Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 24.djvu/215

 lery is booming, shells are shrieking and bursting, rifles are rattling, and occasionally a volley is fired. The rebel yell is now almost con- tinuous. Still, on we sweep.

There is the place, near those thick bushes, where the gallant Lieutenant Roane received a scrapnel shot in his abdomen, when one of his men, whom he had just given the flat of his sword for showing the white leather, said: " I'm mighty sorry for Lieutenant koane. but he oughn't to beat me like he did."

We are halted. There is a lull in the fire and uproar. The Light Division has been ordered to take the lead. It is beginning to get dark. We move again, and just ahead is where we came out into the plank road (I could not understand before why we came out of the fields and woods into the road, but it is all plain now we went straight, but the road makes a turn). It is there where we saw the deserted artillery, and the dead and wounded horses. All looks now just as it did then. I do not think the trees have grown a bit; even the bushes seem to be the same.

HERE IS THE PLACE.

We march by the left flank along the road a short distance, and halt, and front. Here is the place. Our left is near the brow of a low hill or rise. It is so dark that we cannot see a man across the road. Lane's skirmishers are in front and open fire just abreast of our left flank.

In a short while a wounded man is borne along towards the rear, just behind our regiment. Several men were holding him up, and he was trying to walk, when brave Sergeant Tom Fogg recognized him, and said: "Great God, it is General Jackson!" Then the order is given to deploy the regiment as skirmishers, and almost immediately the road was swept by such a destructive artillery fire as can only be imagined. I don't believe the like was ever known before or since.

The darkness and the fire combined render it impossible to exe- cute the movement. The men drop on the ground. Colonel Mai- lory calls upon the officers to do their duty (the last words he ever spoke). My company, which was the right company of the regi- ment, was wheeled to the left and marched through the storm dov n to the color line. How beautifully the company responded to their captain's orders. They were heroes among heroes. The captain intended to deploy by the right flank as soon as he reached the color