Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 25.djvu/233

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killed, hut I got on my feet, turned the horde's head back to the General, and fried out, "If he had no objections, I would take the balance of my journey afoot," and x. i I did.

Tin- Major brought in his skirmishers and exchanged them for the first company of the Washington I-ight Infantry, and went back to the front. The Federals must have thought he had a brigade, he ran tin- intantrv about in such a way. We could hear him, " Charge, men, rharge!" "Down!" The infantry behaved well, and the Major was so well pleased that he sent to me for the second company of the Light Infantry. General Hagood gave me a verbal order on the commanding officer for them, and I carried then out to Rion. He had been wounded in the right forearm at Drury's Bluff, and he always carried a tournequet and bandages ready in his haversack. Just after midday he was wounded in the left forearn, and brought in his skirmishers. I applied the tournequet for him, and bandaged his arm, and he went to the hospital.

Before going he had the prescience to establish our picket pits; he directed they should be kept at a good distance from our main line, so that the main line might not be annoyed by shooting from close quarters. This was wise. When we first entered the canal our regi- ments were mixed up, but soon Colonel Nelson came in, and our battalion was aligned from the road eastwardly, and the other regi- ments extended to Colquitt's salient in the same direction; to the west of the road was Clingman's North Carolina Brigade. They did not keep the Federals off as far as we did, and the consequence was Clingman suffered from the near approach of the Federals. They got so close they could talk together, swap tobacco, newspapers, etc. The men became so friendly that an order was issued on our side to stop it, and to commence firing. I recall how a Tarheel got on the breastworks and cried out, " Hide out, you Feds, we have orders to commence firing, and we are going to begin."

The difference in the picket lines in front of us and those in front of Clingman made a complete trap for several Federal officers. The officer of the day and officers in charge of the Federal picket line used to start, after nightfall, to visit their picket pits, commencing at the Appomattox river, and going eastwardly. Along Clingman's line it was plain sailing, but when they came to the road and crossed over in our front, they came on the same projection to the rear of the Confederate pickets; and all the Confederates had to do was to draw a bead on them and make them stand and deliver.

Captain W. C. Clyburn, of Co. G, was at that time acting as