52 Norra Carotina Troops, 1861-65.

and several times during the day I saw pine saplings perhaps
six or eight inches in diameter, finally bend, break and fall,
from the fire of musketry aimed at the top of the breast-
works. From some point along this line, the stump of a
white oak, perhaps ten inches or more in diameter, that was
cut down in this way, during the day, was taken up by the
Federal forces after the battle and carried to Washington,
and is there now preserved to show the effect of the mus-
ketry fire. There was not a moment, as I now remember,
from daylight in the morning until long after dark that the
battle did not rage in this horse shoe. The fire of the en-
emy’s artillery from the higher ground near the toe of the
horse shoe, and also from the right where Hill’s men
fought, was terrific the entire day. Just after a severe
cannonading, I heard General Daniel, who was sitting at the
root of a little tree in the rear of my company with watch
in hand, say to Captain London: “London, how does this ar-
tillery fire compare with the second day at Gettysburg.” I
do not remember Captain London’s reply, but General Dan-
iel continuing, said: “I have been holding my watch and
counting the shells as they came into these lines, and part of
the time they have averaged more than one hundred to the
minute.” I do not think I am mistaken in my figures. When
night came on, the tired regiments fell asleep upon the wet
ground. The men were in no condition to sit up and discuss
the losses. We knew that General Daniel had been borne
from the field mortally wounded. We knew that two senior
Colonels succeeding him in command of the brigade during
the day had also fallen, and that when night came on the
brigade was in command of Lieutenant-Colonel Jas. T. More-
head, of the Fifty-third Regiment. After the night’s sleep,
the soldiers looked about them and found that our losses had
been terrific.

The next morning we occupied a new intrenched line that
had been fortified during the night, by whom I know not, and
we were again ready for the enemy. There was little fight-
ing of any consequence along our part of the line until the
morning, as I remember, of the 16th, when the enemy ad-
vanced just at daylight in heavy forces, but were easily

Forty-FirtH RrErGiMeEnt. 53

driven back without much loss on our side. On the 17th or
18th and after the enemy had drawn back their line into the
woods, giving up the entire field where the conflict raged on
the 12th, I asked permission of Lieutenant Frank Erwin,
commanding my company, to pass the picket line and go over
into this angle to make observations. It was a bright May
day. There was no fighting on any part of the line, and by
his permission I went. The pickets permitted me to pass,
and I went over the breastworks to that portion of the field
which had been occupied by our brigade, and then
to the right, to the position which had been occupied by
Ramseur’s Brigade. On my arrival in this angle, I
could well see why the enemy had withdrawn their lines.
The stench was almost unbearable. There were dead
artillery horses in considerable numbers that had been killed
on the 10th and in the early morning of the 12th.
Along these lines of breastworks where the earth had been
excavated to the depth of one or two feet and thrown over,

_ making the breastworks, I found these trenches filled with

water (for there had been much rain) and in this water lay
the dead bodies of friend and foe commingled, in many in-
stances one lying across the other, and in one or more in-
stances I saw as many as three lying across one another.
All over the field lay the dead of both armies by hundreds,
many of them torn and mangled by shells. Many of the
bodies swollen out of all proportion, some with their guns
yet grasped in their hands. Now and then one could be seen
covered with a blanket, which had been placed over him by a
comrade after he had fallen.

These bodies were*decaying. The water was red, almost
black with blood. Offensive flies were everywhere. The
trees, saplings and shrubs were torn and shattered beyond
description; guns, some of them broken, bayonets, canteens
and cartridge boxes were scattered about, and the whole scene
was such that no pen can, or ever will describe it. I have
seen many fields after severe conflicts, but no where have I
seen anything half so ghastly. I returned to my company
and said to old man Thomas Carroll, a private in the com-
pany, who was frying meat at the fire, “You would have
saved rations by going with me, for I will have no more appe-