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

[148] order. The remaining four companies of the regiment I placed in the ravine in front of the crossing, posting one where the river road crosses Deep Run, to guard the point against any sudden move of the enemy. The companies, thus stationed, remained in the position above described until about noon, when two regiments came to reenforce me, one forming on my right, the other on my left. The ground which three of my companies occupied being embraced in the positions of the above-mentioned regiments, I brought them in, and remained in position to resist the crossing or advance of the enemy until half past 3 P. M., when Colonel De Saussure, commanding the reenforcements sent me, communicated to me an order from General Kershaw to fall back to the river road, about one hundred and fifty yards to our rear, leaving one company, (C,) Captain Cassell's, in the ravine, with instructions to fire on the enemy as he advanced. This order was executed. The enemy crossed in our front between sundown and dark, and, advancing his skirmishers, encountered Captain Cassell's company, who fired on them and retired, in obedience to their instructions.

It is but just to state that all the above movements, after daylight, were performed under a destructive fire of the numerous guns of the enemy posted on the opposite side of the river, and that all the dangerous duties assigned them were performed, by officers and men, with the steadiness of veterans.

I am, General, very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

General: In obedience to orders contained in circular of this date, requiring the commanders of regiments, battalions, and batteries, to make reports of the engagements of their commands in the late action in front of Fredericksburg, I submit the following report:

On the morning of the eleventh December instant, on hearing the signal guns, I formed my regiment, and, in obedience to your orders, formed my command on your left, occupying a good position on the Telegraph road, at the point where the open sands connect with the woods.

I kept this position, with but little change, till one o'clock P. M. on the thirteenth, when, in obedience to your order, I moved my command, left in front, following Colonel Kennedy's (Second) regiment, by a tortuous and difficult way, to the open sand on Marye's Hill. As soon as we reached the open space on the hill, by order of Colonel Kennedy, I formed my command on his right. The two commands were then, by order of Colonel Kennedy, moved rapidly to the front. On reaching the crest of the hill in front, (my right resting on a line with the cemetery,) we came to troops lying on the ground and firing to the front. Believing this to be a portion of General Cobb's brigade who had been driven from their position, I halted my command, and went myself to the front, to get a view of the road in front of Marye's Hill. Finding General Cobb's brigade in position in the road, I caused my command to cease firing, (they had, without orders, opened fire on the advancing Yankee lines,) and moved it rapidly to the road. I formed it on the Twenty-fourth Georgia regiment, then in position behind the stone fence. Without much change, we kept this position till the evening of the sixteenth. By your order I was permitted to form my command in four ranks on Colonel De Saussure's (Fifteenth) regiment, my right resting on the Twenty-fourth Georgia regiment till the evening of the fourteenth, when that regiment was relieved by the Tenth Georgia regiment of General Semmes's brigade.

On the evening of the thirteenth, the enemy attempted several times to advance on our position, but succeeded only in reaching a defile, two hundred yards in front, which concealed them from view from our position. Notwithstanding the long range, I believe we did the enemy much injury on his march to the defile above alluded to.

On the fourteenth, we confined our fire to select parties of the enemy.

On the fifteenth and sixteenth, I have little of interest to record in connection with my command.

I was much pleased with the conduct of my command. For casualties, I beg leave to refer you to report made yesterday. Of the thirty-one killed and disabled, we lost twenty-eight in reaching our position.

I am, General, very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

Sir: In compliance with instructions from headquarters, I have the honor to report that, on Saturday morning, the eleventh instant, the Fifteenth regiment South Carolina volunteers moved down the Bowling Green road to the support of the picket at the Ferneyhough farm, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Luse, Eighteenth Mississippi, and was formed on the right, upon the edge of Deep Run, in front of the road, with the Sixteenth Georgia, Colonel Bryan, on the left of Lieutenant-Colonel Luse. The command remained in that position, with three companies thrown forward towards the river as skirmishers, until ordered to retire to the Bowling Green road by General Kershaw, late in the day. The regiment remained on picket all night, until five o'clock A. M., Friday morning, when, by order of