Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/87

 The Battle of Cold Harbor. 81

friends and well-beloved brothers, we learned afterwards that this doctor paid no attention whatever to Sergeant Wilson. P'ortunately In- found friends among our own people who had known him when we wen- among them the previous year, who took care of him and nuiM-d him back to health and strength.

THE COLONEL FORGOT THEM.

We remained on the north side of Bull Run for two or three days, not less than eight miles in advance of General Jackson's corps, who, in the mean time, after destroying the stores at Manassas, had taken position near the Stone Bridge, where the battle of July 21, 1861, had been fought and won; and there awaited the approach of the enemy. General Pope had by this time recovered from the stupor into which he had been thrown by Jackson's advance to his rear, and was concentrating his forces to attack Jackson before the arrival of General Lee, who was hastening to his relief with Longstreet's corps. While we were on the north side of Bull Run we had one active, small skirmish with the enemy, in which not much damage \\.is done on either side, as well as I can remember. On one occa- sion five of us were lelt on picket while the regiment was moving forward. The colonel forgot to relieve us, or, perhaps, could not because of the interposition of the enemy between us. The enemy were all around us. We soon found it was unsafe to remain where we were, and almost equally so to keep the road; so, unlike the boy on the burning deck, and remembering the old adage that " He who fights and runs away, will live to fight another day," we left our post without orders, and concealed ourselves in the woods for the balance of the night, and waited for the morning with some anxiety; and then continued our march, and, after passing several small parties of the enemy, whose acquaintance we did not stop to make, rejoined our regiment late in the evening, much to their relief. They had begun to think we were gone up. We recrossed Bull Run and joined the army, which was then fiercely engaged in the battles of the 29th and 3Oth of August, and did little more during those two days than guard the left flank of Jackson's corps and report the movement of the enemy.

In Jackson's corps there was a company of railroad men, which had been organized in 1861 at Harper's Ferry and its vicinity. When talking with some of them while we were lying around Manas- sas idle and inactive for so long a time more than seven months 6