My field and staff officers - Lieutenant Colonel Ruff, Major Griffis, and Adjutant [A. H.] Patton - aided me in the movements of my regiment. Major Griffis gallantly move in front of my left wing, repeating my orders and inspiring the men by his manly lead. Adjutant Patton shot the bearer of the colors that was captured by Private Northcutt, of Captain [J. B.] O'Neill's company. The standard-bearer, even after he was shot, refused to yield them, when Sergeant O'Neill pounced upon him and aided in tearing them from his grasp. Our loss, I am happy to report, was only two, viz, Lieutenant Coley, severely [wounded] in the thigh, and Private Jones, of Company --, [wounded] in the head.

Very respectfully,

WM. T. WOFFORD,

Colonel, Commanding.

General JOHN B. HOOD.

HEADQUARTERS TEXAS BRIGADE,
September 8, 1862.

On the morning of the 30th ultimo I was directed by Captain W. H. Sellers, your adjutant-general, to hold by regiment in line of battle to move after General Kemper's brigade had entered the woods in our front. The enemy having commenced the attack, I received orders to advance my regiment. On my right were Hampton's Legion and Fifth Texas and on my left the Fourth and First Texas. As we passed the field in front of our line the brigade moved in splendid order, and with a shout advanced through the second strip of woods on the enemy's lines, which we carried so quickly that no halt was perceivable. the right wing of my regiment encountered the Fifth and Tenth New York Regiments supporting and in front of a battery of the enemy. We pursued these fleeing regiments to the ravine at the foot of the hill in front of the battery, killing and taking prisoners nearly every man, with the assistance and co-operation of Hampton's Legion and Fifth Texas. As we advanced on the battery up the hill from the branch my regiment captured the colors of the Tenth New York Regiment. As our brigade charged the battery and carried it most gallantly the left of my regiment passed over four guns, and my color-bearer mounted one of the pieces and waved the colors over the captured trophy. Observing a second battery immediately in front and on a hill, I gave the order to move rapidly to the ravine between the two batteries, where I halted the regiment to take breath. At this moment Colonels Gary, of Hampton's Legion, and Robertson, of Fifth Texas, came to me and said that we were being flanked on our left by a large body of the enemy, which caused us to move by the right flank up the ravine to the woods. I moved in line to the second battery through the woods and over a slight declivity to within forty yards of the enemy's guns and their guns and their lines of support, composed of two regiments of infantry placed on the right and left of the battery. At this battery I had no support except a mere fragment of a regiment (supposed to be the Holcombe Legion), which fought with much spirit and gallantry. Sergeant Weems, my color-bearer, who bravely moved in front of the regiment, was shot down in 40 yards of this battery; also two others - Sergeants McMurry and

39 R R-VOL XII, PT II