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710 Series I Volume XLII-I Serial 87 - Richmond-Fort Fisher Part I

Page 710 OPERATIONS IN SE. VA. AND N. C. Chapter LIV.

or after, and about 7 a. m. the regiment was ordered to move forward in close column by company along the road, as the enemy had been driven some distance from our front. In this order the regiment was moved with the rest of the brigade for about a mile, when we were formed on the left of the brigade in double column closed en masse in an open field and ordered to lie down. Some of the enemy's sharpshooters opened upon us with some effect, and eight men were selected as sharpshooters and thrown forward and on our left flank to silence the enemy's fire, and Companies B and G, under command of Lieutenant Young, were also sent forward soon after for the same purpose. In this position we remained until about 4 p. m., when the regiment deployed in line of battle and marched by the right flank to the rear for nearly a mile on the same road that we had marched on in the morning, when we halted and lay in the woods until about 9 p. m. and were exposed at times to the enemy's shells from a battery in the woods in front of us. Our casualties up to this time amounted to 1 killed and 5 wounded. We then had orders to move with the brigade by the right flank and marched about three miles, when we were ordered to halt and lie down in line of battle for the night, the brigade being in column of battalion.

On the morning of the 15th, after obtaining more ammunition, the march was resumed, and the regiment moved by the right flank with the brigade being now in column of battalion. Here we were exposed to the fire from the enemy's battery for some time, though but one casualty occurred during the day, and just before dark we were moved by the right flank about 800 yards, and took our position for the night in the edge of a piece of woods or small scattering pines, and apparently about 1,000 yards from the enemy's works. Directly in front of us was a corn-field and beyond that a deep ravine and mill-pond, which separated us from the enemy's main works. The following officers were present for duty at this time, viz: Asst. Surg. E. C. Hine, Lieutenant J. I. Hutchinson, acting adjutant; Lieutenants Barker, Lee, and Taintor. Captain Perry, Lieutenants Wildman, Young, and Bradford being sick and unfit for duty and Lieutenant Gill had received a slight wound two days previous, from the effects of which he had not recovered. Surgeon Jarvis was detached from the effects of which he had not recovered. Surgeon Jarvis was detached from the regiment, being senior medical officer of the brigade.

Owing to the excessive heat an unusual number of the enlisted men were compelled to fall out of the ranks while on the march from sunstroke and excessive fatigue, being burdened with their knapsacks, so that on the morning of the 16th they numbered but 161 men. I am sorry to have to report that some managed to straggle away from the command without any other object than to cowardly shirk their duty, but I think the number of this class is small.

About 3 a. m. of the 16th I received orders from Colonel Hawley, commanding brigade, to throw up some sort of protection in front of our line, as the enemy's sharpshooters were annoying us. I collected a quantity of rails and soon had good protection from musketry. About 8 a. m. I was ordered to move by the right flank, which was done in connection with the rest of the brigade, and after marching about half a mile through the woods we were halted. I soon after received orders to move forward with the rest of the brigade in line of battle in the direction of the enemy's works, and after moving about 700 yards through dense woods and across a deep ravine, we were ordered again to halt. Here our line of battle was changed so as to conform with the enemy's works in front of us, and we were again ordered forward


Page 710 OPERATIONS IN SE. VA. AND N. C. Chapter LIV.