and I made excel/cut time through briers and thickets and over a very wide ditch, and most happily emerged into an open field directly in front of Colquitt's Georgia Brigade. They met me with cheers and laughter, seeing how I was running, and I rejoined my brigade, which had been rallied and reformed into line. Our troops were withdrawn by Hoke and fell back to Kinston. Lieutenant Stoddard \\as captured, with some men from the Sixty-sixth, and some of our