We moved slowly during the night of the 6th, but as the new day dawned we moved faster, and by nine or ten o'clock it was a double-quick. It was said to have been a race between Grant and Lee for position at Spottsylvania Court House, and Lee won the race, securing the position, having had the inside track.
CHAPTER XI.
Spottsylvania.
The cavalry struck the rebel column, and skirmished until the advance troops (5th corps) arrived, and took their place.
It was with difficulty that our division was brought into line, owing to the shattered condition of our ranks, caused by the double-quick, but a critical moment had arrived, and with a cheer the men dashed forward, re-taking the ground lost by Robinson's division. But in the charge, as usual, we advanced too far, and were in danger of being flanked, so we were ordered back to our line, where we lay on our arms till six o'clock.
The whole army had now arrived, and the order war given to advance. The enemy yielded, and the first line of entrenchments was carried, and they fell back to a strongly fortified position, from which they could not be driven. Soon after our brigade made a dash upon the enemy in our front, (unauthorized, it is said,) but there being no co-operation by other troops, we skerried back again, Col. Talley commanding the brigade, and several hundred men having been taken prisoners.
At 8 a. m. on the 9th, we moved to the right-centre of the line, and were ordered to throw up Rifle-pits, which Pensyl, in the emphatic language he generally used, said, were "d—d beautiful works for somebody-else to fight behind." George uttered truthful words, if they were a little profane, for, while we built many defensive works of various kinds, I do not remember that we ever actually fought in such works.
Skirmishing, with an occasional undecisive struggle for the mastery, now continued for several days, during which we were called upon to charge on certain works in our front, but owing to the fact that every man understood that the charge was ordered as a mere feint to cover some other movement, it was not pressed.
On the 18th, we swung round to the left, and were sent forward on the skirmish line. Just in our front, possibly fifty yards off, the rebel skirmishers occupied an excellent line of rifle-pits, while we had no cover except that afforded by nature. An order was given to advance the line, which order was intended for other points on the line and not for us it seems, when John W. Shipley in the attempt to obey orders, was struck by a rebel ball, and was instantly killed. We had the satisfaction of knowing a moment later, that the same rebel was killed by Shipley's especial friend Geo. W. Pensyl. We burried Shipley near where he fell.