632 NortH CaRoLina Troops, 1861-65.

up his right flank.” On page 647, Lieutenant Garvin, in re-
porting cause of a loss of a caisson, says: “Toward evening
I could neither find division nor brigade headquarters. The
dismounted cavalry and the infantry, men and officers, were
running through my section. I put on a guard and turned
them aside. The led horses of the Second Brigade were in
the same field with me, and the shelling of the enemy was so
severe as to force the led horses of the cavalry into another
field. I followed the led horses. * * * Finding noth-
ing but turmoil and frightened infantry, and no brigade head-
quarters, I went to Captain Harper, who told me to stay in
the field. He was not on duty, but had the general’s escort
with him.” I guess that Lieutenant Garvin did not think
that his folks had won a “victory.”

Now why did not we ruin them, encompassed with it as
they were ?

Let General Hampton tell it. On page 950, he says:
“We had driven the enemy in on all the roads and he was
massed on the field around the houses of Bond and Burgess.
The night having grown very dark and a heavy rain coming on
I was forced to pause in my attack, but I ordered the line held
all night, so that we might attack at daylight the next morn-
ing.” And on page 953, he says: “It was not until 12:30
a. m. that I knew of the withdrawal of our infantry, and I
then allowed a portion of my command to leave the line.”
The enemy had flown. Permitted to do so by “the with-
drawal of our infantry.” Intelligent soldiers take in a situa-
tion very quickly and there were few men of the Sixty-third
who did not feel sure that night that we would “hag them all
in the morning.” Hampton pursued in the morning and
until the victorious enemy “fell back behind his infantry
lines.” Page 950. On 31 October, 1864, General R. E. Lee
wrote Hampton about this great battle: “In a letter to Gen-
eral Hill to-day I expressed my gratification at the conduct of
the troops in general and of the cavalry in particular, desir-
ing him to communicate my thanks to you and your com-
mand. I am much pleased to learn from your letter of their
admirable behavior.” p. 954. '

So, on what General Robert E. Lee said, the Sixty-third