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

[433] Farrow, they were ordered by Major-General Hill to take a position considerably to the right of my brigade, in support of the brigades of Generals Anderson and Fields. At the close of the battle,having united with the First rifles, the whole under Colonel Hamilton, they bivouacked on their ground. In the progress of the battle, after the wound received by Colonel Barnes, the Twelfth regiment having suffered heavy loss, and being in difficult grounds, became somewhat separated; but portions of the regiment, falling in with other commands, continued the fight to the end. Captain Booker's company then joined, and fought in company with Colonel James Canty's regiment from Alabama.

The part taken by Captain Crenshaw's battery was important at the beginning, but became more so after the infantry had become so severely engaged, and after two regiments and the greater part of the Third had been moved to the right, leaving the original position of the brigade to be held by a comparatively small force of infantry. The fire of the battery was well aimed and rapid, and the position, under an exceedingly heavy fire from the enemy, was maintained with great gallantry. At one time, very heavy bodies of infantry were to be seen in the open field beyond the ravine and to our right, drawn up in many lines, and apparently preparing for a formidable advance. Captain Crenshaw's guns, directed on the masses, caused them quickly to disappear, sheltering themselves in the long hollow which ran through the field, and rendered the enemy's position so strong. At a late hour, a large body of troops was seen to our left beyond a house in front. This was the point at which we thought it probable that General Jackson's troops would emerge from the woods and attack the enemy in flank; but upon watching the body of troops before me for a short time I became satisfied that they belonged to the enemy, and threatened a dangerous assault on our left, where it was weak. I therefore ordered Captain Crenshaw to fire upon them. Very soon a staff officer of General Ewell came up to insist on stopping this fire, as General Ewell believed the troops before us were friends. I caused the fire to be suspended for a few moments; but being fully satisfied, by further observation, my first conclusion was right, I directed Captain Crenshaw to resume the fire, which he did with good aim, dispersing the enemy quickly. General Ewell was afterward fully satisfied with the correctness of this course. At one time during the action, and before firing on the troops mentioned, Captain Crenshaw, with my approval, withdrew the battery, some distance to the rear, to rest for three quarters of an hour. For a part of the time during the action, two or three batteries were firing on him at once; at last two of the pieces having been disabled by the breaking of the axles, and the other two having become too hot to fire, and many men and horses killed or disabled, I directed Captain Crenshaw to withdraw his battery from the field, which he did by moving the two disabled pieces by hand, and using the horses with most of the other guns. Captain Crenshaw was immediately replaced by Captain Marmaduke Johnson, whom General Lee ordered forward on my application for another battery. Captain Johnson, who had already been at an early hour in the morning at Mechanicsville, proud of the efficiency of his battery by silencing the artillery of the enemy opposite to him, entered on this second conflict with great vigor. Three batteries opened upon him, and he was exposed to an incessant shower of rifle balls. He silenced one of the enemy's batteries by the use of round shot, and kept up the contest hotly with the others. In a short time — I think about twenty minutes--twenty of his men and ten horses were killed or wounded, and his battery was disabled. Under this severe fire his men stood to their guns like veterans, till I ordered the battery to be withdrawn, in order to replace it by a section of that of Captain McIntosh, sent forward by General Lee, at my request.

Captain McIntosh had hardly taken his position when his horse was shot under him. Like Captain Johnson, Captain McIntosh had already proved the efficiency of his battery at Mechanicsville, having opened the fight and been hotly engaged the evening before, and having resumed it in the morning, until all his ammunition was expended, and he was obliged to go back for a further supply. When Captain McIntosh took his position, he found the view of the enemy's position too much obstructed by smoke and dust to allow him to aim at any object. He fired two or three rounds, but no artillery replied to him. He then, by my direction, withdrew his guns some distance to the rear, to remain in readiness for further orders.

It was now toward sunset, and from this time until half past 8 o'clock, when the enemy were driven from the field, under the repeated attacks of large bodies of fresh troops, the regiments of my brigade were engaged at different points, as I have stated above.

I, A. C. Haskell, certify, on honor, that the original, of which the foregoing is a copy, was found among General Gregg's papers. I am well acquainted with General Gregg's handwriting, and I know the said report to be in his proper hand-writing. No further report of the operations around Richmond can be found among General Gregg's papers.

sir: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by the different regiments composing my brigade at the time, on the twenty-fifth, and twenty-sixth, and twenty-seventh of last month:

On the twenty-fourth ultimo the brigade left Petersburg for Richmond, with orders to report to