order to turn these works, and, if possible, gain the enemy's rear, cut off his retreat and seize the bridge. This I found impracticable, and placing in position the battery under my command, opened on the works, and by a few well aimed shots and the advance of my lines, caused this force to retreat precipitately, with the loss of about twenty prisoners, including one lieutenant-colonel. I had no means of ascertaining the enemy's number of killed and wounded. One dead man was left on the field. Our loss, one wounded. It may not be improper in this connection, as evidence of the base ingratitude of our enemies, to state that the Yankee press has attributed to my brigade the burning of the town of Wrightsville. In his retreat across the bridge, the enemy fired it about midway with the most inflammable materials. Every effort was made to extinguish this fire and save the bridge, but it was impossible. From this the town was fired, and notwithstanding the excessive fatigue of the men, from the march of twenty-nine miles and the skirmish with the enemy, I formed my brigade in line around the burning buildings and resisted the progress of the flames until they were checked.
Leaving Wrightsville on the morning of the 29th, I sent the cavalry under my command to burn all the bridges (fourteen in number) on the railroad leading to York, to which place I marched my brigade and rejoined the division, from which we had been separated since June 26th. Marching thence to Gettysburg, we participated in the battle of July 1st. In accordance with orders from Major-General Early, I formed my brigade in line of battle on the right of the division—one regiment, the Twenty-sixth Georgia, having been detached to support the artillery under Lieutenant-Colonel Jones.
About 3 o'clock P. M. I was ordered to move my brigade forward to the support of Major-General Rodes' left. The men were much fatigued from long marches, and I therefore caused them to move forward slowly, until within about three hundred yards of the enemy's line, when the advance was as rapid as the nature of the ground and a proper regard for the preservation of my alignment would permit.
The enemy had succeeded in gaining a position upon the left flank of Doles' brigade, and in causing these troops to retreat. This movement of the enemy would necessarily have exposed his right flank but for the precaution he had taken to cover it by another line. It was upon this line, drawn up in a strong position on the crest of a hill, a portion of which was woodland, that my brigade charged. Moving forward under heavy fire over rail and plank fences, and crossing a creek whose banks were so abrupt as to prevent a passage except at certain points, this brigade rushed upon the enemy with a resolution and spirit, in my opinion, rarely equaled.
The enemy made a most obstinate resistance, until the colors on portions of the two lines were separated by a space of less than fifty paces, when his line was broken and driven back, leaving the
