The Yankees always showed a disposition to be friendly and wanted to talk
to us, but our officers would not allow us to talk much, but had us to
keep up a sharpshooters' fire on them all the while. However, we would
occasionally exchange a few compliments. We used to inquire if they had
any more Negroes they wanted buried; if they did, to blow out another hole
and send them over and we would cover them up. One night, in front of the
Twenty-fifth North Carolina Regiment, they changed their line, moving a
section back a little. We inquired what they meant, and if they had an
idea of leaving us. They replied, no, they expected to be neighbors for
some time yet, but that the Twenty-fifth North Carolina was a little too
close and was stealing their rations. The Twenty-fifth was a mountain
regiment, every company west of the Blue Ridge, and was known in the
brigade as the old roguish Twenty-fifth. It had a good fighting record.
One morning a large hawk came flying along between the lines. Both sides
opened fire on it, and it became bewildered and lit on top of a tall
poplar on City Point road, midway between the lines, and was soon shot
out, both sides cheering and claiming it.
On March 25, after repelling a number of courageous assaults, our right
falling back and being near a fort on our left, and assaulting columns
pressing our front, we ceased firing to surrender. Our captors came up
with flashing eyes and the loveliest smiles on their countenances and
shook hands with us in the most enthusiastic manner. I could comprehend
how good they felt when we ceased firing on them and they saw that they
had gained a great victory. But as I passed through that fort, in and
around where the dead of both sides lay thick, and saw a lot of
freckle-faced Michigan boys vigorously firing on our men who were running
back trying to get out, I felt like I wanted my gun again. Then, as we
were carried to the rear, the bullets from our side came singing over us
and knocking up dust in the road, our guard said, "Run, Johnnie, run! Run,
Johnnie, run!" Our interest being the same, we were soon out of range.