On May 7th, the day after the big fight at the Wilderness, we moved back
a short distance and got off of the field, where it was strewn with the
dead and dying. Here we remained sharpshooting heavily all day; but
about dark that held up and we were comparatively quiet. We cooked our
suppers and prepared for a good night's sleep and a much needed rest, as
we had been hard at it for over forty-eight hours. It was not long after
dark before all of us were fast asleep, except those on picket. Grant,
however, had other views than to rest. He was just starting on his "On
to Richmond." As the hours grew on, the skirmishing grew less, but yet
there was commotion in the enemy's lines. Near midnight we were ordered
in line and moved off--_the whole of Lee's army_. We were moved to our
right, for Grant was moving on Richmond by the left. We met them after a
hard march, hard only because we were so broken down. At Spottsylvania,
shortly after midday, and without having time to rest or even catch our
breath, we met them--_we had to stop them_. Our brigade was thrown in
front of a lot of Pennsylvanians, who seemed to think no one had the
right to stop them from going right on to Richmond. But it did not take
us more than a couple of hours that evening to convince them this was
not the day nor time to go undisputed. In little less than two hours
they had fallen back, leaving us where we met them. The Palmetto
Sharpshooters of our brigade captured here a regiment of Pennsylvanians,
over four hundred men. We did not follow them, I suppose because we were
too tired and broken down to run when we met them, and were the same way
and could not follow. It was now almost sundown, and, after sending out
our skirmishers, we began to look around to see how the land lay; for we
expected hard fighting again after what we had at the Wilderness.
The men, of their own accord, commenced to cut down pine trees to build
breastworks. The only tools we had for this purpose were the little hand
axes, about three inches wide, which some of the men had. These they had
carried in their belts and used them to chop wood for fires. But now
they put them to bigger use and would not hesitate to jump onto a pine
tree that would square twenty inches; and it was surprising how soon
they would have it down, cut off, trimmed up and cut off again. Then the
whole company would take it up, place it in position. We worked this way
for some hours into the night. All the while the whole skirmish line was
pretty warmly engaged. That was a great incentive to us, and we worked
until we had to quit because we were just broken down. But we had put up
some log work which would be a great protection before we did quit. We
got a very good night's sleep, and next morning, after eating what
little we had, we felt real good and ready to go to work again on our
breastworks. This we did, and while our skirmish line was fighting in
our front and the hard fight going on "at the angle" on our right, we
worked. And by afternoon we had a set of breastworks of which we were
proud. The Yankees did not attack our part of the line during the
day--only kept our pickets heavily engaged.
Now, this night was Company E's time for picket, and before dark we were
carried out to the line, relieving the company already there. Our
company had at this time sixteen men, all told, and we had to cover the
entire front of the whole regiment. Consequently, we were not at
regulation distance apart when we deployed as skirmishers. We, however,
relieved the other company and fell in behind a rail fence. We expected
an advance at any moment. Our orders were to hold the ground as long as
we could. After dark three of us rallied together and remained so. This
made some distance from one squad to another, but it was the best we
could do. Where each three men were we "let the fence down," making a
jam, and then, getting in this, we had right good protection. There were
in one jam Eddie Bellinger, Job Rountree and myself. Well, at midnight
they advanced, and it was hot for some time. Eddie Bellinger and myself
could load our guns lying down on our backs, but Job could not do it. He
was used to hunting squirrels around Mixson's Mill Pond and Joyce's
Branch and had never had to lie down to load. He thereupon proposed to
Eddie and me that if we would do the loading he would do the shooting.
This we readily agreed to, and Job would stand up, exposing himself from
waist up. As soon as we would get a gun loaded we would pass it to him,
and he would throw the empty gun back for another loaded one. We had
three guns and worked them so fast that they got so hot we stopped
loading for fear they would not stand it. We finally drove this advance
back, after an hour's hard work. We were not disturbed any more till
morning. Just as the sun began to show itself we discovered a line of
battle advancing over the hill, where they had come a little nearer.
There was another supporting the first and then yet another supporting
the second, making an advance of three lines of battle. We knew we were
in for it now, sure, and we poor little sixteen men opened on them just
the same as if we were an army. But on they came, as if we were not
there. It reminded me of the gnat on the bull's horn. On they came, and
soon we heard Capt. Wood say, "Skirmishers, fall back, firing." We went
back, going from tree to tree. They were gaining on us, as we were
retiring slowly. The last stand we made was some seventy-five yards in
front of our breastworks. We stopped here and gave them a round or two.
