The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-03-04
A BLOODY BATTLE,
Twelve Hundred Men Killed In Forty
Minutes.
Philadelphia Things.


PHILADELPHIA Tnles.
Captain James A. Graham, of the
Twenty seventh North Carolina, gives q
description of terrible charge made by
two Confederate Brigades at Brisloe
Station, that was, perhaps, the bloodiest
of the war. The Confcderates had been
chasing the Federals all day, and were
suddenly brought up against corps of
troops that were hidden behind a hill.
But We let Captain Graham tell the
story:
1t was beautiful October day, but it
was destined to be the day when more
men were killed, and more blood shed in
a few minutes than was ever know before.
This assertion seems strong, but venture
it, for have never read in history of as
many as / 200 men lost on one side
where only two brigades were engaged,
in less than forty minutes. The Confed-
crates lost that many that day. My own
brigade, Cookies, lost 700 and Kirkland
$50. The battle did not last exceeding
forty minutes after the first gun was
fired.
After leaving Greenwich for Grcenage)
and pursuing the rapid march of which
I spoke above, for.some hours we reached
the vicinity of Btistoe. On the top Of
the high red hill I noticed the head of
our brigade turning to the right into
cedar thicket. AS I passed General
John R. Cooke said to him: "Well,
General, you are going to give us rest
now" His reply was; Not yet, Jim
mie: There is about division of
Yankees over here just beyond the rail-
road we'll catch them and then rest"
Kirkland, Immediately in our rear, filed
10 the left and formed line, and his bri-
gade, with ours, composed the line of
battle. Little did We think then that
there was death in the pot. In short
while the command forward was given
and we advanced through the cedar
thicket and dense forest of oaks for
about 500 or 600 yards when he came to
q beautiful little valley, through which
ran little branch. Gen. A. P. Hill,
| our corps commander, was almost imme-
diately in our rear; Gen. Harry Heth,
our division commander, WAS little to
our rear, so that he could see both bri.
gades and his whole line. Before US, as
Hill supposed-and, in fact, all of us, at
that time bad the same idea-was only
one division of the Federal army. That
was the rear guard which we had been
pursuing all day and thought we could
easily whip, "but we counted without
our host" Warren, with his corps, was
then moving up the railroad from Cat
tells station, pursued by Early and
Ewell, aud happened just then to have
reached point Immediately in.front of
us where the railroad embankment
formed perfect breastwork. There was
little hill between us and them when
we stopped in the little valley so that we
could no. see them.
THE BATTLE BEGUN.
But we soon felt them. was standing
near General Cook when courier from
General Heth came with the message:
"Geueral Cook, General Heth says Gen
eral Hill orders you to advance" AL
most at the same time courier came
from Colonel Z. D. Hall, Forty-sixth
North Carolina Jour right regiment) and
informed General Cooke that We were
Aanked on the right. The courier from
General Helh was sent back with the
information that we were aanked and
asked that our right be supported before
we we're made to advance, and Colonel
Hall was ordered tn throw out two COM
panies away to his right and feel the
enemy. Tho TWO couriers came again,
almost simultaneously, to General Cooke.
The one from General Heth repeated:
general Cooke, General Heth says
General Hill says advance" The one
from Colonel Hall reported that he
! Colonel Hall) had thrown out the two
companies as directed and that they
were Immediately driven in and that the
enemy were in very heavy force on his
flank.
About that time Captain or Major
Johnson, al engineer on Gen. Lees staff,
came up and offered to 60 to Hill for
Cooke. Directly after he started cou,
rier came direct from Hill to Cooke with
the message: General Cooke, General
Hill says advance at once" | was
standing within fifteen feet of General
Cooke and heard all these messages given
and received. Upon this message Cooke,
with peculiar shrug of the shoulders
that he had, remarked: "Well, by
-, I'll take my men in and if they
outhank me I'll face my men about and
cut my way out. Forward, men %
ADVANCING UP THE HILL.
AS we advanced up the hill rabbit
was scared up and dashed along our
front. One of the men called out-a