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

[567] movement, and almost immediately received a message by his orderly, that a brigade of General A. P. Hill's division would come up in a few moments. I had continued to press the men on, driving the enemy; and as their retreat became a run, General Branch's brigade arrived upon the extension of my line. They fired a few rounds, and then ceased for a time, and pushed on after the now flying enemy. My men being thoroughly exhausted, together with myself, the firing having ceased entirely upon this part of the field, and no enemy being in sight, I withdrew about one hundred yards, and collected the men, who had become somewhat scattered in the eagerness of the fight. There gathered with me considerable parts of the other regiments; and, having about half the brigade, and being the senior officer present, I took command, and conducted them, some half a mile farther on, to the Colonel commanding, who had halted on a hill in front, and upon the right of our position, with the remainder. We were engaged from about five P. M. until dark, and the men consumed nearly every cartridge. Their aim was steady, and their fire effective, inflicting, under my own eye, severe loss on the enemy.

My casualties, considering the continued and heavy fire to which we were subjected, were almost miraculously few, being only fifteen wounded.

The men captured a number of prisoners, and one of them, by my directions, killed a colorbearer, whose colors were left on the field, and picked up by one of General Branch's men subsequently.

My number engaged was one hundred and fifty. I left camp with one hundred and sixty, the heat causing a few to fall out of the ranks. I append a list of casualties.

It is with feelings of the highest pride that I commend the courage of both officers and men; all bore themselves nobly, and I can scarcely express my gratification at their behavior throughout the day. Nor can I mention for special commendation the name of one, either officer or private, without seeming to detract from the merits of others; but I must avail myself of the opportunity to acknowledge my indebtedness to First Lieutenant D. H. Walton, Adjutant of the regiment, and to express my high appreciation of his conspicuously gallant conduct. Having no field officer with me, (Major Holliday having been detailed for staff duty by Colonel Ronald,) I felt the need of efficient help, and the want was fully supplied by this gentleman. He executed my orders fearlessly and well; aided me in directing the fire and movements of the men, and, by personal example, cheered and encouraged them. I gladly commend him to the notice of the commanding General.

The noble courage of Major Holliday, who lost his right arm, will more properly come under the report of the brigade commander.

Respectfully submitted.

I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of my regiment at the battle near Mitchell's Station on the ninth instant.

After deploying regiment as skirmishers, as directed by the General commanding the brigade, we advanced into the woods, between us and the enemy, about two hundred yards, where the left wing, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Terrill, encountered the enemy's cavalry, consisting of a small squadron of two or three companies, that attempted to charge the line, but were driven back, with a known loss of two men and one horse killed. Farther on in the woods, the right wing came in sight of their videttes, who retired, firing at a safe distance, until they fell back to their main body, drawn up in the field beyond. When we reached the edge of the wood, I halted the line and opened fire upon the main body of their cavalry in the field, and kept it up until the rest of the brigade came up; but the distance was too great to do much execution. When the rest of the brigade came up, I was ordered to close my regiment and form on its left, which I did, and held that position, whilst it lay behind our batteries, under fire of the enemy's artillery ; and advanced with it and the Third brigade, (immediately on my left,) when ordered forward, to the crest of the hill, and opened fire upon the enemy's line, advancing through the cornfield, beyond the branch. At this point the fighting was obstinate for several minutes, the enemy advancing slowly, but steadily, until the brigade upon my left gave way and ran off the field in disorder. The panic, thus begun, was communicated to two or three regiments on my right, which also fell back, leaving my regiment and a portion of the Thirty-first Virginia, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Jackson, the only Confederate troops in that part of the field in sight of our position. Finding that one piece of artillery which had been brought up on the right, and a little in advance of my regiment, was thus placed in great jeopardy, I ordered my own and Lieutenant-Colonel Jackson's men forward to hold the enemy in check until it could be carried off. The men obeyed with alacrity, and, advancing about thirty yards, opened a well-directed fire, which had the desired effect of checking the advance of that portion of the enemy's line directly in our front, till the piece was removed. We continued to hold our position for a few moments, holding the enemy in front in check, when, finding the enemy had advanced, under cover of the woods on our left, over the ground abandoned by the Third brigade, and had crossed the road into the field considerably in rear of our position, and were pouring a very annoying fire into my left flank, and seeing no reinforcements in sight, I ordered my regiment to fall back, and carried it off obliquely to the right and rear, in tolerable order. We had no sooner given up our position