Edward Porter Alexander, Military memoirs of a Confederate: a critical narrative

[24] when the Federal attack ceased and their force was rapidly withdrawn. Two companies, however, under Captain Marye had crossed the stream, and these pursued the enemy's retreat for some distance and brought back some 20 prisoners and 100 muskets. This gave an air of victory to the termination of the infantry combat.

There then followed a sharp artillery duel, for about 45 minutes. The Federals engaged eight guns (two 20-Pr. and two 10-Pr. Parrott rifles; two 6-Pr. guns and two 12-Pr. howitzers), and fired 415 rounds. The Confederates engaged seven guns, four 6-Pr. guns and three 3-inch iron rifles, made in Richmond, firing a 6-Pr. Burton and Archer projectile. They fired 310 rounds. Our guns stood in the open plateau about 150 yards behind our infantry line, and were hidden from the enemy's view by the thin fringe of tall timber along the creek. This saved us from a speedy defeat, for our limbers and caissons were without cover until Longstreet ordered them brought forward on the flanks, and kept them behind the trees. Thus neither of the combatants could see more of the other than the smoke of his guns, and the fire was but little better than random.

Our guns belonged to the Washington Arty. of New Orleans, the oldest and best drilled organization of artillery in the Confederacy, and it illustrates the lack of professional skill among our volunteers to know that a favorable report was made upon the Burton and Archer projectile, from its performance in this affair, where it was used for the first time. Yet, the first competent test, made of it a few weeks later, showed it to be entirely worthless and caused its manufacture to be at once discontinued. It would not fly point foremost, but ‘tumbled’ and had no range.

Besides these three rifles with ineffective ammunition, a fourth Confederate gun, a brass 6-Pr., soon became useless from an enlarged vent. During the first half of the affair, however, the enemy's fire was not accurate and all went well. There was then a pause during which they managed to improve their aim, and, when they resumed, our men soon realized how they were overmatched. Capt. Eshleman was wounded and Capt. Squires called for reenforcement. Longstreet had no more artillery