Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/60

 Histori<-<il

out orders I at once caused my own regiment and the one next to me, the Fifty-second, I believe, occupying the extreme right of our line, which was already being thrown into disorder, to change front to the right and charge the Federal flanking party. They were completely routed and 400 prisoners captured, more prisoners than we had men in the two regiments. We then returned to the brigade and were in the act about dark of reforming the line when I was struck with a shell which carried away a large slice of my left thigh. I was with difficulty carried off the field in a blanket, and neither I nor the surgeons of the field hospital expected that I would recover. But I did after so long a time, and rejoined the regiment the night before the lines were broken at Petersburg, the wound still not com- pletely healed. In consequence of this protracted absence I have no personal knowledge of the operations in which the regiment was engaged from the ist of October to the 2d of April.

On the ist and 2d of October the movement above referred to, of the enemy against our right, was kept up, and the brigade was more or less seriously engaged over several miles of territory outside our lines. As the result of the movement the Federal entrenchments were considerably extended on their left.

On the 2yth of October another movement to the left, with the Southside railroad as the objective point, was made by the Army of the Potomac with the whole or the most of the Second, Fifth and Ninth Corps. The Fifth and Ninth found our works in their front so strong that they did not seriously attempt to carry them; but Hancock, to the left of the Fifth and Ninth, attacked our right impetuously, yet without success. He was then in turn attacked by Hill, and a hotly contested but indecisive battle was fought in the open field at Burgess' Mill. In the night the Federals returned to their original lines, and we afterwards returned to ours.

I find it impossible to get from the records any information about the operations in which the Eleventh had a part for the remainder of the year 1864. I have the impression that the regiment was in no important engagement during the months of November and Decem- ber, but of this I am not certain. It was, of course, continuously on duty.

Both armies remained quiet during January, 1865; but with Feb- ruary, Grant resumed the anaconda process of enveloping Peters- burg preparatory to the swallowing of it and of Lee's army. On the 5th of February the Second and Fifth Corps, with a division of