At five o'clock,-or it might have been somewhat later, the three battalions were moved just in front of the curved breastwork, where they remained for two or three minutes, still closedin-mass. Knapsacks were left behind the breatworks. Pine woods, or rather a few tall pine trees, not numerous enough to hide our movements-extended about ten rods to the front, and then came an open field. Colonel Kellogg, having instructed Majors Rice and Ells to follow at intervals of one hundred paces placed himself in front, and gave the command, 'Forward! Guide Center! March!' The first battalion, with the colors in the center, moved directly forward through the scattering woods, crossed the open field at a double-quick, and entered another pinewood, of younger and thicker growth, where it came upon the first line of rifle-pits, which was abandoned at its approach. Passing this line, the battalion moved on over sloping ground until it reached a small, open hollow, within fiftteen or twenty yards of the enemy's main line of breastworks. There had been a thick growth of pine sprouts and saplings on this ground, but the rebels had cut them, probably that very day, and had arranged them so as to form a very effective abbatis,--thereby clearing the spot, and thus enabling them to see our movements. Up to this point there had been no firing sufficient to confuse or check the battalion; but here the rebel musketry opened. The commander of the rebel battalion directly in our front, whoever he was, had his men under excellent control, and his fire was held until our line had reached the abbattis, and then systematically delivered-first by his rear rank, and then by his front rank. A sheet of flame, sudden as lightning, red as blood, and so near that it seemed to singe the men's faces, burst along the rebel breast work; and the ground and trees close behind our line were ploughed and riddled with a thousand balls that just missed the heads of the men. The battalion dropped flat on the ground, and the second volley, like the first, nearly all went over. Several men were struck, but not a large number. It is more than probable that if there had been no other than this front fire, the rebel, breast works would have been ours, notwithstanding the pine boughs. But at that moment a long line of rebels on our left, extending all the way to the Richmond road, having nothing in their own front to engage their åttention,' and having unobstructed range on the battalion, opened a fire which no human valor could witstand, and which no pen can adequately describe. The appended list of casualties tells the story. It was the work of almost a single minute. The air was filled with sulphurous smoke, and the shrieks and howls of more than two hundred and fifty mangled men rose above the yells of triumphant rebels and the roar of their musketry. ABOUT Face! shouted Colonel Kellogg,-but it was his last command. He had already been struck in the arm, and the words had scarcely passed his lips, when another shot pierced his head, and he fell dead upon the interlacing pine boughs. Wild, and blind with wounds, bruises, noise, smoke, and conflicting orders, the men staggered in every direction, some of them falling upon the very top of the rebel parapet, where they were complety riddled with bullets,-others wandering off into the woods on the right and front, to find their way to death by starvation at Andersonville, or never to be heard from again. LIE DOWN! said a voice that rose above the horrible din. It was the voice of Colonel Upton, whose large bay horse was dancing with a bullet in his bowels. The "The rest of the brigade, i. e., the One Hundred and Twenty-first and Sixtyfifth New York, Ninety fifth Pennsylvania, and Fifth Maine, were formed in three lines immediately on our left, and advanced when we did. But they received a heavy fire and advanced but part of the way. Indeed, the first battalion of our regiment went up to the enemy's breast work alone. Our right was nobody's left, and our left nobody's right." rebels in frout now fired as fast as they could load, and those of our men who were not wounded, having worked their way back a few yards into the woods, began to reply with energy. But the wounds showed that nine-tenths of our casualties were inflicted by that unopposed fire on the left flank. The second battalion followed the first, according to instructions, crossed the open field under a scattering fire, and having moved through the woods until within perhaps seventy-five yards of the first battalion, wast confronted by Colonel Upton with the command Lie down! LIE DOWN!-which was obeyed with the utmost alacrity. Major Ells was wounded very soon after the third battalion commenced to follow, and his command devolved upon Captain Jones. Upon reaching the woods, this battalion also had orders to lie down. The rebel fire came through the woods from all parts of the line, and most of the losses in these two battalions occurred while lying here. Put up your saber, said Colonel Upton to a young officer, 'I never draw mine until we get into closer quarters than this. See the Johnnies! See the Johnnies! Boys, we'll have these fellows yet!' said he, pointing to the front, where a long string of them came running through the lines towards us. They were the very men who had delivered the first two volleys in our front, and (there being a lull in the firing at the moment) they came tumbling over the breatwork in a crowd, within two or three rods of where Kellogg's body lay. We had too much on hand just then to run after safely bagged prisoners, and when they got to the rear of the 3d Division (who, by the way, having at first advanced on our right, had broken and run to the rear, through our first battalion as it was charging, and were consequently in a con“ venient position to make the 'capture,') put a guard over them and triumphantly marched them to army headquarters; and in due time General Meade issued an order complimenting the Third Division of the Sixth Army Corps for having captured between three and four hundred prisoners, which they never captured at all. The lines now became very much mixed. Those of the 1st battalion who were not killed or wounded, gradually crawled or 1 "Every surviving man of the Second Connecticut Artillery will bear witness that the Ninth New York Artillery, (which belonged in the the Third Division,) came pell mell through our regiment toward the rear as we were charging,—and that the capture of these prisoners was made by our regiment alone. Colonel Upton, who saw the whole of it, said that the matter should be rectified, and the credit given to the Second Connecticut. But it never was." |