1863 |
To Pettigrew's Brigade had been assigned the responsible duty of protecting the rear of the army while crossing the river. The march had been so retarded by the difficulty of getting the artillery and the wagon trains forward that we did not reach our position until 10 o'clock Tuesday morning, 14 July. General Pettigrew chose a hill by the roadside, and between one and two miles from the river, for his position. There he formed his line and ordered a rest, and in a few moments many of them, responding
to the call of exhausted nature, were sound asleep. We had been
followed by a large body of cavalry which had not yet the
temerity to attack us. While resting, as stated, awaiting the
crossing of that portion of the army which had not yet succeeded
in reaching the pontoon, a squad of Federal cavalry, numbering
about fifty men, passing through a skirt of woods in our rear,
behind which was massed a division, advanced upon us at a trot
with sabres drawn and rode over us before we could check them.
In explanation of this fact it should be stated that a regiment
of our cavalry had passed us going to the rear a short time
before for the purpose of crossing the river at Williamsport
above, but we thought they were between us and the enemy. |
|
As the cavalry body approached, the men were waked up and called
to arms, but some of the superior officers, mistaking them for
our own men, ordered the men not to fire, and it was not until
they were upon us that the error was seen; then the bursting of
caps with the occasional discharge of a rifle, was heard, and the
enemy began to reap the reward of his rashness. Having ridden
over our lines, they were now using their pistols with deadly
effect, when our rifles began to explode and in a few minutes all
of the squad save five or six who made their escape, were either
killed, wounded or prisoners, not however, before General
Pettigrew had been mortally wounded by one of the party. The exposure to rain, to which we had been subjected for so many days, had left the rifles of our men in such bad condition that but few would fire at first, and to this fact is attributes the losses we sustained -- had the guns of our men exploded when first tried, not a man of the attacking party would have been left to tell the tale, and valuable lives would have been saved. This engagement caused a general advance on the part of the enemy, and that portion of General A.P. Hill's Corps not yet over the river was hurried to the suppport[sic] of Pettigrew. We formed line of battle to meet the advance, though all of our artillery having passed the river, we had none in line; but skirmishing with the enemy and fighting and falling back, we held them in check until the whole army had crossed, with all of the wagons and artillery, save two pieces, the horses drawing which had become so exhausted as to be unable to move them, and before fresh horses could be procured the rear of the army had passed them. The whole army thus crossed the river successfully in the face of a large body of the enemy. The loss in our regiment, however, was considerable, its commanding officer, Captain Nathaniel A. Foster, being among the number captured. |
|
1863 to 10 AUG |
Upon crossing into Virginia we took up our line of march, passing through Martinsburg to Bunker Hill where we rested several days. Resuming our line of march, passing through Winchester, we crossed the Shenandoah river at Front Royal, and thence marched by way of Flint Hill to Culpepper Court House, which place we reached on the 25th, and went into camp about one mile from the town. Resting until Monday morning, 3 August, we moved towards Orange Court House, reaching the vicinity of the town on the 5th, and there went into camp. About 10 August Colonel William Kirkland, of the Twenty-first North Carolina Regiment, was promoted to Brigadier-General and ordered to assume command of our brigade, and henceforth it was known as Kirkland's Brigade. |
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