This rock story will show what weight this testimony is entitled to without further comment.
Lieutenant F. B. Craige (in same No., page 24) writes as follows:
"Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan and his adjutant, of Harris's brigade, both of whom were wounded in the head and acted with conspicuous gallantry, had with them not more than twenty men."
I can only account for Lieut. Craige's defective vision by the supposition that the immense and imposing numbers of the enemy had, by comparison with the small number of the garrison, so dwarfed his visual organs that he could only see the small number of my command he mentions.
Lieutenant A. B. Howard (same No., page 25) states as follows:
"I fully concur with Lieut. Snow in his statements concerning the number of men from Harris's brigade. I am pretty certain that there was only one officer, instead of two, from that brigade; his name was Duncan. He said he was lieutenant-colonel, but there were no stars or bars about him to designate his rank."
This officer seems to have been suffering from "snow" blindness also. Same No., page 26, Lieut. D. M. Rigler says:
"After the enemy drove us from the works a portion of the brigade fell back in rear of General Mahone's quarters, and was there until you ordered us to the fort. 'Twas near Mahone's quarters that General A. P. Hill was killed. When we came to the fort you were there with some of the brigade. You then ordered all of us to charge the enemy. We held the Jones road about fifteen minutes. Harris's Mississippi brigade came up; the enemy fired on them and they retreated. * * Harris's men came in with a lieutenant-colonel and about fifteen men. * I think there were twenty-five of Harris's Mississippi brigade with a lieutenant-colonel; do not think there were any more. The lieutenant-colonel was wounded."
I suppose Lieutenant Rigler meant the quarters occupied by General Mahone the previous winter. General Hill was not killed near there. If there was any charge made by General Lane or any other command that morning, it was made before I arrived on the ground, for certainly none was made after I arrived. I advanced, as before stated, four or five hundred yards forward on the plank road, and did not "retreat as soon as fired on by the enemy," as Lieutenant Rigler states, but held the position until ordered to retreat by General Wilcox, through his adjutant, Captain Glover. However, I must give Lieutenant Rigler
