Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 32.djvu/346

 334 Southern Historical Society Papers.

Frederick City. Here we rested for four or five days, and finally took up our line of march, following Stonewall Jackson's Corps down to Harper's Ferry, where we occupied the Maryland Heights, assisting in the capture of General Miles' garrison, numbering some 12,000 men, besides seventy-three pieces of artillery, 13,000 small arms and a large quantity of military stores. We did not tarry long at Harper's Ferry, but marching all night on the i6th, up the Vir- ginia shore, recrossed the Potomac at Shephardstown and arrived upon the battlefield of Sharpsburg, or Antietarn, early on the morn- ing of the iyth of September, 1862. I was wounded soon after we got under the enemy's fire, compelled to retire from the field, and cannot, therefore, speak of the issue of the memorable engagement.

Our army came back to old Virginia, barefooted and footsore. We camped near Winchester, and there made moccasins out of raw- hides, to cover blistered and bleeding feet. When I next rejoined the command it was camped near Fredericksburg, facing Burnside's army on the opposite side of the Rappahannock river, just after the battle of Marye's Heights. Here we went into winter quarters, about the 2Oth of January, 1863, at which time General Featherstone was relieved from the command of the brigade, and Colonel Carnot Posey, of the i6th Mississippi, promoted and assigned to his place. Never shall I forget the noble-hearted chanty of the brigade to the Fredericksburg sufferers, our brigade having subscribed $2,287 f r their relief, savings out of the scanty pay of the soldiers.

About the ist of February, 1863, Captain Joseph W. Jayne, of the i8th Mississippi, was appointed colonel of the 48th Mississippi, and the gallant young Manlove, of Vicksburg, lieutenant-colonel.

After the battle of Sharpsburg new flags were presented to the different regiments composing Featherstone's Brigade, which, by the fortunes of war, had lost their colors. But the "Bloody Twelfth' ' preferred to retain her old battle flag, with thirty-five bullet holes through it, which told in silence the story of its memorable deeds. Our brigade marched through the snow from Fredericksburg to the United States ford, on the Rappahannock river, where we were as- signed to outpost duty. There we remained until the ist of May, when " Fighting Joe Hooker" commenced his onward march to Richmond. We were the first to begin the battles of the Wilder- ness. On Friday evening, May i, we repulsed the enemy's skir- mishers and drove a column, numbering three times our number, pell-mell before us. Again, on Sunday morning, May 3, Posey's Brigade charged the enemy in their breastworks before Chancel-