26 Norra Carortina Troops, 1861-’65.

By your order my line of battle was formed on the right of
the road and in this order I advanced through the dense
woods, in which the enemy were posted. A small ravine,
deep and boggy, compelled us to flank still further to the
right. By this means I became separated from the remain-
der of the brigade, which had been formed on the left, and for
a long time was wholly without assistance in my attempts
upon the enemy’s position. Again and again was that posi-
tion assailed, and again and again were we repulsed by vastly
superior numbers. Regiment after regiment sent into the
same attack, shared the same fate, and it was not until late in
the afternoon when the continuous arrival of fresh troops
had given us something like an equality of forces, that any
decided impression was made upon the enemy. His posi-
tion was carried in that last charge which swept his whole
army from the field in a perfect rout. In this fight though
I was perfectly satisfied with the conduct of my regiment, the
position of the enemy was such that we were exposed to
heavy fire from the flank as well as from the front, and
though the regiment was frequently broken, and compelled
to fall back, yet I did-not once lose command of it. The
men re-formed with alacrity, and my commands were obeyed
with the promptness, if not the precision of drill.”

In the last charge that we made the writer, with others,
passed through the abatis, and got protection from the ene-
my’s fire, under the bank their breastworks were on. Though
the regiment did not capture their strong position, as it re-
tired we had the satisfaction of seeing the Yanks abandon
their works—a drawn fight, as it were.

We ascended the hill to the field in rear of their breast-
works, and were there when Whiting’s division of J ackson’s
forces, came on the field in column, the Texas brigade in
front.

We looked up our kinsman, Lieutenant James T. McLau-
rin, Company B, Fourth Texas, and marched along with
him some quarter of a mile or more, before returning to our
command. The enemy appeared to have abandoned their
works, for at least a half a mile along this swamp, as the re-
sult of the determined attacks that had been made upon

EIGHTEENTH REGIMENT. 24

them, and had fallen back behind a deep ravine running into
it, where Whiting found them. There was little firing any-
where at that time.

Soon after I left the Texas brigade, the battle was opened
by Whiting, and the rattle of musketry was incessant till
well in the night, such as was rarely heard on any battle
field. The Confederates displayed their fighting qualities
on all this field but to Whiting’s division belongs the credit of
the rout of “the little giants”—mighty men of valor, not
that his troops did it alone, but he gave them the grand
bounce—the Texas brigade being the first to break their lines
and with the assistance of gallant comrades McClellan’s army
was kept moving. Night put distance between him and that
horrible rebel yell, and he abandoned much valuable army
supplies. The field, next day, gave abundant evidence of
desperate fighting on both sides. Saturday was spent in
burying the many dead upon the field, and gathering the
trophies of battle.

Monday evening, the 30th, the enemy was overtaken at
Frazier’s farm and about 4 p. m., our brigade was engaged
on the right of the road, charging the enemy’s line that was
strongly posted and well defended. Sweeping across an
open field, the Eighteenth Regiment charged a battery in the
yard of a farm house, strongly supported by infantry. They
gave us a warm reception with grape, canister, and minie,
and were greatly aided by those on their left, who gave us a
galling flank fire—so trying at all times—before becoming
engaged with those on our right, who did not advance as
quickly as we did. With a yell and a rush, everything was
carried before us, and at a fearful cost in killed and wounded.
At the woods beyond the house the regiment was re-formed
and advanced again, with the brigade, through a strip of
woods, and another field, routing the enemy. On Tuesday,
1 July, we were not actively engaged at Malvern Hill—
simply held the position assigned us, when we came
on the field in the afternoon. We were under fire of
the land batteries and the gunboats, a shell from the latter
wounding a few-men. The rest of the week we spent on Mc-
Clellan’s flank clearing it of straggling parties and on Sunday