Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 20.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

[79] I did not see him or General Jenkins, but locate the point at O, probably a hundred yards from M.

I turned over to Comrade Hugh R. Smith, who was the adjutant of our regiment, all of the foregoing correspondence, and received from him the following letter in reply:

Lieutenant-Commander John R. Turner:

dear Comrade—Your correspondence with General Sorrel, as well as the recollections of the Battle of the Wilderness given by Comrades Bernard and Edwards, I find very interesting reading. The accounts given of the battle about coincide with my own recollection of it.

My remembrance of the affair is that our brigade was advancing in line of battle, and the woods being on fire caused our regiment (the Twelfth Virginia) to swerve to the right, thereby becoming somewhat separated from the rest of the brigade, and we seemed to come into contact with the left flank of the enemy, who were holding the plank-road, and I thought at the time that we were sent there especially to dislodge them.

I distinctly remember the Sorrel May incident, and also recall the fact that, as we crossed the plank-road in pursuit of the Federals, I looked down the road—towards Orange Courthouse, I mean—and saw the fresh troops coming up, with General Longstreet at their head, Sorrel having gone to them to let them know that the road was clear.

We advanced beyond the plank-road to a ravine and then fell back to the road, and about this time the firing by our troops, from whom we had become separated, began, and looking in that direction I recognized Major Etheredge, of the Forty-First Virginia regi ment, that regiment having been on our immediate left in the beginning of the movement, and I immediately hastened over to him and informed him that they were firing into their friends, and the order to cease firing was immediately passed down the line, but not until Longstreet was wounded and Jenkins killed, as set forth in the other accounts.

General Anderson at once assumed the command of Longstreet's forces, but the wounding of the latter general put a stop to the forward movement that was being so successfully prosecuted.

Your friend,

Hugh R. Smith.