Alfred Roman, The military operations of General Beauregard in the war between the states, 1861 to 1865

[593] and as he reached its farther border a major-general rode up, announcing himself as General Mahone. Then, leading the column, this officer himself placed it in position in line of battle along the edge of the wood and facing the railroad. ‘Now,’ said he, ‘you are upon the flank and rear of the enemy. I have five brigades fighting them in front, and they are driving them. I want you to go in and press them all you can.’ Some fifty yards within the woods the swamp of a rivulet (or ‘branch’) was to be seen; beyond nothing was visible, and firing, both of artillery and infantry, was then going on. General Mahone added, ‘When you have crossed the branch swamp you will come upon a clearing, in which, some three hundred yards farther, is the enemy's line, and they are not intrenched.’ He also urged promptness in the attack. General Hagood immediately gave the order to advance, and the men, moving in line, made their way across the swamp. Upon arriving on the other side we found ourselves in the clearing, but the enemy still not visible. We were under a hill, and they were upon the open plateau sufficiently far beyond to prevent the view. The advance of the brigade had, however, evidently attracted attention, from the fire drawn in our direction. The line had been much broken in crossing the swamp, and Hagood immediately pushed skirmishers up the hill for protection, and ordered one of his staff to accompany them and reconnoitre, while he gave his personal assistance to Captain Malony in getting the line of battle rapidly re-formed. He assisted the adjutant, instead of himself going to reconnoitre, because, from the report of a courier who had gone up the hill while the skirmishers were forming, he thought there was some danger of being himself assailed where he was, and his men were so disorganized at the moment as to be in no condition to repel an attack.

In a few minutes the brigade was formed, and the report coming at the same time from the skirmishers that the enemy was but a short distance ahead of them, and only in rifle-pits, thus confirming General Mahone's statement, Hagood, cautioning his men to move only at a quick-step till he himself gave the order to charge, moved his brigade forward. He had dismounted, and, placing himself in front of the centre, to steady the men and repress excitement, moved backward in front of the line for a short distance as if on drill. Himself halting before reaching the crest of the hill, the line passed, and he followed, with his staff, behind the right of the 21st regiment. The 25th was on the left of the 21st, and the other three regiments on its right. As soon as the brigade became visible ascending the hill a rapid fire was opened upon it, to which in reply not a shot was fired; but, moving forward steadily at quick time, with arms at ‘right shoulder shift,’ as we approached the line of enemy's pits they broke from them and fled. With one accord a battle-yell rang out along our line, and the men, as if by command, broke into double-quick in pursuit. At the same moment General Hagood discovered that the line in front of us had only been an intrenched skirmish line, though so heavy as to have deceived his skirmishers into the notion that it was a line of battle, and that two hundred and fifty yards beyond was a strongly intrenched line, crowded with men and artillery, extending right and left as far as he could see, and the five Confederate attacking brigades of which General Mahone had spoken nowhere visible. It