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

On the morning of the ninth, the First, Second, and Third brigades of this division, under Brigadier-General C. S. Winder, First brigade, (the Fourth having been detailed to protect the trains,) marched from the encampment near Barnett's Ford of the Rapidan River, upon the turnpike road leading in the direction of Culpeper, the division of Major-General Ewell having preceded it the morning previous. After crossing the Robertson River, and proceeding some three miles, we overtook the division of General Ewell, and discovered the enemy in front, when our troops were halted to make dispositions to attack them. This division was ordered to attack the enemy's right, whilst the division of General Ewell was ordered to attack him upon the left.

On my riding to the front, I perceived the enemy's cavalry drawn up on the range of hills near Cedar Run, with a line of videttes in front, whilst the fall of the hills in rear and the woods beyond evidently concealed their batteries and infantry. A cornfield in front of this position also concealed the movements of the enemy, and the undulation of the country made reconnoissances very difficult. The field batteries of General Ewell were now shelling the enemy, when General Winder ordered the division forward along the turnpike to a point at which the woods on the right of the road terminated. Beyond this point, the woods on the left extended to a wheatfield, beyond which a dense wood again appeared. On the right of the road from the point of termination of the woods, an extensive, bare field stretched to the left to a considerable distance, and to the front to a cornfield. A brigade, under General Early, protected by the fall of the hills, occupied the right of this field in line of battle, directly fronting the general line of the enemy, (as far as we could make it out.) General Winder now ordered the Second brigade, under Lieutenant-Colonel Garnett, Forty-eighth Virginia, to move forward to the left, under cover of the woods, to the wheatfield, and to extend back to the left along the skirt of the woods. He then ordered some pieces of artillery, under the general charge of Major Snowden Andrews, chief of artillery for the division, to the point where the bare field commenced, and ordered the Third brigade, under my command, to move along up parallel to the road in rear of the batteries, and under cover of the wood, until the head of the column rested near the rear of the Second brigade. The brigade was then faced to the road. The First brigade, Colonel C. F. Ronald, Fourth Virginia regiment, commanding, was ordered, as I was informed, to move up as a reserve.

Whilst these dispositions were being made, the troops were subjected to a heavy discharge of shell and shot from the enemy's artillery, thrown mostly at random into the woods. The effect of our batteries from the point of woods and from a position subsequently taken in the open field to the right, was very great, to a great extent silencing the enemy's guns. After the pieces had been placed in battery, at the corner of the woods, and had opened some fifteen minutes upon the enemy, I returned to my brigade, a short distance back in the woods, and out of sight of the enemy, to await General Winder's orders. I left this brave, generous, and accomplished officer at this point, and was informed, a short time afterward, that he had been struck by a shell and mortally wounded. I now assumed command of the division, under the disadvantage of being ignorant of the plans of the General, except as far as I could form an opinion from my observation of the dispositions made. I at once rode to the front to acquaint myself with the position of the Second brigade, and reconnoitre the enemy's position from the field in front of the First Virginia battalion of that brigade. I could discover no evidences of the enemy in front, but could discover them in force on the right of that position in the cornfield, somewhat concealed from the view of our troops by the undulations of the country. I now returned to the position occupied by our batteries, when I was overtaken by an officer who reported that the enemy were showing themselves in front of the position I had just left, and were advancing. I at once ordered the Tenth Virginia regiment to be detached from the Third brigade, and sent forward to reinforce the First Virginia battalion, and sent an order to Colonel Ronald to move his brigade (the First) rapidly to the support of the Second brigade. I now perceived the enemy advancing through the cornfield, and directed Colonel Garnett to throw his right forward and drive them back, and ordered Colonel Taliaferro to move his brigade into the open field to the right, and attack and drive back the enemy in front. The Twenty-first Virginia regiment, Second brigade, Lieutenant-Colonel Cunningham, poured a destructive fire upon the enemy, and exhibited a degree of heroic valor rarely ever witnessed. The Third brigade advanced in fine style, and the enemy gave way before the severity of its fire. At this moment I discovered that, owing to the fact that the First brigade had not been