Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 35.djvu/373

Rh Terry and asked for orders. "Follow this road until your rear company crosses the stream, then march by the right flank and charge them." I said to him: "General, I am marching right in front; do you remember the move indicated by your order will throw my rear rank in front and put the left of each of my companies where the right should be?"

"Yes, yes, but it is quicker. Bentley is ready to charge, and has orders to close dress on your left. You must close on the creek." I rode back to the creek, about six: of my companies had crossed, when General Rosser rode up and ordered me to move at once by the right flank and charge them. I told him I would do so as soon as I had crossed my whole command; he was very impatient and rode off. As my last company crossed, I moved by the right flank, charged and immediately engaged the enemy, and soon got them on the run; we captured there just seventeen horses. As I had heard that General Terry had just had his horse killed under him, I sent him a horse, but learned from my courier that the General's leg had been broken and he had relinquished command to Colonel Mayo.

We pursued the enemy that day to Dinwiddie Courthouse, and had been continually on the run, when to our surprise, we were ordered to halt, although we could see the enemy still fleeing before us. We were kept there until late in the night, probably until long after midnight, when we were again put on the march, and to our surprise, were taken on the back track, until we reached the Dinwiddie Courthouse Road, which road we followed until we reached Five Forks, where we were halted and ordered to entrench ourselves. We felled trees and by noon had made a substantial breastwork. We could plainly hear a heavy and continuous fire some distance to our left; all sorts of rumors were afloat. At that time General Pickett was absent and no one seemed to know where he was. 'Twas said that General Bushrod Johnson, on our left, was being beaten back, and was calling for aid; again that General Munford, with two cavalry brigades, had reinforced Johnson, and in turn was driving the enemy, &c. Joe Mayo came to my headquarters and complained that as far as he knew, there were no picket's in our front. I told him there were none from my command, but that I knew there were troops in our front, and I believed the enemy, but