Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 38.djvu/331

 there for him. I gave him my horse, and as he rode away, leaving me there on the battlefield, I looked around for a moment, when a Georgia soldier directed my attention to a horse grazing between the two lines of battle, with saddle and bridle. I told him how dangerous it was to get that horse. He laughed and said, "It is easy." So I went upon hands and knees, keeping the horse between me and my friends, the enemy. The horse was too tired and hungry to escape. I mounted him, and, lying along his body and neck, I put both spurs into his flank and quickly had him out of range. I heard the whistle of several balls in making this run. He proved to be a good draft horse, but a poor saddle horse.

Thus with me ended the great battle day, the 2d of July. Both sides lay on their guns. General Pickett was in reserve, about four miles from the battlefield. To me, whatever was done until Pickett's charge was without note. The next day General Longstreet (Lee having consented to General Pickett that he might make the charge) took his position in full view of both lines, and upon the booming of 100 guns, which our side had placed to open upon the enemy's line. General Pickett was seen coming back in a gallop, his long black hair waving in the wind, and he was yelling, "Where is General Longstreet?" I was dispatched to intercept him, and as he approached General Longstreet in terrible agony, he cried out: "General, I am ruined; my division is gone—it is destroyed." General Longstreet consoled him by the assurance that it would not be so bad as he thought; that in a few hours he would get together quite a number of his men. What occurred after that I know not.

That night about midnight I was called to Colonel Sorrell's tent (we had headquarters near the "Black Tavern") and he told me that I was to hunt up some officers along the line and give them sealed orders. It was then drizzling and the night was dark. I had but little trouble in finding the people I was sent to, except as to Colonel Walton, Chief of Artillery, Longstreet's Corps.

On my return to the Black Horse Tavern, I found General Longstreet's wagon, and he and staff in the road, waiting on somebody or for some signal. We moved on in the rain for an hour or more. I did not know, but we had a presentment that