Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 35.djvu/119

Rh the cartridge home, and ran up to Captain Parker exclaiming: "Captain, the Yankees are running, let us give thanks." The Captain replied: "No, ram that shell down and let 'em have it, and we will thank God after awhile." The colonel, who was near the gun, and who was at that time a religious man, went up to the Captain and putting his hand on the Captain's shoulder said, "Captain,, was not that remark rather disrespectful to God?" He replied, "You wicked man, I would rather have had any man in the Southern Confederacy have, heard me make that remark than you." I was proud of my "boy company," but did not relax in my drilling or discipline on the march; and while I could see a partial change toward their commander, I could see that I still had their dislike and that they thought I was too partial to their company, and would prefer that I would be more attentive to the other three batteries of the battalion. President Davis said of Colonel Lee in this battle: "I have reason to believe that at the last great conflict on the field of Manassas, he served to turn the tide of battle and consumate the victory." It was not of Colonel Lee, but his splendid battalion of artillery, including the "boy company," that turned the tide of battle.

Not long after the battle of the Second Manassas came Sharpsburg, for one day the bloodiest battle of the entire war. Here, as at the battle of the Second Manassas, the battalion of artillery was in the thickest of the battle, near the Dunker Church, close to the bloody cornfield and the "bloody angle." The artillery was in the open field, and besides facing the battle of the enemy in front, was enfiladed by heavy Parrott guns far across Antietam Creek. The battalion of five batteries was almost wrecked on the bloody field, fully one-third of the men and horses were killed and wounded; over 85 men and 100 horses lying around the guns. The "boy company" were real heroes; notwithstanding 30 of their number were dead or wounded around their guns, they never flinched. With difficulty the battalion of artillery was relieved early in the morning of September 17th, and moved a short distance to the rear to refit and replenish with ammunition. While refitting, my heart went out to the brave boys, whose nerves I could see could not be otherwise than shocked and rattled; after refitting I found that only two guns out of the four carried into battle in the morning could