Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 10.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[147] line, and the ranks made complete. When the line reached the top of the hill, the order to fire was given, and the effects must have been terrible, as the shots were delivered coolly and with an evident intention to kill. About this time, Colonel James D. Nance fell, wounded in the thigh. Not long afterwards, Lieutenant-Colonel William D. Rutherford fell, shot through the right side, and not long afterwards, Major Robert C. Maffet was disabled by a ball through his arm. Here, too, Captain Rutherford P. Todd, who was acting as a field officer, was disabled by a ball in an artery of the right arm. Colonel James D. Nance, while lying down wounded, suggested to Captain William W. Hance, then commanding, that it would be better to move the regiment back a few paces into a road, parallel to the line of battle, leading from the Marye house to a street on our left, perpendicular to our line of battle. Whilst occupying this position, a vigorous and well-directed fire was kept up on the various lines, whenever they attempted to advance or exposed themselves. Sharpshooters, posted about the Marye house, dealt constant and well-directed fire upon the enemy. Captains William W. Hance and John C. Summer both fell, while in command of the regiment, the former having his leg badly shattered, the latter killed by a grape-shot through the head. The command then devolved upon myself, being the senior officer present. About six o'clock P. M., Lieutenant A. E. Doby, aid-de-camp, delivered an order to move the regiment about a hundred yards beyond our position at the Marye house, and behind a stone fence, connecting with the left of the position of Phillips's legion. Soon afterwards an order came, through Captain C. R. Holmes, assistant adjutant-general, to throw forward skirmishers, covering the line of the regiment. Accordingly, First Lieutenant R. H. Wright, commanding Company E, was sent forward, and, as his command drew near some dwelling-houses, just in front of the regiment, he was fired upon by the enemy's sharpshooters, posted in the houses. Under these circumstances, and the further fact that night was upon us, the line of skirmishers were drawn back some considerable distance. About seven o'clock, Brigadier-General Kemper, with two hundred and ninety men from his command, by the order of Major-General Ransom, relieved this command of its position in the immediate front, and by the order of Brigadier-General Kershaw, conveyed through Adjutant G. J. Pope, the regiment was moved back over the hill occupied by our batteries, near the mill on the---- Creek, where the Third South Carolina battalion, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Rice, was posted, and there remained until the night of the fifteenth instant, when, under orders received from Brigadier-General Kershaw, the regiment was marched back into its former camp.

I cannot refrain from complimenting the command at the dauntless spirit and bravery displayed throughout by the officers and men. All seemed to realize the call made upon them, and none failed to respond.

The fire the regiment was called upon to sustain was certainly not surpassed by that at Savage Station, Maryland Heights, and Sharpsburg. The command suffered severely in killed and wounded, as the accompanying list will show. There were twenty-five killed and one hundred and forty-two wounded; total loss, one hundred and sixty-seven.

Strength--Thirty-six commissioned officers, three hundred and sixty-four enlisted men; total, four hundred.

Respectfully,

Sir: It becomes my duty to report to you the action of the Eighteenth Mississippi regiment in the late battle of Fredericksburg:

The night of the tenth instant the regiment picketed the river for about half a mile above, and a quarter of a mile below, the mouth of Deep Run; that portion of the regiment not on post being encamped at Mrs. Ferneyhough's house, on the river road. About midnight I received orders from you to double my pickets, which was immediately done. Between this time and daylight I received information from my pickets that the enemy were preparing to throw a pontoon bridge across the river, opposite the lower post, above the mouth of Deep Run. You, being present at the time, ordered me to send three companies to support Captain Govan, of the Seventeenth Mississippi regiment, above, and to take the rest of my command to the river, to guard the point at which it was reported the enemy were constructing the bridge, opposite my line. This was done at once. I went myself to examine the movements of the enemy, and heard them throw in the first boat, about half an hour before day. Judging them to be within easy range of the mouth of Deep Run, I lined the banks with sharpshooters, in addition to the pickets. Their boats were thrown in with great rapidity from this time until daylight, when I discovered that the boats had been floated down the river several hundred yards, making the place of crossing below and out of range from Deep Run. I immediately ordered my two companies of sharpshooters down to the crossing, to open fire on the enemy simultaneously with the pickets in their front, and moved up with the rest of the regiment, getting in position and removing a paling fence just as the fire was opened in front. The enemy were driven from the bridge, and their supports on the opposite side of the river broke ranks, and were with difficulty rallied. Haying accomplished this, pickets were posted near enough to watch the further movement of the enemy, with two companies concealed very near the crossing to resist any further work on the bridge or attempt to cross it, one company remaining on the upper side of Deep Run by your