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‘ [222] their cover the entire brigade, supposed at the time to be Sickles'.’ Colonel Shivers being among the wounded, Capt. Michael Nolan took command. A severe struggle followed and continued all day, ending in the two contestants occupying their original lines. The Louisiana regiment, sadly thinned in ranks, took part in the last charge which regained the line which had been temporarily lost. The regiment lost 22 killed, including Lieutenants Gilmore, Murphy and Trott, and 109 wounded. Again at Malvern Hill 8 were killed, including Lieutenants Fallon and Miller, and 40 wounded.1

On the 27th the Federal intrenched line, held since the battle at Seven Pines, was found vacant—Lee's masterly stroke in flank beyond the Chickahominy having been heard from—and the Confederates advanced through deserted camps to overtake the enemy at Savage's station, where the Fifth Louisiana lost but 6, while over 100 of the dead enemy were counted on its front. At Malvern Hill, the brigade, only 557 strong, charged the Federal line, a distance of 150 yards in the face of forty cannon and a terrible musketry fire from the front, as well as the fire from the rear by our own troops, shooting astray in the gloom of that night of blunder and carnage. The memory of that somber close of the great campaign is lighted by the heroism of Col. Eugene Waggaman's Tenth Louisiana. Up the hill the Tenth rushed at double-quick, thrown nearest the enemy by the diagonal advance. Waggaman, most intrepid of leaders, leaps far in advance of his line, and inspired by his example the men tear after him. The air is filled with shrieks of shells — no one hears them. Troops lying down for shelter see the Tenth sweep by like ghosts of war. They cheer them on, but do not rise to help them in that bullet-swept field. Not yet quite on the summit, the men of

1 The Montgomery Guards losing all its officers, Private Thomas Rice was promoted to captain on the field. Captain Rice proved a gallant officer, and lived to lead his men on many a hard fought field. Three severe wounds still speak of his valor during the war.

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