Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 24.djvu/207

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on tin- last remaining rifle pits on Himlman Hill. That we . u i it-d. and the enemy fled to the shelter of Fort Curtis. On aban- doning the mins to us the Missouri novices had the cunning to spike the pieces, or we would have turned them upon the walls of Fort Curtis. It was while attempting to drill out one of the guns for a shot at the old flag that I lost my arms by a shell from the gunboat. My hands were together in a line, and all at once I wondered why I could not twist the worm I had held a second before. Men who sau me say I stared and grinned like a madman, not knowing what had happened. When at last I realized what had happened, I ran for- ward in the charge with our men toward the ditch of the fort. Not only the gunboat tire, but that of the fort itself, \vhich was bastioned, raked the walls, and our men were terribly repulsed. There was no hope but surrender, and our sharpshooters back in the rear shot down every man who attempted to go into the enemy's lines. So we were between two fires. We might have been saved yet had not Price's men made a terrible -blunder. They were ordered to carry Graveyard Hill, which they did most gallantly, and instead of press- ing on in our Hank and rear to support us in the assault of Fort Cur- tis, they passed on to the town itself. Seeing no way of escape to the rear of our column, I joined them, and lay for three hours in a house by the wayside, where my wounds were dressed by a surgeon.

" Meantime the gunboat firing and the fusillade from Fort Curtis sweeping the ground over which we had charged, retreat over the same line was out of the question. I made my way towards the out- posts on the north, and had the good luck to fall in with Marma- duke's cavalry, which had charged upon the battery north of the town. I struck Shelby's brigade, and that ended my adventures that terrible Fourth of July; but as I have talked chiefly of my deeds and those of my own command. I wish to add a little incident to show that heroes were all over the field that day. Shelby had with him that famous battery of flying artillery, manned by ' Dick ' Collins, and known on all the border for the spirit with which it entered a fight. Collins' guns always went in on a charge with the squadrons.

" On moving out that day toward the battery assigned him to cap- ture Battery A, Shelby found the road barricaded, and Collins quick- ly cut loose the teams and his gunners hauled the pieces around the obstructions by hand, letting the horses pick their way. Shelby ad- vanced too far without support, and the guns of a field battery, as well as those of Fort Curtis and the gunboat Tyler, opened on his brigade. A counter charge followed; Shelby was wounded and the