Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 10.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

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[218] house. Pushing out gradually, we got the whole wood, and Captain Herbert, company D, was posted in its extreme point, companies A and B being deployed right and left of him, and the reserve of the regiment back at the Littleton house. Then commenced a night of horrors. It appears we were holding ground fought over during the day by North Carolina troops. The ground was covered with their killed and wounded, and during the livelong night the silence echoed with the long-drawn scream of the wounded as they called the number of their regiments. “Fourteenth North Carolina!” “Fourth North Carolina!” “Third North Carolina!” “Thirtieth North Carolina!” rose on all sides in terrible but plaintive tones. As far as possible they were collected and supplied with water, but many a poor fellow lay there till the light came. The morning showed how they had fought. Up the road was a worm fence covered by thick bushes of sassafras and dogwood and blackberry; charging, they had pulled out corners of this fence and leaped through the gaps.

There they lay piled, some flat, some sitting, some resting on the fence rails as they had fallen. In the open ground they lay by file and rank, each man on his face, his musket grasped in front of him, toward the foe. Within ten feet of the Yankee battery was a group which had apparently forced its way there and then all fallen dead. There were no wounded there. All night long the roll of the enemy's artillery showed they were in motion, and it was not until daylight that we could perceive certainly that they were moving from us. Colonel Johnson then ordered the skirmishers not to fire on the Yankees collecting their wounded, but only to drive back any attempted reconnoissance. Soon after daylight a squadron of cavalry rode within two hundred yards of Captain Herbert's outer post, apparently the escort of a General officer, and an officer rode forward a few yards and deliberately inspected our pickets through his glass as far as he could see them. Before he had settled himself fairly in the saddle crack went half a dozen rifles — round wheeled the horse but fell in a few jumps, and the squadron galloped off — very soon skirmishers came up and pressed us but were soon driven off. While this was going on a brigadier sent word to General Jackson that Colonel Johnson was attacking every one that came near him, and if he was not stopped would bring on a general engagement. “He's right,” said Jackson, “that's his business there, attack them whenever he sees them! that's the way!”

On the 3rd of July we marched with Ewell's division. General Early had been ordered to the command of the Old Fourth Brigade,