Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 11.
Frank Moore, Ed.

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[480] their muskets and help me work a three-inch rifle. The dead were so thick around the other Napoleon we could not work it. The Yankees were firing at us from behind our breastworks, on the right, and from pens put up by ambulance men, about sixty yards to our right. This furious musketry continued for one hour and a half or two hours. W., standing by me, had his arm shot through. Took the lanyard from him and gave it to another man. L. was shot on the top of the head and scalped, but not killed. Saw Colonel P. leading in a column of infantry. Ran and asked him to send me up the first cannoneers he could find at a reserve battery He sent Garber's. From this fact a misapprehension arose that S. and his men had abandoned their guns. But I know they acted well. General Daniels complimented them very highly. Major David Watson escaped by jumping over in front and going over to J.'s battery, when S.'s was captured. He returned and assisted Lieutenant R. to work his Napoleon, and was mortally wounded, being shot through the bowels and pelvis. I was very much exhausted, working the guns and serving ammunition. Fired very rapidly and got the guns very hot. Sometimes had to cease firing, and take my men all back to the caissons to search for ammunition. Much of the time had only three men, and an infantry man to sit behind the breastworks and hold friction primers for us, as the implements were gone, and we had to find the extra implements that were necessary. Our works, about thirty yards to the right, had a second line run back to the rear about eighty yards long, to protect the hollow through which the Yankees broke in. When our men from Ramseur's brigade and the left advanced down our works to the right they stopped at this offset, and allowed the Yankees to hold our works until charged by Johnson and Gordon, later at night. The occupation of this offset made it very difficult for us to fire upon the Yankees behind our line without striking our men on the offset, and the blast from the nearest gun on my left, being pointed very obliquely to the right, blew off my hat twice, and seemed as if it would blow off my head. Shots passed through the leg of my pantaloons, the right arm of my coat and right breast of my coat; another struck my spy-glass in my sack coat pocket, which, resting at the time against my thigh, made me think for a moment that my thigh was broken. After recovering from the shock, went back to working the gun. Had nine bullet holes in my clothes this night. Surely I should praise God for his mercy. For one hour and a half the Yankee infantry, at sixty yards distance, behind breastworks, tried to silence these gnns, and I was standing up all this time except when fusing shell. The Yankees also brought up a battery, six hundred or eight hundred yards in our front, and fired upon us during this time. General Lee rode up to my battalion next morning, saluted me by raising his hat, pulled off his gauntlet, and shook hands with me, thanking me for my “gallantry and coolness,” as he was pleased to say. I represented to him in proper light the good conduct of S. and his men, telling him forty men were put out of action in that company alone, and twenty-two horses. Four hundred Yankees were killed in our lines in this assault. A colonel and about twenty men were killed very near S.'s guns. They held the outer rifle-pits or breastworks for about two hours, until driven out by Gordon, commanding Early's division. General Johnson drove them to the breastworks by charging through the woods. Generals Ramseur, Rhodes, Gordon, and Johnson charged at the head of their troops, I know. General Ewell also led a charge.

Wednesday, 11th--Day comparatively quiet. Just before dark, Colonel C. informed me that General Long had ordered all the guns out at dark. I informed General Ramseur, and went over to General Lee's headquarters to find General Long. He (General Lee) told me he did not intend for the guns to be brought out until the troops left. I then sent word back to General Ramseur and Captains D., J., and G., not to move until the troops moved, but the orders for N., P., and C. were not changed, and all moved out that night, and left the troops on Johnson's line without artilllery. [This was the cause of the disaster which happened next morning to Johnson's division.--Editor.] Just at night General Ramseur had a report from Major O., commanding his sharpshooters, that the enemy were using axes in our front.

Thursday, May 12--Morning foggy. At daybreak, Grant charged over our lines, at Dole's position, capturing eight guns of Cutshaw's and twelve of Page's, just going into position, from which they had moved the night before. Page lost his horses and men, Cutshaw did not lose his horses. I had been at my wagons, which were with Captain Graham's battery that night, (the eleventh) and had received orders to put Graham in position, as we heard heavy cheers and no artillery firing on our side. I was told by Major Venable to open fire from about the Court-house. Went over to see Lieutenant-Colonel Pegram, who opened fire as directed by Enable. The enemy charged from Dole's on Wilcox's lines. Our men fought well. Wilcox drove the enemy three hundred yards in front of our breastworks. Edward Johnson was captured and his men scattered badly. Loss heavy. Our lines were drawn in to throw out the point which had been occupied by Johnson. This was a ridge making off from the main ridge on which the Court-house is situated, and made a weak point in our lines, as it could be occupied by Grant if we left it out of our lines, while, if we took it in, it was scarcely tenable against a heavy assault directed upon Dole. The artillery having been removed, it was indefensible. We held our new line. The Yankees shelled furiously. Started to go round to that part of our line to see how matters were progressing. In the orchard, just back of General Lee's headquarters, I was struck on the collar-bone and