532 Norto Caroiina Troops, 1861-’65. tion on the right of the line, under fire, on the evening of 2 June; Martin’s Brigade on the extreme right, the Seventeenth on the left, Forty-second in center, and Sixty-sixth on the right of the grand army, all digging for dear life, and by next morning completing a fair line of entrenchments. Breekinridge’s Division coming up, one of his brigades, Echols’, was put on the right of the Sixty-sixth and Finne- gan’s in reserve. Artillery from A. P. Hill’s Corps snp- ported our line, firing over our heads. Among these was Major Charles R. Grandy’s Battery, Norfolk Light Artillery Blues. COLD HARBOR. Just at dawn, on 8 June, the enemy’s line advanced. Echols’ Virginia Brigade, on our right, broke and ran away, General Martin sent me to Colonel Moore with an order to protect his flank by retiring his right wing to the rear. The Sixty-sixth nobly held its ground and fired hotly upon the en- emy in front and on the right. Finnegan’s Florida men came gallantly to the front and recaptured the trenches from which Echols’ men had ingloriously fled. Then the fierce battle raged of which so much has been written. General Martin cheered his men, and their enthusiasm was great. Mostly armed with smooth-bore muskets, they poured an in- cessant fusillade of buck and ball into the brave lines that charged and re-charged, and fell, many of them, on our works. The slaughter was terrific. I did not see one man on our side falter. It was a great victory from the start, but deeply saddened by the death of Colonel A. D. Moore, of the Sixty- sixth, killed by a sharpshooter after the charge—a noble, bril- liant, gallant young officer. A few days afterwards, meeting a Federal surgeon under flag of truce while burying the dead in front of Martin’s Bri- gade, he told me that his command, Corcoran’s Irish Legion, from New York, had but twelve men who had escaped death or wounds in that charge, our buck-shot peppering nearly all of them. No men or officers ever made a braver charge than did these Federals on 3 June. But the flame of continuous fire from Martin’s Brigade was too much for them or any THE Marrin-KirRKLAND BRIGADE. 533 men to overcome, and our line would not yield an inch. My position in the center and on a ridge gave me a splendid view ot the grand encounter, and I could see the battle far down to the left. Never will the inspiring sight be effaced from my memory. For about ten days we remained in these trenches, enduring and exchanging the sharpshooting com- bat, strengthening the works in every way possible, as Gen- eral Lee fully believed Grant would assault him again at this same point. It was very uncomfortable and beginning to be quite warm and dusty, and good water was scarce. But Gen- eral Lee caused full rations of onions to be issued, causing the men to cheer as if they had gained another victory. While occupying the trenches at Cold Harbor, our head- quarters being in a ditch a few feet from the line, General Martin had a visit from a General Smith, an engineer officer serving with the Commander-in-Chief, General R. E. Lee. Old army soldiers, they greeted each other familiarly as “Smith” and “Martin.” In my presence General Smith said: ‘‘Martin, I come to you with a message from General Lee, who desires me to say that he regrets that his duties pre- vent his calling on you in person to say that he is glad to hear you have come to his army. He directs me to come, not through your Major-Gencral, but directly to you, to say that he is deeply concerned about this point in the line occupied by your brigade, which he considers the key to his position. He believes that Grant is massing his army in your front, pre- paring to make an attack to carry this point if possible. TI am ordered to place eighteen-inch siege-guns in your works and strengthen them in every way possible, and you must as- sist me in doing so. And further, as yours is comparatively a new brigade, not having seen much hard field service, he de- sires you to candidly let him know whether you can rely upon your men in case of such a powerful assault. Tf not, he will relieve your command and send here another, veteran troops, as he wishes to take no risk whatever at this point.” I well remember General Martin’s very earnest reply: “Smith, say to General Lee, with my compliments, that my men are soldiers, and he has no brigade in his army that will hold this place any longer than they will. I know them and