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[102]
I went on the field under General Ewell's orders, to superintend the burial of a portion of our dead, who had not been buried by their proper commanders.
I found on the field, stacked up, a very large quantity of excellent rifles, which the division, detailed to gather them up, omitted to carry off. Some of the enemy's men were taking these rifles, but I made them desist, and demanded that a part already carried off, under direction of a staff officer of General Sigel, should be brought back, which was complied with.
I then sent for a detail from my brigade and had these arms carried off in wagons sent to me from the rear, there being six full wagon loads.
While this work was going on, I heard a Federal soldier say: “It is hard to see our nice rifles going that way,” to which another replied: “Yes, but they are theirs, they won them fairly.”
The enemy had very large details on the field, and several general officers rode on it, while the burial was going on. This work was finally concluded a little before dark, when the truce was concluded.
The enemy buried on this day over six hundred dead, a very large proportion of which were taken from the cornfield in front of the positions occupied by Thomas' and my brigade on the day of the battle.
My detail buried the bodies of 98 of our men, nearly the whole of which were taken from the woods in which the brigades of Jackson's division had been engaged.
From the want of sufficient tools on our part and the hardness of the ground where we buried our men, our work was not completed until about the same time the enemy completed his.
On returning to my brigade, I found our troops preparing to move back to our former position south of the Rapidan, as the army of Pope concentrated in our front was entirely too large for us to fight.
Our movement to the rear commenced immediately after dark, Hill's division bringing up the rear of the infantry and our cavalry that of the whole army.
On the next day, the 12th, Ewell's division recrossed at Liberty Mills and
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