The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1913-02-21

breastworks and received a very de-
structive volley from the enemy,
which checked our advance, but we
fired on them as rapidly as we could,
and we were almost about to fall
back when Colonel Coward rushed
along the line, saying: "Charge them,
it will never do to stand here" and
we all began following: "Charge!"
and we went climbing over obstruc-
tions of small trees, etc. AS the ene-
my began running back out of their
entertainments we were very close to
them, and gave them lead as fast as
possible while they were in sight. We
were nearly out of ammunition and
the enemy were preparing to try to
take it back from us. Colonel Cow
ard moved the regiment along behind
the works until he came to hollow
and went back half mile or more.
There was big stump between sew
en- of us and the regiment and we
did not know when they left until we
found the firing had ceased on our
side, and the one nearest the stump
looked around and said, 'Our men
are all gone and the Yankees are
coming" l said to him to jump out
and run. Now we had narrow
path to run out at, and while l was
telling him to run, so he would be
out of my way. was crawling over
the others 70 get out. Captain Patrick
was the rDaA ] was talking to, and he
made break and the Yankees fired
on him several times but missed
him. Now was my time. Out went
and such shooting at one poor Reb.,
the running and jumping over brush
that time, could not be bettered on
earth by any one, and 1 saw the dam
ger I would go through in running,
but could not bear the thought of
a Northern prison. I had the pres
ence of mind not to run straight,
so I ran zigzag course, but they
shot through my coat little below
the waist. They had already hit my
blanket when we were making the
charge. The other five men were
captured. They told me they heard
the ball hit me or my clothing and
they would not run the risk. Our loss
in this battle was very heavy. had
two cousins killed in this fight and
several other good friends. After we
had taken the entrenchment Isaac
Gregory got upon the embankment
and cheered the South Carolinians,
and standing up they shot him dead.
| missed him so much after this, but
such was war. He was brave boy,
and | was sorry l was not close
enough to pull him off before he got
of that fight. That was on the 9th
day of May, 1864.
Now during the fighting at the
Battle of the Wilderness the woods
the night and the fire was along the
road we went, and l was smoked al
most to death. My eyes gave me
trouble for two or three days after.
Now we got down to Spotsylvania
court house and there we had another
battle. We were behind breastworks
in this fight and did not have any
hard fighting to do on our part of
the line. We moved to the right just
below there, in the night, in the rear
of some North Carolina troops, who
were in bad shape. The enemy were
on one side of the breastworks and
our men on the other, shooting over
the breastworks at each other all
night long. I was on the skirmish
line in the rear of them in open
ground and we were ordered not to
fire on any one in our front without
hailing them. Through the night a
good many of our men would run
out and get away, but at { ybrcak
most of them surrendered, so I heard
afterward. had to leave there be-
fore day and follow after the army,
which was moving to the right, to
keep abreast of the enemy who were
trying to get around into Richmond.
l remember nothing more OF this
campaign, but | see in school His
tory that Grant had 100000 men and
Lee about 10000 men, so you can see
what vast difference in the size of
the two armies and we defeated them
and the History says in two weeks
Grant lost 10000 men. Now he was
no nearer Richmond than he was a
year before, and he lay with his army
around on the south side of Rich
mond and we in his front. remem-
ben one night being on the picket
line on the McComicksyille turnpike.