Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/82

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reports were made of this by Lieutenant Roulhac, but apparently no steps were taken to oppose or prevent the movement. After several messages had been sent, Captain Sterling H. Gee, inspector-general on Ransom's staff, visited the line, and directed Lieutenant Roul- hac to turn over the skirmish line to Lieutenant Bowers, and to report in person to General Ransom, commanding the division, and who had on each previous report communicated the same to Gem-nil Pickett. Proceeding to do this, he reached General Ransom and was ordered by him to find General Pickett and inform him of the condition of affairs. But by this time Warren's Infantry had struck the left of our line, and overlapped it. Colonel Clarke quickly threw back his regiment to meet this attack, and in a short time was joined by the Twenty-fifth in a similar movement; but this small force could do nothing to check such overwhelming numbers. Doubled up and overpowered, they were nearly all shot down or captured. The remainder of our line was hotly engaged with two lines of battle in their front, which had driven in our pickets, and advanced to the attack of our main line. Running over the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth, and driving the Fifty-sixth from their flank and rear, the enemy was upon us, both flank and rear, protected by the woods on our left, where Clarke had been, while he still fought the line in our front. Colonel McAfee was again slightly wounded, and di- rected Lieutenant Roulhac, whom he had requested to act as adju- tant, to turn over the command to Captain Chambers. As quick as he could be reached, the regiment was moved by Captain Cham- bers out of the works, at right angles to its former front. In this Colonel Benbow, commanding Wallace's South Carolina Brigade, lent the assistance of one regiment, all he could spare from the right of his command, the Thirty-fifth North Carolina and the remainder of his brigade remaining to hold our front line. The enemy was upon us in a few moments, and were discovered in our rear, as we then faced, moving in line of battle. We were penned like rats in a hole, but the old regiment which Ramseur formed, and Fleming, Davis and Chambers led, still fought with desperation, and though its ranks were thinning fast, the survivors held their ground and did not yield. A slight attempt was now made to reinforce us by another regiment from Wallace's Brigade and one of Pickett's regiments, which tried to reach us on our left and extend our new line, but the enemy was pouring down upon us, and the succor could never reach us. At this time Captain Chambers was severely wounded in the head by a minnie ball, and turning the command over to Adjutant