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

[133] to the head of the column at a trot. The order of the troops in march was now as follows: first, a small body of cavalry as advance guard, followed at a few rods distance by Gen. French and staff; then came a small regiment of infantry; and after it our right section, followed by the First Brigade of the First Division, Col. Collis commanding; and this, in turn, succeeded in column by the rest of the Battery; then came the remainder of the First Division.

In this order the column had just crossed Turkey Run, and was marching along less than half a mile south of where the road, sloping gently down, debouches suddenly on Cedar Run and the little settlement of Auburn on its north bank. A continuous piece of woods stretched along on our right, but on the left was an opening, beyond which also extended another tract of woods. Scarcely had the right section reached the position in column assigned it, before Capt. Clark, assistant chief of artillery, came galloping back to say to Lieut. Granger, ‘Gen. French wants your guns immediately at the front.’ The caissons were at once halted, the order to ‘gallop’ given, and on dashed the pieces, soon meeting ‘Old Winkey’ (as the General was often called on account of the emphasis and frequency with which he shut his eyes) cantering to the rear, who immediately ordered them to ‘go into battery and load with canister.’ But ere this the Rebels, who were posted for the most part in the woods beyond the opening, were sending their whizzing compliments at the column in unpleasant profusion. The road here was not wide, and was somewhat sunken, and to get the two pieces from column ‘In Battery’ was a task which under less exciting circumstances might have been attended with some difficulty, and, possibly, confusion. It will be readily judged, then, that under