The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-07

HAYS had been wounded, having been shol
through the shoulder as sharpsou SOU Ill ht
ferred to the trans Mississippi department
and promoted TO major genelalshfp in recog.
milton OF his eminent and brilliant services Ii
Nav The brigade was moved to the left
to Che position from which Doles had been
driven the previous evening. i his was
considered the weakest portion o. Inc works
xhe Federal line ran so close TO 1t that 1t was
the least desirable to occupy, Tor the troops
were kept constantly on the alert III anticl.
patton Of on attack Our men were not
pleased with the change, being anxious to
7Qht behind works Of their own construction
But they felt highly flattered when Gen John
son told them that they. had been sent there
III obedience to an order from Gen Ewell that
the best fighting brigade in the eorps Should o,ii
be posted at that point. In going into po-
sitiOn we lost several men, among them being
Ensign Duchamp, Of the Eighth Regiment,
who had been severely wounded at Gettys-
burg while carrying his colors up the slope of
Cemetery Heights, had been promoted for his
gallant conduct In that action, and had on
this day returned to duty. He was killed
while planting his colors on the works
Young Duchamp was naturally q mild, amia-
bic man, but in battle he was brave as q lion,
aud no one carried his flag closer to the enemy
than he did.
In and around these works we're thickly
strewed dead tederals, guns and cast-off ac-
COutrements mementOes of GOrdon's work
the day before The enemy fired heavily upon
Y US WHeu6YeE we Illeu 10 Dury Ltlelr 0eAu, 80 we
we're obliged to let them remain fostering and
putrefying In the broling sun. Our boys col
Aeeted the guns, loaded and placed them on top
81 the works ready for use; each man had at
leAEt three guns which would enable him to
IRE as many times without stopping to re-
loada great deeideratum where the enemy
had but short distance to charge During
gne whole day we were expecting an attack,
nut sharp skirmishing was the only excite
naent we had In the fighting line.
Soon after dark heavy columns of the enc |
my were discovered marching off to their left |
and taking the road to fredericksburg Know |
Ing that II was al-lmportant that his army
should move pnTI pdsSu with Grants, and |
believing that his antagonist was shifting his
ground, Gen. Lee ordered preparations to be
made to move by daylight next morning
With this view The battalion of artillery nine
teen plecesl which had been posted on the
right Of the salient formerly occupied by our
brigade, now held by Jones Virginians was,
by order Of Gen. Ewell, moved some distance
back to the road to be In readiness for the
march, The removal Of this artillery proved
~ be most unfortunate, as the sequel will
Sbew. The movement Of the enemy was a
very
CLEVER RUsE DE GUERRE,
which completely deceived our generals for a
Ime. lne Federals, it appears, moved down
tne. fredericksburg road passing in front of
their camp fires in plain view of our troops
until reaching point from which they could
not be- seen by our videttes, they counter
marched. and, moving behind their fires, re-
turned to the valley which have before mem
tlDned as lying Immediately behind the enc
my works fronting our brigade Our men
were on the Qai UtUe all night with muskets In
hand, ready to receive hostile visitors.
May 12.-This was o stirring and
AN EvENTFUL DAY.
It was nearly o'clock In the morning be-
1Qre q conclusion could be arrived at as to the
Significance Of the Federal movements they !
seeming to be marching in every direction :
At that hour 1t became apparent that they /
we're massslnng very heavily in front Of our G
brigade. This was quickly communicated to
orr division commander, Cen Edward John
son, who sent In haste to Gen. Ewell, request T
lng MIN TO order the artillery battalion back /
~ tts original position on the right Of the \
Ealient He also sent Gordons and Pegram's | q
brigAues to form behind our command to i
assist us In repeling the expected assault y
~ dflls Was the first occasion during the war b
lnab our brigade had been supported by two n
lines Of battle, and the boys felt confident of n
resisting any force that could be brought n
against them. But they we're doomed to dis n
sappQalnt,nent Tor the enemy did not attempt Il
tu attack that portion Of the line a
y INST at break OF day there suddenly burst q
upon our startled ears sound like the roar of ii
y tempestuous sea- the woods in our front +;
fairly rang with the shouts Of thousands of +
men: II
I'D, twas din TO fright monsters ear; t,
make an earthquake! sure it was the roar b
ct d whole herd OF FsderGts." q
Click click sounded along our ranks. as VI
czech man cooked his musket, and every eye h
WAS strained to discover in the dim light of L.
early morn the first appearance Of -
THE FEDERAL LINE h
aa II emerged from the woods. Some mo- s!
znents elapsed before the Federals could be I'll
seen, when suddenly they poured out of the fC
woods and marching obliquely to the left I
Jour right, reached the broad open field in A
front Of the unfortunate salient Never was
their q grander or more exciting military
spectacle. As far as the eye could reach the
Held was covered with the serried ranks of the A
enemy marching in close columns and in
splendid order to the attack. There were
sixty thousand men in this dark moving
mass. This was the moment for our artillery al
III open; but not a shot was heard. The guns ],
had not been then returned to the position -
yyhence they had been moved the night be- @
fore. The Federals continued to advance, and,
unmOested by artillery, soon reached the &c
works behind which the remnant of Jones' .,
Brigade which had been so badly cut I'D and "
demoraiized at the Wilderness, was posted. B
These troops, formed In single line, and I'll
without supports, seeing the overwhelming 81
force advancing against them, offered but a =,
feeble resistance; many were taken while aI
others iird from the field Sc
The Federal hosts rushed over the works. m
taking Major Gen. Johnson with musket in :,
hand prisoner and capturing all the guns. -
nineteen La number, of the battalion, which I'll
had at that moment reached the salient, but dt
not In time 10 unlimber and go into action q,
The enemy quickly charged to the right and ~
80 long the line Of works. taking our forces Id
HI flank and rear, and capturing, after gal -
Iafit and determined Defense most of Jones' ii
Stuarts, Stafford's and Walkers brigades W
besides thirty-eight men from the right wing W
Of our brigade. 1t
GoRDoN's AND PEGRAAt's COMMANDS q
were Immediately marched by the right flank " y,
TO the woods In the rear of the salient, and n,
After hard lighting succeeded in stopping the ~
progress of the Federals in that direction 7
Hays brigade moved to the left for distance Il
of three hundred yards, and changing front II
10 the right, formed line on small hill on OF
which was q battery of Richmond Howitzers h,
The enemy, greatly elated by his success, a.
came sweeping down the line of our works, ttGh
like devils. Arriving at the foot of w
Che hill on the crest of which our boys were in
posted they made repeated efforts to drive us q,
Olf, but were as often met by such a steady o.
and murderous fire that they were compelled tn
10 abandon the attempt, and retire to the w
Hon h.Ann LLnElA