Now we advanced for a long distance; troops--no doubt Jackson's--could be seen at intervals marching rapidly on our left, marching forward and yet at a distance from our own line. We reached an elevated clearing, and halted. The brigade came up, and we returned to our position in the line of battle--on the left of the First. It was about three o'clock; to the right, far away, we could hear the pounding of artillery, while to the southeast, somewhere near the centre of Lee's lines, on the other side of the Chickahominy perhaps, the noise of battle rose and fell. Shells from our front came among us. A battery--Crenshaw's--galloped headlong into position on the right of the brigade, and began firing. The line of infantry hugged the ground.
Three hundred yards in front the surface sloped downward to a hollow; the slope and the hollow were covered with forest; what was on the hill beyond we could not see, but the Yankee batteries were there and at work. A caisson of Crenshaw's exploded. Troops were coming into line far to our right.
General Gregg ordered his brigade forward. We marched down the wooded slope, Crenshaw firing over our heads. We marched across the wooded hollow and began to ascend the slope of the opposite hill, still in the woods.
The advance through the trees had scattered the line; we halted and re-formed. The pattering of bullets amongst the leaves was distinct; shells shrieked over us; we lay down in line. Between the trunks of the trees we could see open ground in front; it was thick with men firing into us in the woods. Those in our front were Zouaves, with big, baggy, red breeches. We began to fire kneeling. Leaves fell from branches above us, and branches fell, cut down by artillery. Butler, of our company, lying at my right hand, gave a howl of pain; his head was bathed in blood. Lieutenant Rhett was dead. Rice, at my left, had found whiskey in the Yankee camp. He had drunk the whiskey. He raised himself, took long aim, and fired; lowered his gun, but not his body, gazing to see the effect, and yelled, "By God, I missed him!" McKenzie was shot. Lieutenant Barnwell was shot. The red-legged men were there and thicker. Our colour went down, and rose. We had gone into battle with two colours,--the blue regimental State flag, and the battle-flag of the Confederate infantry. Lieutenant-colonel Smith had fallen.
A lull came. I heard the shrill voice of Gregg:--
"Bri-ga-a-a-de--ATTENTION!"
"Fi-i-i-x--BAYONETS!"
"For-w-a-r-d--" and the next I knew men were dropping down all around me, and we were advancing. But only for a minute did we go forward. From front and left came a tempest of lead; again the colours--both--fell, and all the colour-guard. The colonel raised the colours. We staggered and fell back; the retreat through the woods became disorder.
On top of our hill I could see but few men whom I knew,--only six, but one of the six was Haskell. The enemy had not advanced, but shell and shot yet raked the hill. Crenshaw's battery was again in full action. We hunted our regiment and failed to find it. Some regiment--the Thirtieth North Carolina--was advancing on our right. Captain Haskell and his six men joined this regiment, placing themselves on its left. The Thirtieth went forward through the woods--reached the open--and charged.
The regiment charged boldly; forward straight it went, no man seeing whither, every man with his mouth stretched wide and his voice at its worst.