Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 11.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[581] men stood it, behind their works, of course, as well as any of the white troops. Our men, unfortunately, owing to the irregular features of ground, took no prisoners. Sir, we can bayonet the enemy to terms on this matter of treating colored soldiers as prisoners of war far sooner than the authorities at Washington can bring him to it by negotiation. This I am morally persuaded of. I know further that the enemy wont fight us if he can help it. I am sure that the same number of white troops could not have taken those works on the evening of the fifteenth; prisoners that we took told me so. I mean prisoners who came in after the abandonment of the fort, because they could not get away. They excuse themselves on the ground of pride; as one of them said to me, “D----d if men educated as we have been will fight with niggers and your government ought not to expect it.” The real fact is, the rebels will not stand against our colored soldiers when there is any chance of their being taken prisoners, for they are conscious of what they justly deserve. Our men went into these works after they were taken, yelling “Fort Pillow I” The enemy well knows what this means, and I will venture the assertion that that piece of infernal brutality enforced by them there has cost the enemy already two men for every one they so inhumanly murdered.

Wilson, with his cavalry command, is near Reams' station, on the Weldon railroad, returning from his raid at the point named, which is about eight miles from here. The main body of the enemy's cavalry are said to be obstructing his progress, and endeavoring to prevent him from forming a junction with the rest of the army. Sheridan has been sent for to come to his assistance, with the other two divisions of the cavalry corps, and pending his arrival, the Sixth corps has left its position on the left, and has gone on the same errand.

While these events are in progress on our side, a column of the enemy, comprising about eighteen regiments, is observed moving down west of the Weldon railroad. They may be making for Reams' station, in which case a collision is likely to occur between them and General Wright's corps; or possibly they may make an attack on our left, when the Second corps will have to bear the brunt of their assault. General Hancock, who has just resumed command of his corps, is making all necessary preparations for such an event, and will not be taken by surprise.

Wilson succeeded in destroying forty miles of railroad. Last night he was at Stony Grove, south of Stony creek, a branch of the Nottoway river, and on attempting to cross found his passage opposed by the enemy. He then sent Kautz's division westward to cross the stream higher up and then make for the railroad near Reams' station, in which vicinity the entire command now is.

Yesterday evening, about four o'clock, after having been previously arranged, Gordon's and Rhodes' divisions of Ewell's, and Heth's divisions of A. P. Hill's corps, executed a flank movement on the enemy's right, near Bethesda Church, on the Mechanicsville turnpike, capturing, it is said, some eight hundred prisoners. Rhodes and Gordon certainly captured five hundred and twelve, and I have it on good authority that Heth took between two and three hundred more, and driving the enemy back nearly a mile, taking from him no less than three strongly intrenched lines, two of them being lines of battle and one a skirmish line. Our loss will not reach over three hundred; of that, Ewell's loss being about two hundred, and Heth's estimated at about one hundred.

Among the killed is the gallant Brigadier-General Doles, of Georgia, who fell, pierced through the left breast, while leading his brigade into action. Among the wounded, I hear the names of Brigadier-General Kirkland, who was slightly hurt; Colonel Williams, Thirty-ninth Virginia, and Colonel Berry, Sixtieth Georgia, were also wounded slightly.

It seems Gordon, who led this flank movement, discovered a swamp, across which he charged. This swamp the enemy supposed to be impassable, and hence were not on their guard for a flank movement in that direction. Our men first drove in the enemy's line of skirmishers; then pressing them, we caused their first line of battle to give back rapidly by the vigor of our charge, and without the firing of a gun on our side, the enemy firing feebly. On our boys pressed, up to the second strongly intrenched line of battle, which was also protected by stockades; so close were our men on the heels of the enemy, that both worked together in pulling down the stockade defences, and some of our men entered their breastworks along with the enemy. The enemy dared not fire for fear of shooting their own men. As we took the second line of the enemy, our men fired into the enemy, who now made a stand and fought us until night ended the engagement.

All the troops engaged in this fight acted well, and especially that far and justly famed Stone-wall brigade, under the lead of its new commander, the gallant Terry.

The position from which we drove the enemy was naturally very strong, and rendered doubly so by very heavy lines of fortifications. They had transverse lines, and parallel lines, and lines running every way, and it seems a marvel how they were driven from their position.

The force which we put to flight, and of whom we captured so goodly a number, belonged