Waitt, Ernest Linden, History of the Nineteenth regiment, Massachusetts volunteer infantry , 1861-1865

[319] caused the line to break and it was obliged to halt under the brow of a hill. The men immediately began to pass up rails from a fence nearby and these were piled. Then, with dippers and plates, the dirt was thrown up until a good line of work was formed, so near to those of the enemy that a stone could be thrown into them, and a man could not show his head without being shot.

While this was being done a call was made for a corporal and six men to go to the rear for picks and spades, and they started upon their perilous duty. The rebel sharpshooters were firing at any stray soldiers who moved across the field. The little squad moved at double-quick from one work to another, arriving in safety, and returned in the same way with the implements of labor and with these the work was carried on in good earnest.

In the engagements during the day the regiment lost seven men killed and wounded.

First Lieutenant John B. Thompson, of Lawrence, Co. K, was killed.

Captain Elisha A. Hinks was again wounded.

The morning of June 4 found the regiment still close to the enemy's works. Before daylight, the men were awakened and moved to the right and down the hill, in single file, to the point where the pioneers had, by working all night, thrown up another partial line of works. These were finished by the men of the Nineteenth and by daylight they were almost under the noses of the enemy before they realized it. The videttes crawled out of the works and moved up to within fifty yards of the rebel's position. Then, with their dippers, they threw up the dirt, making small rifle pits from which they watched the movements of the ‘Johnnies.’

The enemy had a battery of three pieces directly in front of the position of the Nineteenth, but did not dare to load one of them because of the Andrew Sharpshooters who popped over any one who attempted it. The Nineteenth was in the front line of battle and the men were obliged to lie very low on account of the rebel sharpshooters, who, during the day, killed two men of the regiment.