John D. Billings, The history of the Tenth Massachusetts battery of light artillery in the war of the rebellion

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[467] and there 300 yards further along, Gen. P. Regis de Trobriand's men formed line, faced and headed them. What a fat, jolly Frenchman Trobriand was! What a funny figure he cut on horseback! His short, stubby body, rigidly perpendicular with short, stubby legs projecting stiffly at right angles with his body the whole decorated with his scarlet Zouave uniform made a figure decidedly picturesque. Yet he was a good soldier withal, and popular with his command.

Under this tree which stands in the angle of the Plank and Dabney roads, I saw Generals Grant, Meade, and Hancock holding a conference. It ought to be marked for the information of tourists. But no, that would ensure its destruction. Opposite the Dabney Road, in this clearing, was the second position taken by the Battery which Gen. Walker in his history of the Corps has omitted from his map of the field, presumably because it is not found on the memory sketch of Col.. Morgan, Hancock's Chief-of-Staff. Yet here fell Lieut. Henry H. Granger mortally wounded, here privates Alfred C. Billings and Mike Farrell were wounded and here a piece-wheel was shattered by a Rebel shell. The Battery, however, did not fire.

At or near this very spot stood the guns of the First New Hampshire and Tenth Massachusetts, Sunday morning, April 2nd, 1865, and shelled the two forts on Burgess' farm; and later our hearts thrilled with joy inexpressible to see the flag going over the works in the hands of Mott's division of the Second Corps. The rifle pits thrown up by this corps along the eastern side of the Boydton Road are still visible, but the last one disappears as we speed along and soon after high noon we have reached Dinwiddie Court House.

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