The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-08

!
! Of tho position taken by the Confederate
army about O'Clock III Intervening, and
was placed on tho left Of the army, on
tho prolongntion Of the limo. rho line
was through Il wood; and 5 tho ground
In front was covered bvl&t and by
e dense underground. Immediately nj
;er taking position, tho troops were or
dered to erect brenstworks. The mon
worked very reluctantly, they were tired
end Erulnbled n good deal. They re-
marked to one another tlnnty&tho work
WIS useless that they had been throw
Ing UP brcastworks ever since tho war
be- an, and had never fired "a shot from
behind one THAT they hld always whip
pad the Yankees on open ground nnd
that tho Yankees were not such d.
fools, MS to attempt to drive them otlt
Of brcnstwolks. BY about SHUTDOWN a
pile OF logs three or four feet high, with
cnnc dirt thrown up against It had been
raised along the front of the brigade, and
! ctween SHUTDOWN and dark the skirmish-
en-, came In, announcing that they wero
followed by the Federal force.
'rhe timber and underground in front
was so dense, that the attacking force
could not have been seen until 1t APP
reared within twenty or thirty yards OF
tie Confederate line. IS s3$55, 55s, n.
The attacking force moved IN "a close
column with u front Of one regiment and
with Il depth of eight (S) or ten :.(1O) reg
iments, about eight G) or ten&QO) steps
apart
The Fifty-second Regiment Wns n the
confer of the brigade, and the attacking
force covered the entire front of no
Flfty-second Regiment, and about half
Of the front OF the regiment on It's right,
I think the Thirteenth Battalion. r. am
tnol sure.
- - soon as the foremost regiment Of
lkeH attacking force came well in sight,
the brigade opened fire upon 1t. The
rnnge was very short and the Federals
disappeared from sight in the jungle IN @
very few minutes after the firing cons
n enced. h
a desultory fire was kept UP BY the
Federal troops back In tho jungle out OF
SIGHT for about twenty minutes, which
was replied to by us. And then the
firing ccascd, and tho engagement ended.
It was quite dark when the firing ceased,
Come time, an hour or moro, perhaps
after the close Of the engagement. q
skirmisher came in from the front, and
lis he crossed the breastworks. heard
Rim say to his comrades: Boys, you
momicked up out there In tho brush"
This remark excited my curiosity MY
sllpposltion was that the Yankees had
retired too soon to have suffered Il heavy
loss. The moon had arisen by that time.
t:nd r went out into the thicket, and
Was astonishcd Mt the number OF dead
tpnd wounded lying on the ground. never
saw dead and wounded lying more thick
lv anywhere, except in the Salient. at
the "Boody Angle" Evidently the rear
Ines stood, a7Ier the front limo fell bacN
out Of sight, and our fire was into a
~ cked mass which retired slowly under
il.
Tho casualties on our side We're very
few. In the Fifty-second only two or
three men were wounded
General Pegram, who was sltting on
his horse behind tho works. ana there-
fore exposed, was wounded.
The result or the engagement recon
oiled the men to the labor Of erecting
works. II Is
morning, a substantial brenstWorli was
completed.
A space of perhaps forty yards IN
width in front Of the works was clear
ed of brush. At my suggestion, trees
along the edge OF the clearing were
ton or their guns, and tho men were,
instructed to aim below the 5blnZcd
TIITS BATTLE ON THE MORNING or
TIE SIXTH OF MAY, 1864.
The next morning between daylight
and sunrise, the attnck was repeated,
with the same formation. and with np-
parently about the same numbers, The
company next to mine, located in tho
nf fhat pnpip,nnt hammond to
have no officer present, and was under
my charge, and thinking j possible, that,
| as tho distance from the edge Of the
! clearing to tho works was so short
that the Yankees might attempt, after
the first yolley was fired, to rush over
us before we could reload our guns, I
ordered the two companies to hold their
fire until I gave the word.
When tho first line camc Into view n
crushing volley was poured into 1t, and
1t Immediately fell back out Of sight,
| and In a minute or two afterwards, the
second line moved into the open. ]
ordered my two companies to fire, and
| every gun cracked Mt once The Federal
line staggered back Our firing into the
janglc continued for perhaps twenty
minutes, and the engagement ended, Our
loss was slight Captain Burns Of the
Fifty-second was killed. Captain DAVIS
was struck in the head, ms he was in
the act OF firing n gun which he had
taken from private. AS he fell back
wards, his gun went off killing Sergeant
Moore and wounded n private whose
name have forgotten.
During the two engagements not n
stragglor left the line. And It was told
| us, during the day in the WORKS, that
General Early had ordered the rear
guard to DO taken away MS useless
formnlity and an unmertcd imputntlnn
upon the men of the brigade, f
was told day or two afterwards,
4 ais com.lng from the officer who superln-
tended the removal Of the dead nnd
wounded that thrty-s!x hundred dead
and wounded Yankees were buried and
tai en- to the hospital from the front Of
the brigade. My recollection Is that Cap
tnin CARRIER Of the stanton Battery
made the statment TO me; and that NJ
stated that the information was slver
ITO him by the officer under whose charge
the dead and wounded were removed,
THE BATTLE ON THE AFTEItN0ON