halted and commenced firing. The Twenty-fourth Virginia had meanwhile emerged from the wood on the left, nearer to the enemy than my redoubt on which Early's regiment charged, and was moving in fine style upon them. Early's regiment never recovered from the confusion into which they were thrown by the taking of my works. They were formed, however, and started forward, but went obliquely to the left to the wood, and I saw no more of them. I met General Early near this redoubt, himself and horse both wounded, and told him that I had checked the enemy, and been there watching him for three or four hours, and asked him to give me a place in the charge. He said, "Certainly, go." I told him that some of my men were in that fort. He said, "Take them and go toward the enemy." I took my men out of the fort and moved them all forward into the gap left by the oblique movement of Early's regiment into the woods. We advanced to within a hundred yards of the enemy, when we were ordered by General D. H. Hill to move by the left flank into the wood. The Fifth North Carolina, on our right, as I said above, unfortunately stopped and commenced firing; I say unfortunately, because from the confused tangling of their muskets I shall ever believe that the enemy were actually broken (their fire, too, almost ceased), and it only required the continued advance of the Fifth North Carolina to complete their route. As it was, the crest of the hill protected the enemy from their fire, and they had time to recover from their panic, and return to the crest, and open fire, which they did, concentrating their overwhelming volleys on the Fifth North Carolina, and almost demolishing it. The Twenty-fourth Virginia on my left was not in time to engage them simultaneously with the Fifth North Carolina, and also met the concentrated fire of nearly the whole of the enemy's line, but being nearer to cover, did not suffer so terribly in retiring, but were completely used up, thus leaving my regiment advancing alone to share the same fate.
At this juncture, D. H. Hill, who was on the field, and not far from me, ordered me to move by the flank in the woods. I moved into the woods, and found a regiment that had not been in action drawn up, and was told that it was Hoke's regiment, North Carolina. I formed on it, and in a short time it was moved in retreat. I found D. H. Hill, and asked him if the orders were to retreat—that the regiment on which I had formed had moved back. He said that he had given no such orders, but that I had better move
