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 Boy Heron /,/ //.//-W. 285

just as that battle opened, being too weak to walk I was directed by General Gregg to serve upon his staff, as doing so allowed me to re- in, lin on horseback, when the field officers of regiments were ordered to dismount upon going into action. It thus happened that I was separated from the regiment at the time though within a few yards of it, and did not actually see what took place in the now famous incident of the destruction of our color guard, and the repeated upr.tising and upholding of our colors. I am, however, I believe, fully informed of the occurrences, and the following account is con- firmed by my comrades here Captains James Armstrong, William Aiken Kelly, N. Ingraham Hasell, C. J. C. Hutson and Dr. Francis L. Frost.
 * ml the city began, and tlvnigh I managed to get out in a carriage

In regard to the formation of the color guard about which you inquire, I must tell you that our color guard was composed of a color sergeant, who bore the regimental colors, a corporal who bore the battle flag, and one corporal from each of the remaining eight companies. The color guard thus consisting in all of ten men. As the color guard forms the color line on which the regimental line is formed, and as it is the most dangerous because the most conspicu- ous part of a regiment, and indeed that upon which the whole forma- tion is made, none but the best soldiers are detailed for this duty. Upon the organization of our regiment, Colonel Maxcy Gregg ap- pointed young James Taylor, from Columbia, your kinsman, a noble and gallant youth, color sergeant, and Corporal William Gregg, of Marion, bearer of the battle flag. I will mention here at once that Corporal Gregg was sick in Richmond at the time, but endeavoring notwithstanding to join his regiment, missed his way, and failing to find it, joined another regiment, and was killed, thus sharing the fate and glory of his comrades though upon another part of the field.

As I have said, a regiment is formed upon the color guard, the com- panies by rule (not always, however, followed), ranging from right to left and centre, by seniority of the captains; the senior captain on the right, the next on the left, and the third, whose company is known as the color company, in the centre.

The alignment which, however, obtained in our regiment, and which was never changed during the war, was from right to left, as follows :

(i) The Richland Volunteers, Company C, Captain Cordero; (2) the Barnwell Company, Company A, Captain C. W. McCreary; (3)