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the pressure of the enemy's fresh battalions to an end.
A. P. Hill thus describes it: —
‘About dark the enemy were pressing us hard along our whole line, and my last reserve, Gen. J. R. Anderson, with his Ga. brigade, was directed to advance cautiously, and be careful not to fire on our friends.
His brigade was formed in line, two regiments on each side of the road, and, obeying my instructions to the letter, received the fire of the enemy at 70 paces before engaging themselves.
Heavy reenforcements to the enemy were brought up at this time, and it seemed that a tremendous effort was being made to turn the fortunes of the battle.
The volume of fire that, approaching, rolled along the line, was terrific.
Seeing some troops of Wilcox's brigade, with the assistance of Lt. Chamberlayne and other members of my staff, they were rapidly formed, and being directed to cheer long and loudly moved again to the fight.
This seemed to end the contest, and in less than five minutes all firing ceased and the enemy retired.’
In this battle the losses of
Longstreet's division were about 2600 and in
A. P. Hill's about 1700; total 4300.
The Federal losses are not given separately, but were, doubtless, not very unequal.
McCall was captured, riding into our lines by mistake, and we also secured 18 guns, besides some prisoners, and the gleanings of the field in small-arms.
Lee, an example for all time of restraint in expressing personal feeling, wrote in his report of this battle: —
‘Could the other commands have cooperated in this action, the result would have proved most disastrous to the enemy.’
I have often thought that in his retrospect of the war no one day of the whole four years would seem to him more unfortunate than June 30, 1862.
It was, undoubtedly, the opportunity of his life, for the
Confederacy was then in its prime, with more men available than ever before or after.
And at no other period would the moral or the physical effect of a victory have been so great as upon this occasion.
