50 Nortu Carorina Troops, 1861-’65.

lery was returning to Johnson’s line, but had not gotten in
position when Hancock attacked at daylight. Edward John-
son’s left and Robert D. Johnson’s brigade that were sup-
porting it, were swept away. That let Hancock into
Stewart’s rear, and the rear of the Twenty-eighth and Eigh-
teenth who were engaged with those to the right of the
angle.

The artillery and Stewart’s brigade were captured. When
the Twenty-eighth and Eighteenth found that Hancock was
in their immediate rear, it was too late to escape and about
one-third of the Twenty-eighth and near half of the Eigh-
teenth were made prisoners. Of those who escaped, the
writer, adjutant of the Eighteenth North Carolina, ral-
lied a handful at the left of the breastworks of the previous
day and recklessly dashing into Hancock’s host that poured
into the woods, through Johnson’s opening, produced a panic,
that adding to its own demoralization, drove his serried num-
bers back beyond the branch, stampeding even the guards in
charge of the prisoners. Some of the Eighteenth’s prisoners
taking advantage of the stampede, escaped and rejoined the
regiment. J. C. Kinlaw, of Company K, in a subsequent
charge, recovered his knapsack and aecoutrements, of which
he had been stripped preparatory to being carried to the rear.
This stampede gave time for the Thirty-seventh, Seventh and
Thirty-third to be formed on the crest south of the branch,
and the remnant of the Eighteenth and Twenty-eighth re-
formed on their left where Lane repulsed Hancock’s next ad-
vance, and saved the right of the army. Scales’ North Caro-
lina brigade coming to his assistance, another attack was
repulsed.

After this Gordon, in command of Early’s division, joined
our left, and by hard fighting the line was advanced and held
near the apex of the angle. On the left of the angle Daniel’s
North Carolina brigade stopped the break of Ewell’s line and
Ramseur’s North Carolina brigade taken from Daniel’s left,
retook the line to Daniel’s right. Colonel R. T. Bennett's
Fourteenth North Carolina Regiment was taken from Ram-
seur’s left and gallantly extended Ramseur’s right. Harris’
Mississippi brigade unfalteringly extended Bennett’s right,

EIGHTEENTH REGIMENT. 51

McGowan’s South Carolina brigade was sent from Hill’s
front near the court house to extend Harris’ line, and partly
lapped upon it. McGowan was wounded before getting to the
breastworks.

Harris’ and McGowan’s brigades fought Hancock and his
reinforcements over the breastwork all day, snatching the
muskets from each other across the works. There was an
oak woods to their rear, and an oak tree twenty inches in
diameter was so riddled with minie balls, several feet
from the ground, that its top-weight wrung it down. I saw
the tree next day and the many dead, on each side of the
breastworks were silent witnesses of the fighting qualities
of both armies. (The two sections, above and below of this
or a similar tree, were cut off and after the war were on exhi-
bition at the War Department in Washington where I saw
them in 1866. Eb.)

During the day a white flag appeared on the breastworks
firing ceased, and each side began jumping over claiming the
others as prisoners. The matter was settled by the blue-coats
and J ohnnies getting back on their own side and the fight be-
gan again. A new line was built across the angle from
Daniel’s to Lane’s, and word passed down the line w Harris’
and McGowan’s men to fall back to it. After night the
firing slackened and about midnight ceased; both sides had
quietly gone away and the fought-over works were abandoned
by both sides.

Lane’s brigade was taken off the line to the right of the
angle, carried into some woods to the left of the court house
and got a few hours rest in the middle of the day. In the
afternoon it was taken by Major-General Mahone with
his old brigade, Colonel Weisiger, to feel a force which
was assembling to the right of the salient, behind
the branch above mentioned. Though Weisiger had
not been engaged that day and Lane had been fighting all the
morning, Lane’s small brigade was put in front to attack and
Weisiger to support. When Lane advanced, Mahone rode
back to the court house. Lane’s attack was successful though
Weisiger did not support him and when sent for aa not
come. Lane turned the captured battery upon the enemy,