The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-19

batteries. but his artillery did us netie
 or no damage. We were called oiI as
 the fugItives were reaching and iorm-
 ing behind the batteries Prior 70
 thst fine Colonel Tompkins' guns could not fire because his own men were in the way, we closely following ' ana as for his stating that ne Tired over the heads of the infantry, the na- ture of the ground. which rom tns woods out was nearly level. renceIeu this impossible. When we reached our positions on returning it was so aarN that the artillery fire was whd as well as scant. General Brooks .corrop | lorates Colonel Tompkins statement abor,t rallying on the artillery n his report CD. 5ss) he says ''The llnee
 were established near the batteries
 of Rigsby. Parsons and Wiis'seon
 | Colonel Tompkins Is glaringiy in- correct fn the statement that the Fed- | erals Afterwards advanced and en- tered the wood, or that they held this position when dark cana General Wilcox correctly says:
 .The pursuit was continued as Iar as fhe toll gate. Semmes' Brigade \ 1only two regiments) and my own were the only troops that followed 1 the retreating enemy. In the rear ol l the gate were the heavy reserve oi the enemy Our men were now halted and reformed, it being quite dark and retired. not pursued py tne enemy. ! leaving pfckets Tar 70 tne ifofs
 General semmes tp. ss5) says "the brunt of the battle" fell on his pri- eade. but he shows that only two or lhie regiments, the 10th and blst Ga. participated in the. countercharge. and this he himself says was "in support
 I of a charge made by one or more or 1 vsicox,s regiments" He had sent or ders. he says, to two other regiments l to charge but the orders did not reach
 | thern If they had been as closely en-
 gagged as we were the gallant Georgiahs l would likely have needed no orders
 from their General to follow re-
 treating enemy.
 | was to the left of semmes. and Gensr-
 al semrnes says, in his report of the
 batfle uage ss5: 'sbeyond my left
 there was only dasultery firing. A
 careful reading of General Mahone
 report, page s6s bears out this state
 ment. This report embraced the ope-
 ratious of his brigade fin the late bat
 .ias af inc Rappahannecx," and speak ine of salem Church. he says: My brigade. in the spirited fight at this nla -e occupied the extreme left Of the line. lying wholly n the woods, ane
 participated in the successful resist ance made to the enemy's very deter mined eHorfS 10 pFeah S~f Si" that point" CSalem Church). He does not further describe the part h;s hrigade took except by the following ! conpliments to----'.the 9th Virginia iss for its veteran like behavior al ] salem. Church. receiving without dis oyder the enemy's sudden fire wniSe moving by the flank, and the Sist Nir- ' rinia for its gallant and sue eessful skirrnish with the enemy dur ing the formation Of our lines at Sa- lem Church : while the part borne . bv the isth Virginia and the 4lss . Virginia - was everywhere, thougf Hess arduous, well and bravely per formed" From this it seems to De { l fair conclusion that the ''desultory fir , ines which General Scenes speaks oi : 1 on his left, was the result of an assault |. made. as above indicated, by the 1851 : New Jersey. This regiment, it's Colone says. page STA, was ordered to the ex' ] trerne right of the Federals "te turn th' , lIeft of tho Confederates.P
 ,l General Lee was with Ns af salen , Church on the next morning after tns haftle and went over the lines. H' had too of course received all the re { Dorts of his subordinates before h' { made his report, September 21st, ant
 In this report he disposes of the clain < i of General semmes that the brunt 2 l, the battle felle on his Brigade, as foi ' lThe eneHy's artillery played viz :; orously upon our positloa for som' < time, when his infantry advanced il
 three strong lines.f the attack beinl f directed mainly against General VII 1, cox. but partially involving the bri r I gades on his left. The assault wa ! made with the utmost firmpess am < after a fierce struggle the first lin Z l was repulsed with great slaughter 5 The second then came forward but i'm mediateIy broke under the eose an :, deadly fire which 1t, encountered, an the whole mass fled in confusion to th :. rear. They were pursued by the bri ' gades of Wilcox and Semmes (oniy tw ' Regiments of Semmes') which advance ' 1 nearly a mile when they were halte 2 to reform in the presence of tn 2 enemy's reserve, which now appeare . in large force. It being quite darf 2 General Wilcox deemed 1t imprnden y' to push the attack with his small mum . bers and retired to his original posi- ss ton, the enemy making no attemp ]. to follow"
 Y O. R. series, vol XKy, rart 1, ? Sii ,. It was the 121st N. Y. under Colont