Edward Porter Alexander, Military memoirs of a Confederate: a critical narrative

‘ [311] further orders, and you ordered the command withdrawn, and placed in its former position in the town.’

Getty not only showed good judgment in withdrawing Hawkins's brigade on the first opportunity, but he had done even better with Harland's brigade, for he halted it near the railroad, and did not permit it to participate in the charge. Sykes's division was also held in reserve on the edge of the town, behind Humphreys, and at 11 P. M. was sent across the canal, where it relieved the remnants of all of the brigades which had made their advances from that quarter.

The Confederate fire soon ceased when the flashes of the enemy's guns no longer gave targets. The losses in Hawkins's brigade had been 255, in Harland's they were 41.

Among the Confederates, no one conceived that the battle was over, for less than half our army had been engaged, only four out of nine divisions. It was not thought possible that Burnside would confess defeat by retreating.

Burnside himself, however, was far from having given up the battle, and, though many prominent officers advised against it, he determined to renew the attack at dawn. He proposed to form the whole 9th corps into a column of regiments and to lead it in person upon Marye's Hill.

He came across the river after the fighting ceased, gave the necessary orders, and returned to the Phillips house about 1 A. M. He found there waiting for him Hawkins, who had made the last charge, and who had now come at the request of Willcox, Humphreys, Meade, Getty, and others to protest against the proposed attack, and to give information about the situation, which it was supposed that Burnside did not possess. A long conference ensued in the presence of Sumner, Hooker, and Franklin, the commanders of the three grand divisions. On their unanimous advice, verbal orders were sent countermanding the proposed assault. Before these could be delivered, many preparatory movements were under way. And while they were in progress, a courier bearing orders which disclosed Burnside's plan, becoming lost in the darkness, wandered up to our picket-line. He was captured, and his orders were found and taken to Longstreet and Lee. Notice was at once sent along our lines, with instructions