The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-27
a Night Battle.

70 ~ ~ VIZ A'cAeisDurS auu ISOTlOlK
RAILROAD. now the Norfolk and West
ern.
A Night Battle.
Once or twice the ieg!ons OF General
Meade got possession OF the works to
tic left Of US. but were beaten back.
The fighting continued until after
nightfall with great rnry. and at In
tcrvals during the entire night there
were heavy volleys and carnonading.
The plckets were constantly engaged
in sharpshooting. The night was In
tenscly hot. and VIC had nothing to
eat. and had not even had water to
drink since We had left the Howlet,
line.
shall never forget that night. The
famishing t~trst and the awful roar OF
musketry made lasting impression
on my boyish mind. 1t fell to my lot
to be one the picket line. which was
II few yards In front of the main line
on the hillside. We had not time or
means to dig rife pits and had to take
our chances. We took such shelter
as we could find behind trees AMI
stumps. Ny protection was an old
pine stump somewhat decayed and al
together too low, but 1t was all I had
anu Was lOr LHdCF
! Lying down behind that stump famish.
ing for water. half-starved and worn
out with fatigue. actually fell asleep
and was more than once awakened
| by MIME ball striking the stump.
Here we spent the night. a miserable
one. sometines falling asleep from sheer
exhaustion and then firing again until
/ our sunbarreis would get too hot n
use.
Yankees Strongly Entrcnched.
| When morning dawned we were
greeted with the sight OF the great
thigh. red lines OF earthworks. capped
| with sand bags. close UP to our fronts
| (which had been constructed during thu
| night by the Industrious Yanks. The,
had dry. deep rifle pits for thcil
| pickets still closer to us. and seemed
to be SO busy that they did not fire
la gun. AS the morning wore on ant
the quiet still prevailed. we betooh
| ourselves TO the same kind OF work
and constructed pits for our pickets
while the business of strengthening
| the main line went on. Tho day was
I spent In this way without incident. We
still had nothing to eat and Of
| course there was some good-naturet
| grnmbllng. but the boys knew that tho
! wagon trains had to come from the
northside in the vicinity OF Chester
/ find a place in the rear and then fins
us IL possible before any bacon ant
hard tack could be distributed.
On tho Old Plank Road.
That evening. June l6. toward:
nightfall. we were hurried far to The
right near the Jerusalem Plank Roa,
i to meet an attack upon the line hell
by Clingman's and Ransom's NORTH
4 Carolina brigades. When we arrived
the battle had begun. Screaming ant
exploding shells and the tremendou!
4 vollcys OF musketry told us what wa!
going on. We were rushed into lint
under CALLING fire. and took on
position in the old entrenchments
/ which afforded almost no protection
at all. Tremendous assaults were
made upon usAi rapid succession, pre-
! coded every time by storm of ar
4 tillery fire. The battle ragged until
Hate hour In the night with tremendous
fury. General Meade with larg
force was making powerful effor
i to break our lines. and was CONSTANT,
being reinforced by fresh troops. tn
Army OF tho demonstrating now con
4 solidated with the Army OF the James
\ No endorsements had set come to us
il About 2 O'Clock in the night Their
a was lull In the battle. During thi
1 Hull there was stiffness that wa
/, broken only by the sub dued voice o
officers. and the clicking Of the wheel
and gun carriages. apparently moving