Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 32.djvu/243

 Battle of Cedar Creek. 231

" it was not thought advisable to move it against this strong posi- tion. * * * The infantry remained quiet until by a concentrated fire of the artillery the 6th Corps was dislodged. * * The divis- ion was reformed and rested upwards of an hour. * * * The enemy had again made a stand about three-quarters of a mile in advance. * * * Here again we halted perhaps for an hour." These affairs and halts, unordered by Early, tell why our " advance" was not "continuous." The experience of the brigade of Ker- shaw Humphrey's connecting with Ramseur, is remembered by the writer as similar to this. After the rout of Crook on the east of the pike, about 7 A. M., Kershaw led his division across it to assail the igth Corps. This brought on a serious fight, in which the Mississippi brigade was repulsed. The other brigades of the division, except Wofford, coming in on our left, the enemy was forced to withdraw. We followed up with halting and fighting, much as told in General Grimes' report of Ramseur' s division, which he commanded after that officer fell.

WHAT THE CASUALTY LISTS INDICATE.

The casualty lists of the Confederates are very imperfect, but enough is given, with the Federal losses, to dispel the idea that our advance was unresisted. Of Early' s corps proper the losses are given for only one brigade Grimes' (North Carolina) of Ramseur' s division. It lost 119 men killed and wounded. Three brigades of Kershaw' s division sustained losses as follows: Connor's (South Carolina), killed and wounded, 185, missing, 205; Simms' (Geor- gia), "about 200 killed and wounded." This probably includes the "missing." Humphrey's, 117 killed and wounded, 67 missing; most of the missing were killed or wounded. The brigades were all small. Connor had about 1,250 officers and men in line; Simms about 600, and Humphreys about 500. It will be readily seen that their casualties, while not extraordinarily heavy for Confederate troops, do not sustain the character of the advance as pictured in Gordon's war reminiscences. They were mostly sustained before the evening fight and rout. The casualties of the Union troops tell with even greater emphasis that they were in a fight as well as a foot race. The Sixth corps lost 2,126; the Nineteenth, 2,368; the Eighth, 960; cavalry, 196 total, 5,665; of which over 4,000 were killed and wounded. The Nineteenth corps losses were practically all sustained in the morning, when assailed by Kershaw.