Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 31.djvu/292

 284 Southern Historical Society Papers.

was fought, followed by bloody battles again on the nth and i8th. In all the desperate fighting in Spotsylvania the Crenshaw Battery was always in- the forefront, and always acquitted itself nobly.

It did the same thing again at Jericho Ford, on the North Anna, on the 23d of May, and on down at Turkey Ridge on the Qth of June, on the route to

PETERSBURG,

around which city, at Battery No. 40, on the 22d of July, Archer's Farm on the i2th, I3th, i8th, and igth of August, Davis House 2 ist of August, Jones House 3Oth of September, Squirrel Level Road ist of October, Pegram (or Dabney) House 2d of October, Burgess' Mill 2yth of October, Jarratt's Depot loth of December, Crow House 6th of February, 1865, Hatcher's Run yth February, Five Forks April ist, Appomattox April 8th.

Although but brief mention is made of these sixteen or seventeen battles around Petersburg, they were regular pitched battles, in which large numbers of troops were engaged, and where some as hard and desperate fighting was done as occurred on any field dur- ing the war. It was the series of battles which occurred when Grant was trying to get possession of the Southside Railroad. Wherever a battery or section of artillery was needed, at morn, noon or night, the Crenshaw Battery was hardly ever overlooked.

In the two last named battles Five Forks and Appomattox the part played by the company deserves more than a passing notice.

From incessant marching and fighting we were pretty well fagged out when we got to Five Forks, but there we found long lines of in- fantry (Warren's Corps) and Sheridan's cavalry, and fight we must. Lines of battle were soon formed and the Crenshaw Battery ordered to follow the cavalry over Stony creek, who were to attack Sheri- dan's cavalry, which was done in gallant style, and they were driven nearly to Dinwiddie Courthouse. But they wouldn't stay "driven," and were back again the next day, when the battery was put in po- sition in a road overlooking the Gilliam field, supported by Pickett's Division. In fact the battery was placed among Corse's Brigade, with the left gun, and with two guns commanded by Lieutenant Early, in the five forks of the road, from which the place takes it* name. We hadn't long to wait for the approach of the enemy. In a few minutes the whole of Gilliam's field in front of us was filled with blue horsemen, and they made a straight dash for our lines. The well-directed fire of our guns, with the aid of Corse's men, soon