On the following morning, we found that the enemy, under cover of darkness, had left our front; and we were moved to the right, and placed in position immediately at Cold Harbor, with our respective lines so near as to be able to converse with each other. We remained here in line of battle, under constant fire; happily, our immediate command had no serious casualties. Grant used every expedient to break through our lines, but he had so mercilessly slaughtered and cowed his men in his first charges at Cold Harbor, that his men refused to charge a second time. So determined was he to clean us up, at all hazards, that he remarked he would do so, "if it took him all summer." The sequel proved that he did not overestimate the time, but the process cost considerable bloodshed.
Stanton (Secretary of War) says, officially, that Grant's force, on the 1st of May, was over one hundred and twenty thousand men. Shortly afterwards, the 9th army corps was sent to him. This army, then aggregating over one hundred and forty thousand men, with a reserve to draw from of one hundred and thirty thousand more, in round numbers, was ruthlessly hurled against Lee's less than fifty thousand men. Lee had no reserve—the cradle and the grave had long since mustered, and our ports were closed to mercenary hirelings. Their own historians prove and show that their "butcher" slaughtered nearly one hundred thousand men in his "On to Richmond," from the wilds of the "Wilderness" to the desolated fields of Cold Harbor. In other words, he sacrificed about twice as many men as Lee had, in order to take a position he could have taken at first without firing a gun or losing a man.
On the 3d of June, Lieut. Frank A. Hanner, who had been for some weeks confined by disease in the hospital at Richmond, died. He served as private until April, 1862; at the reorganization of the twelve-months' troops, he was elected 2d Lieutenant; was promoted to Senior 2d, September 17th, 1862, and again on the 15th of October, 1863, to 1st Lieutenant. On the 1st of June, private Joel J. Thorn was appointed corporal.
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Army of the Potomac having now apparently had sufficient amusement on this portion of its constituted "all summer route," again adopted "Little Mc's" tactics, "sought water," and on the 12th of June began its march towards the historic James.
On the 14th and 15th, by means of his pontoon bridges near Wilcox's Landing, Grant crossed to the south side of the river. On the evening of the 15th his advance made a feint demonstration against Petersburg, and on the 16th made his attack in force. This attack was promptly met, and successfully repulsed by our forces under Gen. Beauregard. Our brigade, as yet, in the swamps of the Chickahominy, was almost daily employed in skirmishes with the enemy's cavalry. On the 15th of June we came across a large force of cavalry at Gary's farm. They had met a small force of our cavalry and had been driving them. When we arrived they dismounted and sent their horses to the rear, formed their lines and showed fight. After a sharp struggle their lines gave way, and we pursued them some distance through the woods. Their sharpshooters were armed with seven shooters, and they used them against us on our advance with telling effect. When they reached their horses they quickly remounted and were soon beyond our reach. Orderly Sergeant William M. Paisley and private Henry J. Coble were wounded.
We had advanced in line but a short distance, when Sergeant Paisley, at the head and slightly in advance of his company, was shot by a sharpshooter, and fell mortally wounded. He was carried from the field and sent to the hospital in Richmond, there he suffered and lingered until the 13th of July, when he died in the arms of his broken-hearted father, who carried his remains to Guilford, and interred them at Alamance church. He was among the first of Guilford's gallant boys who went forth to do battle for truth and right. He kept his vows to his God and his Southland sacred alike, and at his post, on the front line in the fight, fell wounded to the death.
"On other brows let careless fame
Her fadeless wreath of laurel twine,
Enough for thee—thy epitaph!