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between them, in which Captain Wass, of Company K had his shoulder strap shot off and one of his men was wounded in the arm, when the rest of the regiment moved forward and the rebels retreated to their works.
After going forward a short distance, the regiment flanked to the left and marched about a quarter of a mile, countermarching into a ravine somewhat nearer the enemy's works, and halted.
The Andrew Sharpshooters came up and advanced to the edge of the woods, the skirmishers falling back.
Taking a position behind a fence they fired at the men in the enemy's works and then dodged back into the ravine to reload.
The enemy at once sent back a volley of musket balls which went buzzing harmlessly overhead.
The sharpshooters crept up and gave them another shot, receiving the same attention as at first, accompanied by an unearthly yelling and howling from behind the ‘Johnnies'’ breastworks.
The bullets passed overhead as before.
The enemy tried canister, and finding that those did no damage, fired solid 32 pound shot, all going overhead and far to the rear.
Then they tried a shell which fell nearer; another burst directly overhead and the next burst directly in front, sending the pieces with full force among the men but doing no harm.
When the engineers had accomplished their object the sharpshooters were ordered to cease firing.
The enemy also stopped and the men began the dreary march back to camp, in darkness and the pouring rain.
Arriving at about 10 o'clock, they found the camp completely flooded, there being no place to lie down, but the cooks had a nice hot vegetable soup which they were very glad to fill up on, being very tired, wet and thoroughly chilled.
There being no place in the camp which was not ankle deep with water, the men groped their way in the darkness to higher ground and lay down on the damp earth to sleep, awaking in the morning still wet and chilled.
The sun soon came out, however, and they dried themselves by taking a sun-bath.
Little drilling was done during the stay here, there being so much extra duty, which consisted chiefly of building corduroy roads.
The regiment would go out in charge of the lieutenantcolonel or major, leaving only a camp guard behind.
On arriving
Salem Press. Co., Salem, Ma., 1906.
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