We were protected by trees. My brother Joyce and myself happened to stop
in behind the same tree. We both shot off our guns and reloaded. When he
went to cap his gun he let the cap slip through his fingers, and,
instead of reaching in his cap box for another, he stooped over to pick
it up from the ground, thereby exposing a part of his person. _No
sooner exposed than hit_, and he made for the works. Just then Capt.
Wood gave command, "Skirmishers, into the works," and in we went. We
were glad, too, when we got behind them. By this time, or by the time we
had assembled as a company and taken our company's position in the
regiment, the enemy's three lines had gotten up pretty close. The front
line had advanced to within about forty yards of our works and had lain
down. The second line was some twenty yards in the rear of these, and
the third line about the same distance in rear of the second. All three
lines were now lying down. We were well protected behind the good
breastworks of logs, and the way we did give it to those Yankees would
have done your heart good to see; and they--well, they stood it like
men, but it was too much for them to go forward, and, after staying
there for perhaps an hour, they fell back; but not for long. They came
again, and about the same thing happened the second time, after they had
again remained for nearly an hour. Again they fled back, but in a short
time back they came, seemingly with more vim than ever, and at one time
it seemed that they would run over us. But we held on, and, showing no
indication of giving way, they got no further than the works, which they
did reach, but could not climb over. Here it was hot for a few moments,
but they weakened, and for the third time fell back; but this time some
two hundred yards, when they rallied. They were, however, somewhat
demoralized and Col. Hagood, noticing this, and taking advantage of it,
hollered out, "Company E, deploy as skirmishers." While we were
deploying behind the works Col. Hagood passed an order that when the
skirmishers started to advance the whole regiment must yell as we
mounted the works. Then the command was given, "Skirmishers, forward,
double quick." At this time there were not more than ten or twelve men
in the skirmish line charging three lines of battle. As we mounted the
works the regiment gave the yell. The whole of Lee's army, both to the
right and left, seemed to take it up, and on we went, _this handful_.
The Yankees must have thought our whole army was out after them, for
they broke in confusion. It was really rich to see ten or twelve men
running as many thousands.
In making this advance I ran over a nice looking fellow who was just
dead. I happened to notice a gold ring on his finger, and as the enemy
were getting back as fast as they could, I concluded to get that ring.
So, stooping over, I pulled it off, and upon straightening up I saw a
body of Yankees at right shoulder shift and at a double quick, an
officer with drawn sword in command, coming up on our left, _now in our
rear_. I called out to Capt. Wood, "They are flanking us on the left,
captain." He stopped and looked and gave the command, "Skirmishers, in
retreat." He and I started back, and to get back we had to pass just at
the head of these Yankees. As we got at their head the officer in
command of them ordered his men to halt, and, turning his sword,
tendered it to Capt. Wood, thereby surrendering the lot. Capt. Wood
immediately cried out, "Skirmishers, halt, forward. Frank, take charge
of these men." I stepped up, gave the command, "File right, double
quick," and in no time the whole lot were in our works, thirty-six
prisoners. It seems that we had been fighting all day fresh troops from
Vermont, and the unexpected advance of our skirmish line led this entire
company to believe that they were behind our advancing columns.
It had been raining all day, and we were as black with powder as the
negroes at home. Our hands and faces would get wet, and taking our
cartridges out and biting off the stem we would get the powder on our
hands and faces.
It was now late in the afternoon and another company was sent to relieve
us. We had been on the skirmish line since the evening before. On
passing back to our works I stopped and foraged a little; and when I
went into our works I was literally loaded down with haversacks,
knapsacks and hats. I had six Stetson hats--new--and, on opening the
knapsacks the things which struck my fancy most were white laundered
shirts (boiled shirts). I gave a hat to Col. Hagood, Capt. Wood, Lieut.
Dick Bryan, Lieut. Dick Best, Jim Diamond, and kept one myself. The dry
goods and rations were divided out to the company. It was amusing to see
us with our faces as black as chimney sweeps with a white starched shirt
on. We got our supper all right that night and slept like logs. The
firing on the picket line did not worry us enough to keep us awake,
though at times it seemed as if they were coming again. This ended the
third day at Spottsylvania.