Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 9.
Frank Moore, Ed.

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Nothing of importance occurred with my battery after the twenty-fifth, until the first day of July. On that day I was on the Charles City road with Mahone's brigade, and was ordered back to the Darbytown road, to report to Brigadier-General Armistead, which I immediately did. When I arrived at the position and reported, General Armistead told me that a Captain had just reported his battery to him for duty, and directed me to report to the first General I saw; and General Wright being the first, I reported to him, and while talking with General Wright, General Armistead's Aid came up, stating that General Armistead had become disgusted with the Captain that had reported his battery to him, and had driven him with his battery from the field, and that he wished to see General Wright. General Wright asked me to ride with him, which I did. When we found General Armistead, he told General Wright that the Captain, alluded to above, had formed so many excuses about getting his battery on the field that he had driven him from the field, and that he wanted General Wright to send a battery that was willing to go in and engage the enemy. General Wright told him he had one, naming mine. General Armistead asked me if I could carry my battery on the hill. I told him if any battery in the works could go, mine could. He directed General Wright to show me the position to take, which he did. I found the enemy with their batteries planted, and their infantry drawn up in line of battle, at about twelve hundred yards distant. I then went to the rear for my battery, and carried it on the field. As soon as the battery entered the field, the enemy opened fire on it, killing one man and wounding three, and killing one horse and wounding two before I fired a gun. I unlimbered and commenced firing as soon as possible, and with telling effect on the enemy.

I remained on the field about two hours; lost three men killed outright, and eight wounded; two of them have since died. I lost ten public horses killed and seven wounded; one of them has since died. My own private horse was killed, also my First Lieutenant's horse.

My officers behaved very well; but feel it to be my duty to speak more particularly of First Lieutenant John H. Thompson, who remained on the field with me until the last gun was taken off. I had so many horses killed and wounded that it took three trips to get my guns all off. My men, with a few exceptions, acted nobly.

On the next day, the second, Colonel Delagnel, chief of artillery, ordered me back to the old camp near Richmond, to refit my battery. As soon as I completed it, I was ordered by yourself to camp near Falling Creek, on the Richmond and Petersburg turnpike, where I am now with my battery complete and in good condition, ready and willing to meet the invader of our soil at any time and any where.

I have, General, the honor to be,

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Colonel: I have the honor to report that, in obedience to your orders, I proceeded, on the morning of the twenty-fifth June, to relieve Captain Maurie's Donaldson artillery, then stationed at the intrenchment immediately on the right of the Williamsburg road. While getting into position, heavy firing of infantry commenced in the woods in front, and one of my horses was there killed. About twelve M., in obedience to orders from General Wright, I proceeded, with the second section of the battery, (Lieutenant Moore,) to the extreme right of the line, to report to Colonel Doles, Fourth Georgia volunteers, who directed that the woods in the vicinity of King's School-House should be shelled, to ascertain the position and force of the enemy. About three P. M., the enemy advanced a few pieces down the Williamsburg road, and opened a very annoying fire upon our lines. At five P. M. I proceeded, by order of General Wright, with the first section, (Lieutenant Tilghman,) to a point of woods about three hundred yards from the Yankee battery, and soon after opened fire, causing them to retire rapidly. Conducted by yourself, the battery was advanced nearly to the position of that occupied by the enemy; indeed, in advance of our pickets on the right of the road ; but, it then being nearly dark, we returned to the works. The officers and men behaved handsomely, and it is a source of much gratification that I have no casualties to report. I am, sir, very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

sir: Subjoined you will find a report of the part taken by the Virginia battalion in the late engagement before Richmond. This battalion, under command of Captain J. C. Johnson, left camp on the Meadow Bridge Road, on the evening of the twenty-sixth of June, and, after crossing the Chickahominy, marched in the direction of Mechanicsville, where a portion of the brigade being engaged, the battalion, though not brought into action, was held under fire from the enemy's batteries for several hours; and, in consideration of the fact that the men had never before been under fire, they acted coolly. Our loss on this day (June twenty-sixth) consisted of two killed and eleven wounded. On Friday, the twenty-seventh of June, we marched from Mechanicsville to Cold Harbor, where the enemy again made a stand. Here we were engaged for several hours, opposed to, perhaps, the strongest position of the enemy's lines. Here we lost eight killed and twenty wounded. From this time we remained