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Alexander's battalion of artillery, which I joined in the spring of 1863, had gained renown under
Colonel, afterward
Lieutenant-General,
Stephen D. Lee, especially at
Second Manassas and
Sharpsburg.
This renown was increased under the command of
Colonel E. Porter Alexander, afterward brigadier-general and chief of artillery of
Longstreet's corps.
He had graduated No. 3 at
West Point, in 1857, and entered the Engineer Corps of the United States Army.
He was more consulted by
General Lee than any other artillery officer in the
Confederate service.
In later life he became president of several railroads, Government director of the Union Pacific Railroad, and engineer arbitrator of the boundary survey between
Costa Rica and
Nicaragua.
The battalion was composed of six batteries--two more than customary--four
Virginia, one
South Carolina and one
Louisiana.
Together with the more noted Washington Artillery of New Orleans, with four batteries, it composed the reserve artillery of
Longstreet's corps, Army of Northern Virginia.
They were called the “reserve” because they were not specially attached to any division, but kept for use whenever and wherever wanted.
Hence the battalion explanation that “we ere called ‘reserve ’ because never in reserve.”
After taking part in the
battle of Chancellorsville, our battalion was moved down to
Milford, Caroline County, to refit.
On June 3d commenced the forward march that ended at
Gettysburg.
When we went into action there, July 2d, just south of the peach orchard, the batteries actually charged, action front, with a front of over four hundred yards--the finest sight imaginable on a battlefield.
One of the batteries, which was short-handed, had borrowed five men from the adjacent
Mississippi regiment.
In the fight two were killed and
