Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 9.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[426] eager to advance upon the enemy. Captain Smith and his company (Third Richmond howitzers) could not have acted better. I regret to say that our loss in killed and wounded was comparatively heavy. A list of casualties is herewith appended. Major Lilly, who was in command of the Twelfth Mississippi regiment, was wounded while gallantly and coolly discharging his duties at the head of the regiment, and retiring from the field, left the command to the Senior Captain, (Thomas.) Major Mullins, commanding the Nineteenth Mississippi regiment, displayed coolness, courage, and skill in the command of his regiment. The Mississippi battalion, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel John G. Taylor, could not have had a more gallant and skilful officer to direct its movements. I am also much indebted to my volunteer Aids, Captain Parker and Lieutenants Sykes and Redding, for their valuable services on that occasion. They were always ready to execute, with coolness and despatch, any orders delivered to them. I regret very much that my Assistant Adjutant-General, Captain George P. Foote, who had been by my side all the time on the field, was killed in this engagement. He fell while gallantly leading one of the regiments in the charge far in advance of the main line. In his fall the army has lost a gallant and skilful officer, society has lost one of its most perfect members, and the Southern Confederacy one of its most promising young men.

For a list of those who particularly distinguished themselves in the fight, as well as the casualties, I refer you to the lists furnished by regimental commanders, herewith attached.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

sir: About eleven o'clock, on the twenty-seventh June, after crossing Beaver Dam Creek, my brigade moved forward, with General Longstreet's division, in the direction of Gaines's farm, or Cold Harbor. The division was halted near Hogan's farm. Soon after the division was halted, General Pryor was ordered forward with his brigade to Gaines's house to drive back some skirmishers and a body of the enemy, supposed to be in a skirt of wood near the house. General Wilcox and myself were ordered forward with our brigades to support him, the balance of the division remaining in a line at Hogan's farm.

General Pryor advanced--General Wilcox and my brigade close in his rear. After a sharp skirmish, the enemy was handsomely driven from the skirt of woods by General Pryor's brigade.

The three brigades were subjected to a very heavy artillery fire from the enemy's batteries, planted on the other side of the Chickahominy. They were therefore thrown back into the woods, in rear of Gaines's house (after the skirmishers had been driven out from the skirt of woods in front) to await further orders. Here they remained until almost four o'clock in the evening, when they were ordered to advance, and unite in a joint attack upon the enemy, who were posted on our side of the Chickahominy, south-east from Gaines's house. These three brigades — Wilcox's, Pryor's, and my own — constituted the extreme right of our attacking column, and were separated some distance from the balance of our attacking forces. General Wilcox was the senior Brigadier present, and directed well the movement. The three brigades were thrown in line of battle near a ravine, where they were partially protected in front from the fire of the enemy. After they were formed in line of battle, they were ordered to move rapidly over the field in front, some six or eight hundred yards in width, to the edge of the woods, where the enemy was posted. During this advance, they were exposed to a raking fire from the enemy's artillery in front, as well as from his long-range rifles. The advance was rapidly made, with unbroken lines, displaying an order and discipline that would have been creditable to the oldest veterans. A more dangerous charge could not be made by troops than the one made by these three brigades on this occasion. The woods were reached with considerable loss in our ranks. A murderous fire was opened upon the enemy by our men, and they were driven back. Our men encountered, on entering the woods, ditches and ravines, and, in pursuing the enemy through the woods, had to ascend a steep hill; but their course was onward and steady. The enemy, fighting with great desperation, were driven gradually back from one position to another; first from the edge of the wood back behind their works on the top of the hill, and then their works were stormed and taken. Hard pressed, they were compelled to abandon their artillery, (four pieces of which were passed over by my brigade, and a number of prisoners taken by them,) and finally to flee in wild confusion. Our troops held the ground, and occupied their encampments that night. The struggle was a desperate one from the time our troops were ordered to advance until the close of the fight — about three hours. They were opposed by superior numbers, and exposed to the heaviest kind of artillery and infantry fire. While these three brigades were attacking the enemy from the direction of Gaines's house, one column was moving simultaneously on our left. Our loss was heavy in this engagement; but it is believed that the enemy suffered much more severely, notwithstanding he fought under the cover of his works, with every advantage in the ground, and with the additional advantage of the position of his artillery, which commanded the entire field occupied by our troops. I directed Captain Smith's battery to be planted on a hill not far from Gaines's farm — the most commanding position that could be found in the open field in which we were marching. From this position he fired several rounds at the enemy immediately in front, and some distance to the right, in the woods. I regretted