200 NortH CAROLINA Troops, 1861-’65.

self. He lost his arm by amputation. About 12 o’clock I
was relieved, the fight having ceased except the firing of artil-
lery, and I went back to the line. I found the meadow cov-
ered with fine strawberries, and I stopped and enjoyed a fine
feast with the shells flying over my head. On getting up to
the lines and going up a little way to the left I could see the
.ground in front of the works covered with dead Yankees.*
Next day they sent a flag of truce asking leave to remove their
dead and wounded, and for more than two hours they were
busy with litters and ambulances getting them off.

After the repulse of Grant’s troops on the 3d, we remained
in our position undisturbed except by shells and solid shot
from beyond the swamp. The men would lie down on the
bank to sleep, but regularly at 12 o’clock a big gun would be
fired and the shot would come tearing over us, some times
striking the bank and going through the house just in our
rear. It was not necessary to give orders to fall in, for the
boys had already rolled in and there they lay for two hours
while the firing continued.

RIDDLES SHOP.

On the morning of 13 June, just eleven days after coming
to Cold Harbor, orders were received to be ready to march at
once, and we were soon on the way crossing the Chickahominy
and passing Seven Pines, we crossed the Nine Mile road and
took the road to White Oak Swamp and Frazier’s farm.
About 1 p. m., we found the cavalry stopped by the roadside
in an old field, and we knew that we were close to the enemy.
Passing the cavalry a short distance we turned to the left of
the road through the pines and were halted and faced to the
front, and soon General Wilcox’s voice was heard ringing out,
“Forward march, guide right,” and off we moved in line of
battle. Soon the Federal sharpshooters began to fire at us
through the pines, the balls whistling by and now and then
striking down a brave rebel. We drove them through the
woods and into an old field, and were making a dash to cap-
ture a rifle gun which had been shelling us, when General

*It was here that when Grant ordered a second advance not a man in
his whole army moved.—Ep.

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SIXTEENTH REGIMENT. 201

Wilcox galloped up and ordered us to fall back into the pines
about one hundred yards, where we formed line. The gun
mentioned we would have captured in another moment for
the men had left it, opened on us again and got our range so
accurately that the shells struck our lines at every fire. Our
men lay flat on the ground but this did not save them, for
they were being killed and wounded by the dozen, Company
G losing six in less than that many minutes. I was stand-
ing with a group of officers watching the movement of the en-
emy, when I was struck by a piece of shell, making a slight
wound on my right hand, cutting the guard of my sword in
two and striking me in the stomach, of course knocking me
speechless. I remember Colonel Stowe taking me by the col-
lar and pulling me back against a big tree; the Adjutant got
a canteen of water and he and the Lieutenant-Colonel worked
with and rubbed me until I could speak, and a man from
my own company ran out, picked me up and started to carry
me off when General Scales, who was lying behind a tree fifty
yards in the rear, called to Stowe and inquired who was
wounded, telling him to send the man back to his place; that
he had a man with him who would attend to me. I was then
taken up and carried about a mile up the road, where we
found a doctor and the ambulances, and getting into one I
was taken back to the field hospital and the next day sent to
Richmond, where I spent the most miserable six weeks of my
life at Winder Hospital, leaving there on Sunday morning,
31 July, the day after the great mine at Petersburg was blown
up, and if they had succeeded in cutting the southern road as
they expected, I would now be resting in Hollywood Ceme-
tery, for I know I could not have lasted many more days at
Winder Hospital.

I wish here to pay tribute to the memory of a brave man,
the man who picked me up at Riddle’s Shop and who I never
saw again. Before going into the battle of the Wilderness
there were twelve men detailed to act as color guard, with
strict orders not to leave the flag for a moment. My position

- as commander of the sixth company in line would naturally

be next to the colors. After the opening of the fight at the
Wilderness I never saw but one of their men, and that was