Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 24.djvu/340

 332 Southern JJi*l<>ri',-.

artillery at every individual soldier who dared expose himself. When Colonel Lane, then in command of the brigade, General Branch having been killed at Sharpsburg, called to a litter to know who had been wounded and received the reply: "Lieutenant Long, of your regiment," he approached and expressed the hope that the lieutenant was not seriously hurt. The latter replied: "I have been shot in the back; the ball has gone through me and I am mortally wounded." Taking his colonel's hand, he put it inside of his shirt on the slug which was under the skin of his breast, and added: " I am a young man. I entered the army because I thought it right, and I have tried to discharge all my duties." Then that young hero, with his colonel's hand still on that fatal slug, asked in a most touching tone: " Though I have been shot in the back, will you not bear record, when I am dead, that I was always a brave soldier under yu ? "

After this fight the regiment went into camp near Castleman's Ferry, or Snicker's Gap, in Clarke county, Va., where it remained for some time, doing picket duty in snow-storms and freezing weather. It subsequently camped near Winchester, where it re- mained until Jackson's Corps moved to Fredericksburg, November 22d. There it remained but a short time, and then took part in the great battle near that town, December 13, 1862. It held an ad- vanced, open, unfortified position on the railroad, and fought with great coolness and gallantry, using all of its ammunition, including that from the boxes of its dead and badly wounded. All this, when the right flank of the brigade had been turned by a large force of the enemy going through that unfortunate opening and catching the intended support for the brigade with its arms stacked. After handsomely repulsing two lines of battle in its front, it was forced to retire before the third. Its loss was sixteen killed and forty-nine wounded.

In this fight, Private Martin, of Company C, coolly sat on the track and called to his comrades to watch the Yankee colors, then fired and down they went. This was done repeatedly. Captain Lovell, of Company A, the right company of the regiment, stood on the track all the time, waving his hat and cheering his men, and strange to say, neither he nor Martin was struck.

After the battle, when Captain Holland, of Company H, congrat- ulated General Lane on his escape, he added: "And I am indebted to a biscuit for my own life." Running his hand into his haversack, he drew forth a camp buscuit about the size of a saucer, cooked without salt or "shortening" of any kind, and looking like horn