The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-28

"A H ' command, the Tenth Alabama
 M infantry Wilcoxs old Alabama brigade. marched all night lof August 1G crossing the mountain at Thoronghfare. Ga. and reached a small stream of clear running water at the foot of the mountain about dawn of the day of the great battle of Second Manassas. The boys were greatly fatigued as they marched up the mountain, but were told that Jackson had the Yankees cut off and needed them to bag the enemy. An hour s rest and the pure water greatly refreshed the men. We were soon ordered out into a large field near an apple orchard, and one of my men having the good luck to capture a few green apples, they were cooked without salt or grease. and con stituted our sole diet for breakfast and early dinner.
 About D. m. my regiment took posi- ton on the side of long sloping hill in an open field. In the rear of the line, on the crest of the hill about eighty or one hundred yards distant. the battery was stationed. I think that 1t was Imboden's battery. The land was opened in front of us about three-quarters of mile to a body Of woods. Between 8 and 1 o'clock the enemy advanced from the woods, marching directly toward our line. After this line had advanced from the woods fifty yards or more, then another line marched out of the woods, and short distance in the rear the third line ap peared It seemed to the writer that there were about q brigade in each line. The men rapidly advanced. Their new uniforms, bright guns and bristling bay onets had more the appearance of grand review than of actual battle. When the first line had gotten within four hundred yards the Confederate battery in our rear opened fire, shooting directly over the regiment, which was lying down. The fuses in the first shells were cut too short or the powder was defective, caus- ing the shells to burst just over our reg iment. wounding several of the men, one of whom was the major. This firing in the rear and the terrible array in front made the writer feel very uncomfortable.
 Our battery immediately elevated their guns or heightened the fuses and the shells began to explode in the rear line. They seemed to cut gaps in the line of fifteen to twenty feet at every discharge. This battery now did better execution than l had ever seen before Or since. The firing was so terrific and the destruction so great that this rear line halted for @ moment WavBred then broke ranks, run ming back to the woods. The second or middle line, discovering that its support had fled, about faced, and also ran to the woods. The front line had continued to advance and was within reach of our Enfield rifles. All at once they turned round and fled as if panic stricken to the rear, many of them cutting loose their knapsacks and havre sacks and throwing away their guns in their mad flight The battery poured shell and grape shot into the mass long as they were visible. Not a gun had been fired by the enemy or by my regiment.
 We were now ordered to advance to the woods, passing over the same ground so lately occupied by the Federals. As the ground was strewn with the cast off baggage of the soldiers l soon secured well filled havre Sack and was making up for my long fast. 1 also picked up two good pocket knives, which were invalu- able, as few of the Confederates had knives. After entering the woods hun dred yards we were halted and ordered to lie down; then Federal battery opened on us with grapeshot, killing Neil Littlejohn and Jesse Harris within three feet of where l lay, and wounding many others. The shot seemed to have our range, but the battery, though very close, was invisible to us. The men were anX-
 ous to charge or fall back, as 1t seemed like sure death to remain stationary.