The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-09-01

UaQJ OF COLI OIllCcI JldC IL was |
mere imagination would never avail, and
so it would often happen, that good
part of the night was spent by those of |
ficers in going around and testing the
accuracy of these reports; and in assur-
ing the men that there was no real sound
but only that of imagination. 1t was
customary to relieve the regiment about
one day in every ten from the terrible
strain of this service in the trenches, and !
to take them to some point in the rear
where there was shade, and allow them
to battle themselves and to wash their |
clothing.
The 18th of August was one of those |
days off with DAVIS brigade. About one |
third of the men had been detailed that
morning and sent to work on the breast |
works. The balance of the brigade,
about the middle of the afternoon, were
resting about a mile in the rear of the
line, when We were ordered to move
rapidly to the right some two or three
miles, to meet the enemy, who, passing
around the extreme right of our infantry
line, had crossed the Petersburg 81 Wei
don Railroad at Davis farm. AS soon
as we came in sight Of the enemy, we
were formed IN line of battle and ordered
to charge. The charge was made with
the 55th Regiment in the center of the
brigade. The charge was made with
dash and spirit, at double-quick, for half
mile, and through cornfeld a greater
part of the way, under a fierce fire of
both artillery and infantry. After pass
ing through the cornfeld, we came to
pine forest of scattering growth. We
drove the first line of the enemy through
this, and then came to forest from
which the large trees had been mainly
cut, and which was very thick with
small growth and under-brush. 1t was
so dense that the enemy, who were only
about IS or 100 yards from Us, behind
some temporary breast works, could not
be seen. We stopped a moment and
reformed our line and then continued
the charge, but in the difficulty
to our advance presented by the thick
underground and the brush from the
large trees which had been felled, we
had not gone more than forty yards be-
fore We were repulsed with great loss.
1t was then about twilight, and the vol
ley the enemy poured into our ranks ap
peared to be yeritable sheet of fame.
The losses of our regiment there were
relatively greater than in any other bat
tie in which it participated. There was
scarcely an officer or man who did not
bear either in his body or clothing the
marks of the terrible conflict. OF the
100 men who went into the charge, at
least one-half were either killed or
wounded Lieut.. J. J. Hoyle of Com
pany was killed while CALAMITY lead
ing his company; Lieut.. W. FL. Townes,
of Granville county, as brave an officer
as ever drew sword, commanding com
pany D, was MORALLY wounded. Of the
| thirteen men of Company / present,
three were killed and all the others were
wounded. After the repulse, we fell
back some fifty yards waiting and ex-
pecting that the enemy would advance,
but this he failed to do, and during the
night we we're moved further to the rear.
: Capt. Whitfield commanded the regiment
| in this engagement. The next after
noon, the men detailed the day before
having come in, our regiment had nearly
as many men in ranks as it had the day
before, and Capt. B. f. Briggs, of Com
/ pany A, was in command. Our line
was heightened by fresh troops, and late
! in the afternoon, another attempt was
made to dislodge the enemy from his
position, our regiment charging over the
same ground as on the day before, and
/ it was repulsed at just about tie same
point, and with very nearly as great
/ losses. We returned to the trenches
near Petersburg and there remained
until the engagement on October list on
i the right of our line, in which Gen.
Heth's division was engaged with an in
fantry division of the Federal forces and
some of their calvary, and in which Gen.
Archer was MORALLY wounded. The
losses of the 55th Regiment in this engage
ment were slight. In the battle of
Hatcher's Run or Burgess Mill, on the
9th of October, the right of our brigade
rested on Hatcher's Rum One of the
Mississippi regiments was on the right,
and our regiment was in the centre.
About four o'clock in the afternoon, the
enemy had broken through our lines on
the south side Of Hatcher's Run, and the
first we knew of it, they had crossed the
run and were firing into our rear; Gen.
Heth and Gen. Davis, who were just in
the rear of our regiment at the time,
directed Col. Stone, of the end Missis-
sippi, now Governor of the State of Mis-
sissippi, to wheel the three right regi-
ments of the brigade perpendicular to our
line, and to drive the enemy back across
the run. The order was promptly exc
cuted, and the 55th regiment, being the
the third regiment from the right, was
next to the angle, and was subjected,
therefore, to enfilading fire from the main
army of the enemy, and to a front fire
from the thanking force. The charge
was made with great desperation and
the enemy were driven in great disorder
, and confusion across the run, and our
lines on the South side were re-estab-
lished. The losses of the regiment were
serious Lieut.. NJ @. Stevens, who, up
to this time, had escaped unhurt, rashly
exposed himself IN this exigenoy and was
, killed.
i About the 1st of December, when the