46 NortH CAROLINA Troops, 1861-’65.

was moving forward in a beautiful line to meet the enemy
that had just arrived and was advancing to turn Longstreet’s
right. Our brigade pressed on until its last regiment had
passed General Ramseur’s right, when it, in turn, halted and
closed up its ranks, fronted, and under the immediate eye of
General Rodes, our commander, who had by this time ar-
rived on the spot, raised a yell and dashed at the enemy. In
rapid succession the brigades of Generals Doles and Battle
passed in our rear, and with a similar movement turned the
enemy’s flank, whose whole advancing line was driven back.
The fight continued in the woods until after nightfall, the two
respective lines firing at the flash of the adversary’s guns.
Slowly the firing ceased, the litter-bearers came in along the
line and bore away the wounded. The dead, for the time, and
in many instances perhaps for all time, were left undisturbed

where they fell.

THE HORSE SHOE.

Soon after the firing ceased, our lines were drawn back
for a short distance and preparations for the next day’s fight
were begun. A sergeant from each regiment of our brigade
was called for and assembled at brigade headquarters. I
was detailed as one. We were placed in charge of Captain
W. L. London, now of Pittsboro, N. C., (and I could write
many pages about the courage and faithfulness of this staff
officer). Captain London carried us forward in the dark,
and selected, what appeared to be, the highest point of a low
ridge between the lines. He posted us, one at a place, along
the crest of this low ridge, until he had posted each guide
about the length of a regiment apart, giving each instructions
to remain in the pine thicket where we were placed, “until
we heard the signal come down the line from our right,” and
then to take it up and repeat it as often as it came, until the
regiment formed upon us. In leaving the place where I
stood, Captain London cautioned me not to sit down, for fear
I might go to sleep, but to stand and rest upon my gun. I
must have stood there for more than an hour listening to the
strange cries of the wounded, doubtless of both armies, some
begging for water, and one poor fellow, as I remember, who

Forty-F1irrH REGIMENT. 47

had perhaps been wounded in the head, was delirious, and
now and then would change his cries and groans into a sound
like the bark of a dog. After what seemed to me a long
time, I heard away on my right coming down the line, a low
‘“Halloo.” This passed down the line and continued until we
heard the tramp of the regiments as they came up and formed
upon us. This was doubtless done all along most of the
lines of Ewell’s Corps, and done in many places in the dark-
ness of a pine thicket. I have never been able to account for
the forming of this salient, which was soon to become what is
known as the historie “Bloody Angle,” except in this way;
we threw up breastworks all night, and, when daylight came,
we found that a part of our division, and perhaps all of
Johnson’s Division and a part of Hill’s men, were occu-
pying breastworks formed in the shape of a horse shoe,
with the toe upon elevated ground and the sides running back
to the caulks, which were not, as I now see the ground, more
than 500 yards apart.

All day of the 9th we encountered a deadly fire from the
sharpshooters and a heavy fire of artillery from the enemy,
to which we replied in kind. This died away after nightfall
and was renewed in more aggravated form on the morning
of the 10th, and continued until late in the afternoon. Sud-
denly, at about an hour by sun, the enemy broke from cover
to our right, and poured in overwhelming numbers upon the
line occupied by General Doles’ Georgians. These gallant
men were overpowered by sheer force of numbers and driven
from the works. The enemy poured through the breach,
captured quite a number of men on the extreme right of our
brigade; forced the brigade to retire to avoid the enfilading
fire, and caused us the temporary loss of sixteen pieces of
artillery. Our brigade slowly fell back firing as it retreated,
the enemy advancing and taking possession of our abandoned
guns. In a short time we were in line at right angles to the
works; the enemy massing in great numbers in our front. It
seemed even to the eye of a private soldier that a dangerous
crisis was upon us. Suddenly a single horseman came dash-
ing up to the rear of our regiment. He was instantly recog-
nized by the men who saw him, as General Ewell, our corps