In the latter part of April, 1863, the Army of the Potomac, under the
command of Major-General Hooker, occupied its position in front of
Fredericksburg. Here he constructed a formidable line of earthworks;
from which secure position, he purposed to move on General Lee's
flank. With this view, he crossed the Rappahannock and took position
at Chancellorsville.
Meanwhile, General Lee, watching him, was entrenched on the line of
hills south of the Rappahannock, near Fredericksburg.
On the 2d of May, these two confronting armies met each other, and
commenced the memorable engagements of Chancellorsville. "On this
field the star of Confederate destiny reached its zenith, when the
immortal Jackson fell wounded at the head of his victorious troops; it
began to set on the 10th of May, when Jackson was no more."
General Lee, deeming the true policy now to take the aggressive, at
once set to work to manoeuver so as to draw Hooker's army from
Fredericksburg, and remove hostilities beyond the Potomac.
In pursuance of this design, our army--now reorganized into three
corps, respectively commanded by Lieutenant-Generals Longstreet,
Ewell, and A. P. Hill--early in June moved northward, with the view of
marching into Maryland and Pennsylvania. On our arrival at Richmond,
on the 6th of June, we were assigned to Heth's division of A. P.
Hill's corps--which corps still occupied the lines in front of
Fredericksburg, the corps of Ewell and Longstreet having advanced as
far as Culpepper Court-House. On the night of the 13th, Hooker retired
from his position, and on the 14th the corps of A. P. Hill left for
the valley. At the urgent request of General Elzey, in command at
Richmond, our brigade (Cooke's) was retained there, and Davis'
Mississippi brigade was assigned to Heth's division in our stead;
through which circumstance, we failed to participate in the
Pennsylvania campaign and to share in the fatal battle of Gettysburg.
On the 9th of June we were sent to the South Anna bridge, on the
Virginia Central road, to repel a threatened attack from the enemy's
cavalry. Remaining here until the 11th, we returned to Richmond, and
were ordered to Chapin's Bluff, on the James. John F. McQuiston joined
the company here. We remained at the Bluff only a few days, when we
were again returned to Richmond, and camped in the vicinity until the
8th of July. On the 11th, we moved to Taylorsville, on the R. & F.R.R.
Remaining here until the 1st of August, we moved to Fredericksburg,
and picketed the various fords on the Rappahannock. On the 28th, we
retraced our steps to Taylorsville, went into camp in pine forest near
the railroad, and passed the time quietly until the 24th of September.
On the 13th of July, the shattered remnant of our army recrossed the
Potomac into Virginia. General Meade, now in command of the Federal
troops, advanced east of the mountains, and General Lee, so as to
confront him, moved his army, and established a line of defence along
the Rapidan River. In this position the two armies remained, in
comparative quiet, about two months. Early in October, General Lee,
with Ewell's and Hill's corps, crossed the Rapidan to attack Meade's
flank, or force him to retire from his position.
The Grays, having been encamped at Gordonsville since the 24th of
September, were ordered to rejoin their corps, and on the 9th of
October we left Gordonsville, marching _via_ Madison Court-House,
where we camped on the 10th. On Sunday morning (11th), we reached
Culpepper Court-House. Just before our arrival it was ascertained that
Meade was on the farther side of the Rappahannock River, which would
render it necessary for our troops to make another flank movement. On
Monday, the 12th, therefore, we started for Warrenton. Passing near
Salem, we camped that night at Amisville. The next day, passing
Warrenton Springs, we reached Warrenton. On the morning of the 14th,
we resumed our march, and about ten o'clock we came upon a little
place called Grinage. Here we found the deserted camp of the enemy.
