Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 24.djvu/93

 ,.t .xw,i,-'.v Creek.

and the enemy turned l>a<-k to report, General Hunton soon rode

up, and placing himself at the head of his brigade, led them down the hill. acros> a Miiall stn-am. and up the opposite hill until we struck the woods. There we filed to the right, and formed in line of battle in the ed-^e of the woods. Just in front of us was a narrow strip of cleared land covered with broom-sedge, and beyond that the woods be^an a^ain and extended around to our right. Our left rested on the road on which we had been marching. We had scarcely gotten into position, with a line of skirmishers thrown out, before the cav- alry appeared in heavy force in the woods opposite, and bore down upon us. They had gotten into the habit of riding over our infantry, and they evidently expected to ride over us. Our skirmishers emp- tied their muskets at them, and then dropped down into the thick broom sedge to reload, while our main line fired over their heads at the advancing cavalry. The fire was too hot for them, and very few emerged from the woods.

ORDERED A CHARGE.

Seeing this, General Hunton ordered a charge. It was an inspir- ing sight to see those nearly half-starved men move with quick step across that narrow field and into the woods beyond, and drive Sheri- dan's brag cavalry back untill they had forced them out of the woods, across another field, and out of the road which they had captured. Having recovered the road, our line of battle was formed in the road, with the fence-rails thrown down and piled up on the side next to the enemy. The road-cut itself furnished us on the right the very best protection. There we took our stand, and kept the enemy at bay, in spite of the most desperate attempts on their part to drive us away, or to force us to surrender. An open field was in our immediate front, leading down to a long stretch of woods beyond. Over this field the cavalry charged time and again, now on horseback, now on foot; but each time they advanced, they recoiled before the well directed musketry fire that greeted them. In one of these charges about a dozen of their men dashed around Corse's Brigade on our left, and came charging down in the rear of our line, shooting and yelling like demons. It was their last charge. All of them were killed, one being knocked from his horse by one of our ambulance corps, and his head crushed with a stretcher. Thus the battle went on for some hours, untill the enemy ceased their assaults in front and began to overlap and threaten our right.