Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/204

 198 Southern Historical Society Papers.

To the field officers of the regiments was largely due the efficiency of Martin's Brigade. Colonel William F. Martin, Lieutenant-Colo- nel Thomas H. Sharpe, Lieutenant-Colonel John C. Lamb, and Major Lucius J. Johnson, of the Seventeenth; Colonel John E. Brown, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles W. Bradshaw, and Major T. J. Brown, of the Forty-second; Colonel A. D. Moore, Colonel John H. Nethercutt, Lieutenant-Colonel Clement G. Wright, and Major David S. Davis, of the Sixty-sixth, were each and all brave, intelli- gent, faithful, and true under all circumstances. Nearly all of these are now ' ' resting from their labors. ' '

This communication will be followed by a sketch of the operations of Kirkland's Brigade in North Carolina. Respectfully,

CHARLES G, ELLIOTT,

Late Captain and A. A. G.

[From the New Orleans Picayune, January 26, 1896.]

THE DONALDSONVILLE ARTILLERY AT THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG.

Editor Picayune :

When, in the middle of that dark night, we heard the signal of those three guns fired in rapid succession, we hastened to take the position on the line which had been assigned to us. At the same time the enemy opened a brisk cannonade, which lasted only a few minutes. Evidently he was already up and getting ready for that battle which was to make the i3th of December, 1862, so memorable.

Of the 190,000 men thus awakened before the sun had risen, 2,145 were going to die before that sun would set.

Our six guns had been posted in extended order. One was placed on Marye's Hill, immediately on the left of the plank road leading to Fredericksburg. Immediately on the right of that road stood our old friends, the Washington Artillery. About four hundred yards to the left was our Gun No. 4.

This gun was a United States three-inch rifle, captured in one of the battles around Richmond. It still bore, written on its stock, the name of General George A. McCall, who was made prisoner in the same battle, together with many of his men.