Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/199

 i/ /-v/,fe, 1863-'64.

Breckinridge's Division coming up, one of his brigades, Echols' , \\.is put on the right of the Sixty-sixth, and Finm-gan's in reserve. Artillery from A. I*. Hill's Corps supported our line, firing over our heads. Among these was Major Charles R. Grandy's Battery, Norfolk Light Artillery Blues.

Just at dawn on June 3d the enemy's line advanced. Echols' Virginia Brigade, on our right, broke and ran away. General Mar- tin sent me to Colonel Moore with an order to protect his flank by retiring his right wing to the rear. The Sixty-sixth nobly held its ground and fired hotly upon the enemy in front and on the right. Finnegan's Florida men came gallantly to the front and recaptured the trenches from which Echols' men had ingloriously fled. Then the fierce battle raged, of which so much has been written. General Martin cheered his men, and their enthusiasm was great. Mostly armed with smooth-bore muskets, they poured an incessant fusilade of buck and ball into the brave lines that charged and re-charged, and fell, many of them, on our works. The "slaughter was terrific. I did not see one man on our side falter. It was a great victory from the start, but deeply saddened by the death of Colonel A. D. Moore, of the Sixty-sixth, killed by a sharpshooter after the charge a noble, brilliant, gallant young officer.

A few days afterwards, meeting a Federal surgeon under flag of truce while burying the dead in front of Martin's Brigade, he told me that his command Corcoran's Irish Legion from New York had but twelve men who escaped death or wounds in that charge, our buck-shot peppering nearly all of them. No men or officers ever made a braver charge than did these Federals on the 3d of June. But the flame of continuous fire from Martin's Brigade was too much for them or any men to overcome, and our line would not vifld an inch. My position in the centre and on a ridge gave me a splendid view of the grand encounter, and I could see the battle far down to the left. Never will the inspiring sight be effaced from my memory. For about ten days we remained in these trenches, en- during and exchanging the sharp-shooting combat, strengthening the works in every way possible, as General Lee fully believed Grant would assault him again at this same point. It was very uncomfor- table and beginning to be quite warm and dusty, and good water was scarce. But General Lee caused full rations of onions to be issued, causing the men to cheer as if they had gained another victory.

While occupying the trenches at Cold Harbor, our headquarters 13