Transcription

                                                           5

I was just rising to load when with a whir and a thud a

solid shot sped by burying itself in the earth just beyond me

and taking away a part of my coat sleeve and tearing the

flesh from my left shoulder as I pitched forward on my

face my comrade was at once bending over me examining my hurt

only a "flesher" exclaimed he cheerily, only a flesher I

returned I [surely?] thought my whole shoulder was gone, and

so it seemed, for my left arm hung paralized by my side

and during the hours of the forenoon until the bugle sounded

our recall I lay there my chum loading for me as I

endeavored to do my best to square accounts of my wounded arm

and leave a little balance in my favor - Up to this time

the battle had developed no special features, It was

first necessary to silence the enemys guns, so that the

engagement had mostly consisted of skirmishing and

artillery firing, and we were expecting that some of

our brigades would be sent to carry the rebel works with

the bayonet now we had silenced the guns, when we

were ordered back. The battle was about to assume a

new phase, of which we were then ignorant.

Gen. Johnston, who lingered with his read guard

beyond Williamsburg to watch McClennan's advance

finding that the pursuit was pushed with only a Small

part McClellan's army, and realizing the condition of the

road to Yorktown and the difficuly of forwarding

reinforcements or artillery and amunition, Conceived

the plan of turning back his entire read guard, and

dealing McClellan's advance a staggering blow, with

the possible chance of destroying it before it should have

time to receive aid, Longstreet was accordingly turned

back, followed quickly by Pickett, Cholson, Prior

and others with their commands', until the larger

portion of Johnston's army was sent into the fray.

It was noon when Hooker finding that the enemy was

receiving heavy reinforcements, Sent a messenger to

Hentzleman for aid, but that officer could not be found

It was at this time that we had been drawn back to

enable us to hastily cleanse our muskets which had

become foul from the six hours of fighting, and to give us

a brief moment to refresh ourselves with a little hard tack