We struck the plank road at the Wilderness in a double quick just after
sunrise and took down it towards the battle which had been going on
furiously since just after midnight. Our regiment was on the extreme
left of our brigade, which placed us in rear when marching in columns of
four. Our company, Company E, was on the left of the regiment, this
making our company the extreme left of Jenkins' Brigade. Just in rear of
us was Bennings' Georgians, and the old general was on his gray horse in
that slow gallop at the head of his brigade. Our division (Fields'
Division) was composed now of Hood's Texas Brigade, in front, Anderson's
Georgia Brigade (Tige Anderson), Robertson's Alabama Brigade, Jenkins'
South Carolina Brigade and Bennings' Georgia Brigade (Rock Benning). The
names of Tige Anderson and Rock Benning had been given these two
brigadiers a long time back.
Hood, Anderson and Robertson had reached the Wilderness earlier in the
morning, some two hours ahead of Jenkins and Benning, and were heavily
engaged. When we struck the plank road we were still in a double quick.
We were ordered to load at the double quick. Gen. Benning was just about
twenty feet in my rear. Very soon we commenced to meet the wounded
coming out. These wounded fellows would step one side, giving us the
right of way, and also giving words of encouragement. I noticed one old
fellow using his gun for a crutch, he being shot in the leg. As we got
to him he stepped out to one side, and, standing still as Gen. Benning
got to him, he cried out in a loud, cheerful voice, "Go it, Rock. Tige's
treed." And I guess the old fellow was telling the truth.
Benning's brigade was filed to the left of the plank road; our brigade
was filed to the right of it with our left resting on the road. Just as
we had cleared enough to give us room the command was given, "Left
flank." This threw us in line of battle. We were ordered to halt in this
position. We had hardly stopped when Kershaw's Brigade came tilting
back, closely followed by the enemy. No one seemed to know that we were
there, when Kershaw's men discovered us by running into us. They were
happy and rallied of their own accord, and the way we did put it to
those Yankees! It would have done you good to see. We drove them easily
back, as they were so surprised, but we did not follow them up but a
short distance, when we stopped behind a kind of breastworks made from a
few old pines piled together. Here we remained till midday under a heavy
fire, and doing the same for them. During the time we were here I asked
permission of Col. Hagood to let me crawl out in front and see if I
couldn't get something off of the dead Yankees lying just away from us.
He said it was mighty risky, but if I chose to take chances and would
not go far, to go ahead. I lay flat on my belly and crawled up to the
first one, then to the second, until I had visited eight of these
fellows. I was always very careful to keep them between me and the
Yankees. I thought I had gone far enough after getting to the eighth, so
I turned back and crawled into our lines. When I got back Jim Hagood
said, "What have you got?" We were lying down, as we could not put up
our heads on account of the bullets. I unloaded my pockets, turning them
out on the ground. I had six watches, three or four knives, some rations
and a few other trinkets. Col. Hagood took his choice of the watches and
I gave Capt. Wood another. The other I sold to Sid Key, now of Beaufort,
who had some Confederate money. We were still lying here in a heavy fire
when, just after midday, Gen. Jenkins rode down the line in our rear. He
had been hit by a bullet, breaking his little finger. He was holding out
his hand, from which the blood was still trickling. He said to us, "Men
of the First, we are going to charge. Now, I want each and every one of
you to remember that you are South Carolinians. Remember your wives,
your sweethearts, your sisters at home. Remember your duty. Col. Hagood,
get your regiment ready."
Col. Hagood, the boy colonel, called out, "First regiment, continue to
lie down, but be at attention." Only a few moments more and the voice of
Col. Hagood was heard, "First Regiment, forward." He was the first to be
up and ready to move. We crossed over our logs and then the command,
"Charge!" We made a dart, and so did the Yankees, but they darted back.
We followed them, running them into their works, where they had heavy
reinforcements. We followed them to within some one hundred yards of
these entrenchments and could go no further. Here we remained for
perhaps an hour, when we leisurely fell back to our former position.
