About 3 P.M. we left the road and entered the fields at a smart trot, and soon reached the "Henry House" plateau, with the full expectation of immediately entering the fight; instead of which the captain indulged in a field-drill, for the purpose, as he has since said, of satisfying himself as to whether his men would remain "steady" with the immediate prospect of coming under fire. The result was entirely satisfactory to him, and he has been pleased to say since, "that after that experiment he would not have hesitated to have marched through the whole Confederacy with those men."
Towards night we were ordered into a position on low ground between the Stone House and Dugen's, north of the Warrenton turnpike, but after a few moments found that the position was untenable, because of our own batteries, who, from a position on a hill in our rear, persisted in cutting their fuses so short that most of their shells exploded in close proximity to us.
From here we marched back and took position on very high ground, overlooking quite an extent of territory towards an unfinished railroad, where Jackson had been fighting our troops since morning. We were not near enough to take part, but could see the struggle quite plainly, and frequently the shot and shell from the enemy would strike or burst in close proximity to us.
We now began to get our first impressions of what war really was, and soon became thoroughly convinced that it was very serious business. We had hardly settled down in our new position before wounded men began to pass through our intervals; those with light wounds on foot, and the more seriously wounded were brought upon stretchers.
This night we spread our blankets, and lay down in our positions, the cannoniers about the guns, and the drivers at their horses' heads, and were soon fast asleep.
At daylight on the 30th we were awakened by picket firing upon our right, which in an hour or so increased into a constant roar of musketry and artillery, which, until about noon, seemed to be confined principally to our right, but soon after noon we began to see great clouds of dust on our left, and column after column of our troops could be seen hurrying in that direction, which indicated to us that trouble was brewing there. Batteries were taken from positions near us, and hurried along with the troops, but we were allowed to remain in ours until nearly three o'clock, when we were ordered to move down to the Warrenton Pike, upon reaching which we moved along for perhaps a half mile in the direction of Groveton, then moved into a field upon the left of the turnpike and halted. We remained here for nearly an hour.
It was in the neighborhood of four o'clock that a staff officer from Gen. McDowell rode up to Capt. Monroe, upon the full gallop, and, after a few hurried words had passed between them, the order "Forward, trot, march" was given. The battery was countermarched, and back we went, bearing off to the south of the pike, and making for a hill perhaps eight hundred yards distant. Upon reaching this hill (by name Bald Hill), we moved down about two-thirds of the way to the bottom, and there being a piece of level ground, we went into position. The ground in our front descended quite abruptly for a hundred yards or so. At the foot of the hill a brook ran, in which at this time the water was very low, and when we reached our position the farther bank was occupied by a single battle line of our troops, consisting of two brigades of infantry. Gen. Milroy's independent brigade formed in line of battle in our rear.
A great cloud of dust which we had been watching for some time coming from the direction of Gainesville, has finally reached our front, and we earnestly watch for the first appearance of the enemy. Soon we notice a cloud of dust and considerable commotion upon a hill perhaps a mile away. The dust has hardly settled when we see a puff of smoke, and in a few seconds a case-shot explodes in our midst, we receive orders to open fire, and our struggle has commenced.
Our guns are short range, and we find it impossible to reach the rebel battery; but it became certain that rebel infantry are moving through the woods in our front, and we begin to throw shell and solid shot in their direction. Soon the line of battle in our front opens upon the rebel line coming through the woods, and a sharp and vigorous fire is kept up for a while, when the rebels charge our thin lines, which break and run up the hill towards us, passing through our intervals to the rear.
Battery D is now face to face with the enemy, who have halted in the depression of the brook for the purpose of perfecting their alignment. Soon they make a rush for the battery, probably without the least doubt but that we will prove an easy prey; but Capt. Monroe had drilled the men of that battery for nine months, and it had prepared them for just such an emergency as this. Every man was perfectly familiar with his duty, and determined to do it. Guns were never served faster than were these; round after round of canister is thrown into this mass of approaching rebels; and it is thrown in such a manner that it is most effective, and more than the enemy can stand, and they fall back to the brook.