Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 31.djvu/142

 134 Southern Historical Society Papers.

everyone to the direction of Drewry's Bluff. A magnificent pyra- mid of fire, shooting hundreds of feet into the dusky air, and a dull explosion, told the tale of the destruction of the last of the Confed- erate navy, except the Shenandoah, still cruising on the ocean.

Custis Lee's Division, which thus took the field for its first and last campaign, was organized as follows:

Barton's Brigade was composed of five regiments or battalions, some of which were veteran, while others, known as "Richmond Locals," had no experience in the field beyond service in the trenches. Altogether, they numbered about 1,300 for line of battle.

The so-called " Heavy Artillery Brigade" was anomalously con- stituted, being composed of six battalions, each commanded by a major, with a lieutenant-colonel over two majors. In command of the whole was Colonel S. Crutchfield, formerly Chief of Artillery to General Stonewall Jackson, and who was just recovering from a wound received when that hero fell so unhappily.

Only the Georgia Battalion, Major Bassinger, and one or two other companies, had seen field service, and they not a great deal; the rest had, for over two years, manned the guns and works around Richmond and at Chaffin's Bluff.

Most of the companies were heavy artillery by enlistment, but several were light artillery, and one was even properly a cavalry company. They were all armed with the musket, however, and formed a splendid body of men, fine material, excellently officered and disciplined. Their long inactivity had enabled them to keep their uniforms in better plight than usual, and their scarlet caps and trimmings lent a little more of the pomp and circumstance of war than was to be seen elsewhere in the Army of Northern Virginia.

They numbered about 1,400 men in line. Truly, the Confederacy never witnessed such a patched-up organization as this division, but nevertheless each component part was in a high state of efficiency, and the whole worked harmoniously together, deriving from its very peculiarities something of an esprit de corps.

About 6 o'clock the column crossed the Richmond and Peters- burg Railroad and pursued the road to Amelia Courthouse, plung- ing into almost interminable woods, and often passing over bottoms ankle-deep in mud and water, to the great discomfort of the men.

The skirmish line now overtook the command, reporting that they had succeeded in drawing off without molestation or apparent notice.

The division remained halted for about two hours at this point.