[87] on dress parade. Other regiments were brought forward, and formed on us at last. “ Forward march,” and on the line of battle moved until with a yell, we charged, and took the field, sleeping on it. Our regiment has reason to be proud of its action and of its colonel.The next morning Ewell moved rapidly to Dispatch Station on the York River railroad in McClellan's rear, the First Maryland on the right. It was sent forward to drive off the picket at the Station, and McClellan was cut off from his base on York river at West Point. For a day or two Ewell's division remained at Dispatch Station until on McClellan's retiring toward James river it rejoined the army and pressed on in pursuit. It was not engaged until Malvern Hill, where the First Maryland lay all the afternoon under the fire of McClellan's seventy guns on his right and his gun boats on his left. After dark, the Maryland regiment joined General Winder, who had the fragment of the Stonewall brigade, which had been badly cut up. Winder ordered Colonel Johnson forward to cover and hold as much of the field as possible until daylight while he supported him. This was done satisfactorily, and the next morning Lee followed McClellan to Westover, where he left him, satisfied that any forward movement by the beaten Federal commander was improbable. After Westover the Marylanders were sent to Charlottesville to recruit, where they remained a month, and were then ordered to Gordonsville to guard the depot of supplies and the railroad junction there. They were in camp while Jackson moved swiftly by and on August 9th sprang on Pope at Cedar Mountain in Culpeper. On August 16th a special order from the adjutantgen-eral of the Confederate States to the colonel of the First Maryland was received by him, ordering him to muster the regiment out of service without delay. The regiment could not parade more than two hundred and fifty rifles for duty, but its officers were as efficient, gallant,
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Atlanta, Ga. 1899.
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