staff officer before alluded to deserted me in the most shameful and disgraceful manner, and I was thus left in total ignorance of our own lines as well as those of the enemy, and was unable to discover anything the smoke and fog. One of my couriers (A. W. Hancock) galloped after the officer, but could not overtake him. At this moment a gallant private of the Tenth Alabama Regiment, whose name I regret not to know, informed me of the position of Ramseur's right and of the enemy. Having advanced thus far by the right flank, when I should have advanced by the line of battle, with my left resting on the road mentioned, no alternative remained but to file my command rapidly to the right and try to gain sufficient distance for my left to rest on said road. Moving with this view, the two right regiments had filed out of the road and were moving by the flank parallel to the line of lost works, when the enemy discovering the movement opened a most terrific fire of musketry and artillery; and finding that I could move no farther to the right in that manner without sacrificing the larger portion of my command, I at once ordered the two right regiments to front, charge up to the works, and drive the enemy from them, which they did in the most gallant manner, capturing between 200 and 300 prisoners.

In the meanwhile, in obedience to orders, the two left regiments formed in line, and wheeling to the right pressed up to the works and joined the left of the two right regiments, a portion of the extreme left regiment overlapping Ramseur's right. The whole command afterward gained sufficient front by moving to the right, and driving the enemy from the works as they moved; but my force was not sufficient to regain the entire line, and a small portion was left in the occupancy of the enemy, from which was poured a destructive enfilade fire, and this, in connection with the repeated assaults in front, had it not been for some traverses, would have rendered the position untenable, one-third of my command being already killed or wounded. At 11 a.m. McGowan's brigade, of Wilcox's division, arrived on the field for the purpose of recovering the works on my right, but being equally as unfortunate as this command in being directed correctly as to the locality of the lines, gained no ground to the right, but halted in rear of my left and Ramseur's right. General McGowan being wounded soon after arriving on the field, and unable to find his successor in command, I could make no arrangement by which that brigade could be moved to my right and press the enemy from the works. In this state and position this command remained until 3.30 a.m. May 13, repulsing desperate and repeated efforts of the enemy to dislodge them. At 6 p.m. I received a dispatch from Lieutenant-General Ewell informing me if my position could be held till sundown all would be well.

Thus from 7 a.m. of the 12th to 3.30 a.m. on May 13 (twenty hours) my men were exposed to a constant and destructive fire, both from front and flank, and during the hours of day to a heavy artillery fire, in which mortars were used by the enemy for the first time during the campaign. A cold, drenching rain fell during the greater portion of the day and night and the trenches were filled with

water. Great difficulty was experienced in procuring supplies of ammunition, man after man being shot down while bringing it in; and here I cannot refrain from mentioning the gallant conduct of Courier A. W. Hancock and Private F. Dolan, of the Forty-eighth Mississippi, who repeatedly brought in ammunition under this dreadful fire. As an instance of the terrible nature of the fire, trees 22 inches in diameter were hewn to splinters and felled by the musketry.

At 2 a.m. of May 13 I received orders from Major-General Rodes to withdraw my command and the brigade of McGowan as soon as the troops on my right and left had evacuated their positions, and at 3.30 a.m., learning that this movement had been accomplished. I withdrew in tolerable order and with small loss, and moving to Spotsylvania Court-House rejoined the division.

In this action my brigade suffered heavily, losing many of the most valuable officers, among whom the gallant Colonel S. E. Baker, Lieutenant Colonel A. M. Feltus, Adjt. D. B. L. Lowe, and Ensign Mixon, of the Sixteenth Mississippi; Colonel T. J. Hardin, Adjutant Peel, of the Nineteenth Mississippi; Captains McAfee, Davis, and Reynhardt, of the Forty-eighth Mississippi; Lieutenant Bew, of the Twelfth Mississippi, and many other gallant officers and men, all fell while nobly doing their duty.

I would mention for conspicuous bravery on this field Major (now Colonel) E. C. Councel (since killed), Captain Harry Smith, and Private Edward Perault, of the Sixteenth Mississippi; Lieutenant Colonel S. B. Thomas, of the Twelfth Mississippi, and Courier Charles Weil, the latter of whom deserves great credit for the coolness and intelligence with which he conveyed orders; but where all acted so well I am sure there were many others deserving of mention, but those named were particularly observed. For numbers and nature of casualties I respectfully refer to lists already forwarded.

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