Their camp-fires were still burning, many articles of camp equipage
were lying around, everything showing that a panic had seized them and
that their retreat was hasty and terrified. We hastened on in pursuit,
at a rapid rate, capturing their stragglers at every turn. At the same
time, we knew that Ewell was driving another corps of the enemy on our
right up the Orange & Alexandria Railroad. Our men were in the highest
spirits, confident not only of victory, but of destroying or capturing
everything in front of us. We knew the river in their rear was
swollen, and possibly the bridges gone, and there would be no outlet
for them. Governor Vance's faithful ship, the "Advance," had come in
"heavily laden," and we were proudly and splendidly dressed in some of
the gray cloth of its cargo, which, but a few days before, we had
received; our hopes were buoyant, our rations plentiful, and it is
easy to imagine with what pace we kept up the pursuit. Reasonable
expectations doomed to a speedy and bitter disappointment!
After keeping up the pursuit at this rapid rate for some three hours
along the main road leading to Bristoe station, our brigade filed out
into the woods upon our right when we arrived within a short distance
of the station. Cooke's brigade formed the advance of the pursuing
column, Kirkland's brigade followed, then came the remainder of A. P.
Hill's corps. At the time we filed to our right in the woods,
Kirkland's brigade moved up and filed off to the left of the road; the
rest of our corps was halted and _remained_ in the road in the rear.
Our brigade (Cooke's) was immediately thrown into line of battle, the
46th N.C. regiment on the extreme right, the 15th N.C. next, the 27th
N.C. next, and the 48th N.C. next, with their left resting upon the
main road. In this position we were ordered to move forward. Advancing
some five hundred yards through a dense forest of pines, we were halted
near a small stream in an open field. About 800 yards in our front and
to our left upon a hill, we could see several brigades of the enemy;
while in the road in their front a large wagon train was hurriedly
moving off. About this time a battery of guns concealed in the woods
opened a heavy fire upon our right flank, seemingly to cover the
retreat of their wagon train. Just then a courier from Gen. Heth handed
to Gen. Cooke orders from Gen. Hill to advance; in the meanwhile a
message was received from Col. Hall, commanding our right flank,
informing Gen. Cooke that the enemy had driven in his skirmishers and
was pressing him on his flank. Thereupon Cooke sent Heth's courier back
to him with the information that the enemy were in force upon his
right, and before he could advance that his flank must be protected.
The courier from Gen. Heth returned a second time with orders to
advance, and while delivering the orders one of Gen. Lee's
staff-officers rode up, and being informed of our situation, said to
Cooke that _he_ would go to Gen. Hill for him. Before he had time to
reach Gen. Hill, a courier arrived _direct_ from Hill to Gen. Cooke
with orders to _advance at once_. Cooke replied, "I will do so, and if
I am flanked I will face about and cut my way out," and immediately
gave the command "forward!" Advancing at a quick step up a slight
elevation we came in full view of the enemy. Simultaneous with our
advance five pieces of our artillery, posted in the main road upon our
left, opened fire on the enemy in sight, who retired apparently in
confusion.
About 800 yards in the valley in our front ran the track of the Orange
& Alexandria Railroad. The road here formed an embankment from six to
eight feet high, extending far enough to overlap our brigade and a
portion of Kirkland's on our left. The space between us and the
railroad was a barren, open field, descending with a gradual declivity
to the railroad embankment. Across and beyond the railroad about 300
yards, upon a considerable elevation, were extensive woods and
thickets; here the enemy had posted their artillery. In front of
these woods, and on the face of the hill descending to the railroad
embankment, was posted what we then supposed was the enemy's skirmish
line, but which proved to be a decoy, for the troops which had retired
at the firing of our artillery in the road, and a large body of those
who had been retreating before Ewell, had stretched themselves behind
the railroad embankment, forming their real line of battle, which
consisted of the entire second corps and one division of the 5th corps
of Meade's army.
We had advanced rapidly some 25 yards when our regiment, being
slightly in advance, was halted until the regiments upon our right and
left came up. Here we discovered for the first time the real position
of the enemy behind the railroad embankment. We were going down the
hill; they, secure behind the bank, had only to lie down on the slope,
rest their muskets on the track of the railroad and sweep the open
field as we attacked. The attack was made.
"Not tho' the soldier knew,
Some one had blundered:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die;
Into the Valley of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell,
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Marched the six hundred."