While out there in front of the Yankee works we were subjected to the
most deadly fire. I had picked up a little oak stump about the size of
my thigh, which had rotted off even with the ground and so badly worm
eaten that I could see holes all through it. This I had stood up,
propping it with a stick. I got in behind it and soon my brother Joyce
moved up on my left and then Lieut. Hair came up on my right. I was
square in behind the stump and now I had a man on each side. I was
pretty well protected, or at least I felt so. Lieut. Hair, being on my
right, turned his head to the left to talk to me. We were all lying flat
on our bellies. As he turned to speak to me a minnie ball hit him in the
right temple, passing directly through his face and head, coming out in
the left cheek. His head fell flat to the ground. I put my hand under
his head, holding it up. The blood gushed from his temple, his eyes, his
nose, his mouth. I held him thus until the blood in a manner stopped,
then taking his handkerchief I wiped his eyes and asked him if he could
get back. He thought he could, and, on standing up, a minnie ball cut
his tobacco pouch from his coat. However, he started back, and after
running for perhaps a hundred yards I saw him almost turn a somersault.
I thought then he was a "goner," but he is yet alive, living at
Williston, and making a good, upright, intelligent citizen.
On getting back from where we had made the charge we were soon moved to
the left. This time we were supporting a brigade in Pickett's Division,
marching in line of battle some forty yards in rear of their line of
battle. I think I have failed to mention that the entire Wilderness was
one mass of undergrowth--oaks from about the size of one's finger to the
size of one's wrist, and about as tall as a tall man's head. The section
of the woods we were now advancing into was remarkably thicker than any
we had yet encountered, and, worse still, it seemed as if every one had
a bullet through it from the hard fighting that had just gone on there,
causing these white oak runners to bend down from being top heavy. These
bullets all seemed to go through about the height of a man's waist. In
tumbling down they made almost an impassable barrier. Together with this
obstacle the dead and dying were so thick that we could not help
stepping on them. It has been said that a person could walk seven miles,
stepping from body to body, and never touch the ground.
We were supporting the Virginians. They neared the plank road, marching
parallel thereto, the Yankees falling back. As they got very near the
road they saw a Yankee flag waving just above the bushes and just about
the road. It was natural to suppose that the enemy had halted and was
making a stand on this road. They immediately opened fire. The flag
fell, and, as there was no response, we discovered that Longstreet,
Jenkins and their staffs had ridden down this road, thinking we had
crossed. Longstreet, seeing a Yankee flag lying on the road, had ordered
one of his staff to pick it up. This he did, and, remounting, the flag
was raised above the bushes and became unfurled. The Virginians fired on
it, killing Gen. Jenkins and dangerously wounding Longstreet and some of
their staff. This was a great misfortune to us. Here fell two of our
best officers. It was a long time before Longstreet was well enough to
return to us, but he did after a while; but was ever after suffering
with his left side and shoulder.
While we were halted here in the confusion after happening to this
misfortune, I ran upon a dead Yankee officer, finely dressed, clean and
nice looking. He had on a fine pair of high top boots, brand new, the
spurs, of course, coming with them. I immediately took them to Col.
Hagood and he found them as good a fit as if made for him. We ran the
enemy back to their entrenchments on this part of the line as we had
done in the morning on the other part. We then fell back far enough to
be out of range of their musketry, and without even taking off our
cartridge boxes--no fires--we lay down to rest and get some sleep. We
did not sleep much this night, for we were right in among the dead and
dying, and many a poor fellow, especially from the Yankee army, would
beg for water, and we did not have it to give him. Our men got some
canteens from the dead, some with a little water and some with brandy.
All this was given to the poor fellows without any regard to which side
he belonged. All we cared for was that he was a human being and a
brother, though we had fought him hard all day.
Remaining here for the night, with only a little firing on the skirmish
line, we retired some short distance next morning; only far enough back
to get off of the ground where there were so many dead. Here we remained
all day of the seventh and that night until about four or five o'clock
on the morning of the eighth, when we were moved to our right. Grant had
started his flank movement for Richmond by trying to turn our left. We
met him on the eighth at Spottsylvania and here again we had a most
bloody battle.