The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-08-06

turn the command over to O senior
especially to one had the utmost con
hdence in, and respect for. L ex
planned how l came TO assume com
mand. With your usual modesty yo,
took command, with q demand that
should assist you. During the re
mainder of the fight / acted under
your orders. You know their pur
port. did not see a general or stail
officer after we recaptured the salient
When ordered by you to find Gen
Harris or some general who could give
us relief in somo way, L had great
difficulty to obey your order. The
night was intensely dark. Finally
found Brattons Brigade in our rear,
told Gen. Bratton our situation and
asked for help. He like the commands
on our left had orders to hold his posi-
tion. | had no trouble in finding the
brigade on my return. The heavy
firing concentrated on one point in
dicated our position. l reported to
you my failure to get assistance, also
that had failed to find Gen. Harris.
You left me in command and went in
person to procure relief; when you
returned you informed me you had
orders to move out at daybreak.
When L found BraLton's Brigade in
line OF battle in our rear was satisfiud
that we were fighting for time, in
| order to adjust new lines in our rear
cannot close without commenting
on several things that occurred during
the fight and somewhat on the reports
OF the battle.
1t IL strange that your report should
be missing from the records, especial
ly as you were in command of brigade
that did some fgh ting in that battle
II made only verbal report to you.
Probably 1T Is not so strange, when we
consider that we were taken from our
division and corps, left to do our own
lighting, In our own way; that very
little mention is made of us in general
reports.
Gen. EwelPs report says: "Gen.
Ramseu: retOOk the works on Davis's
right" and further he says, "spite of
the terrible flank fire to which they
were yet exposed, the brave troops of
these brigades, Ramseurs, Harris's
and McGowans's, held their ground"
No doubt Gen. Ewell named the
brigades as they were in position,
Ramseur, Harris and MCGOWAN. There
were no connecting troops on our
flank fire Gen. Ewell speaks of came
from across the salient defended by
McGowan's brigade.
The reports speak of the battle of
Spottsylvania Court House, SO they
do of the battle of Fredericksburg
The army was there, but all of us did
not defend Marye's Heights; Ker-
shaw's brigade did. AT Chancellors.
vile all of Jackson's corps was in the
battle, but all were not in the charge
that captured the redans in front of
the Charlottesville House. The 18th
and l4tb, with three companies of the
* fl.r
kell, made the chang and capture.
AT Gettysburg all of Lees army was
there, but ali were not in the charge
that captured the town; McGowan's
brigade was. So with the battle of
Spottsy lvania Court House. The army
was there, but all did not charge,
retake and hold the salient known as
Bloody Bend McGowan's brigade did.
Had either Of the brigades men
toned, or any other Confederate
brigade, been placed in our position
fight When [ took charge of the
brigade | did not know VINO | was
fighting under or with, all knew was
that the enemy was in our front and
we were expected to fight and whip
them if we could, in fact what occurred
In my front and with my command is
all | ever knew about any battle. Ac-
cident placed me in command-acci- |
dent gave the brigade the position in
front of the salient, and it sustained
it's reputation by charging, re-taking
and holding it for seventeen hours.
No one can describe what we endured
during that struggle. The trunk of
that oak tree now on exhibition in
Washingt ton tells better than words
the heroic endurance of the Con-
federate soldier and gives a faint idea
of the storm OF minnie balls hurled at |
us. When we took the works the |
bark on it was intact, it stood near the |
right centre of the salient. A little |
to the left and in front Of it stood
hickory tree about eight inches in
diameter of which have never seen
any mention. The hickory was shot
down before night and fell across the
works. It's body and branches were
Clipped into splinters by minnie balls.
No ole could imagine that that mass
of splinters was u growing tree only u
few hours before. All of our men did
their duty. No one deserves special
mention for bravery [ saw some very
reckless acts done by individuals, for
instance, Private w. w. Davenport of
the 18th and boy of the 18th whose
name [ cannot recall mounted am
munition boxes, not over ten feet from
the hickory, ana nreu over the SAIL ent
while three or four men loaded guns
for them until the minnie balls almost
stripped the clothing from their per-
sons.
Curing the afternoon the enemy's
front line would seek protection under
cover of our works and iire by placing
the muZzles of their guns below the
top logs of the works, while their
second line would fire over their
heads; frequently our men would seize
their mazzles ard direct their fire to
the rear.
Several times during the day | at
tempted to estimate the strength Of
the enemy. Conditions not being
favorable my observations were too
brief to be accurate. When the oak
fell its branches caught several of our
men. assisted in extricating Private
WIN. Barr, of the 18th.
After the tree fell and we did not
give up the enemy evidently became
discouraged, as their fire gradually
grew weaker until it had almost ceased
| by daybreak When you ordered the
brigade to move oat the nearest line
of the enemy could see was at the
edge of the wood some distance from
the works. They had abandoned the
open ground In front OF our centre and
right, which the day before was a
mass of troops. | estimate their loss