was exhausted with bayonets and brickbats. 'Tis true, that when they rushed into the fort upon us, they were yelling, cursing and shooting with all the frenzy and rage of a horde of merciless barbarians.
I could give you a full account of the whole engagement from beginning to end, but I suppose you have all the particulars from Captain Hale and Lieutenant Snow.
Letter from Lieutenant D. M. Rigler, Thirty-seventh North Carolina Regiment.
General James H. Lane:
Dear Sir—Yours of the 14th instant is received, and I hasten to reply. You wish me to give all the information I can in regard to the defence of Fort Gregg. As it has been so long since it occurred, I do not know that I can give all the particular but as far as I can I will.
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' Mississippi brigade came up; the enemy fired on them, and they retreated. Captain Hale then ordered us up to the fort. General Wilcox and some of his staff were there: he remained there until they opened on the fort with artillery. Captain Hale called myself, Snow and Craige out in the rear of the fort and asked how many men we had of the brigade and how much ammunition. He then told us to send some reliable man after ammunition. By this time the Yanks had got the range of the fort, and were doing some damage.
Captain Hale then asked who was the senior officer, and as Snow was, he put him in command and told him to hold the fort. We formed the men around, and had about fifty or sixty. Harris' men came in with a lieutenant-colonel, and about fifteen men more of our brigade came in, and made in all about seventy-five of our brigade.
