Waitt, Ernest Linden, History of the Nineteenth regiment, Massachusetts volunteer infantry , 1861-1865

[87] beyond the woods at the north of the field, where the supplies were being consumed. Here the regiment rested until about eight o'clock, anxiously waiting for—they knew not what.

Suddenly the yells of the rebels were heard as they entered the woods. Then all was silent in front and nothing could be heard but the rumbling of the artillery wheels as the troops moved over the grassy plains, taking up positions from which to meet the expected onslaught. Everyone knew that the storm would soon burst, but whether it would be a shower or a tornado, they could not tell.

Hark! The skirmishers met, and, pop, pop, pop went the muskets, the firing increasing in rapidity as the Union men gradually fell back until there was one tremendous crash as the two first lines of battle met. This was followed by a continuous roar as the work of death went on. Men came running out of the woods, across the field and up the slope. Some of them were wounded, all reporting that the rebels were coming in swarms. One came up groaning, with his skin burned off both legs to the knee. He had tried to fill his canteen with whiskey from the burning pile of stores and when the barrel burst it scattered the burning fluid over his limbs, consuming his trousers to the knees and burning his legs to a blister.

The battle became hot and the line seemed to be gradually falling back, when Tompkin's Battery on the right was ordered to fire into the enemy's reserves over the heads of the men of the Nineteenth and the others of McClellan's Army. The commander gave the order to load, then, riding from the right to the left, he ordered ‘No. 1, Fire; No. 2, Fire; No. 3, Fire; No.4, Fire,’ and the work went on, the men finally loading and firing at will, being answered by the rebel artillery. The Nineteenth, being so near, got its share of the shells from the enemy. They came screeching over, bursting in front and rear, on each side and above them, while the rebel line advanced so near during its charge that bullets from their muskets reached them also, making the situation very unpleasant, as the men lay there without an opportunity to take part and in constant danger from flying pieces of shell and stray bullets.