It was well for Hunton, perhaps, that Devens[8] was not his antagonist, in view of the skillful, steady and hard fighting record subsequently made, when, as a cavalry commander, he gave Hampton, Fitz, Lee and Rosser a great deal of trouble; and withal he was a gallant gentleman, who, by considerate kindness, won the respect of Loudoun’s citizens while he camped his brigade among them the last winter of the war.
Colonel Baker was a chivalrous, high-toned gentleman, of fine attainments in politics and statesmanship, but, as was said of another, “God Almighty did not make him a general,” a lack which could not be supplied by a commission. Colonel Hunton saw and appreciated the advantage of the position which Baker had neglected, and steadying his line for the work, threw it in splendid aggressive battle—still one to three—against the volleying rifles and blazing cannon before him, sweeping infantry and artillery back to the bluff overhanging the river, where they staid, and the Confederates withdrew to the edge of the woods to rest and replenish cartridges for the final effort.
About 2:30 p.m. Colonel Hunton had sent me to General Evans to ask for reinforcements, but all I got was, “Tell Hunton to fight on.” Evans had now about taken Gorman’s measure and decided that the Edward’s Ferry force would not be dangerous so long as Fort Evans was held and his left at the Bluff hung on, and when, at 3:30, Hunton again sent me to the General to say that his ammunition was exhausted and unless reinforced he would be compelled to retire before superior numbers, Evans, evidently mindful of Beauregard’s instruction to make a “desperate stand,” said to me: “Tell Hunton to hold his ground till every d—m man falls. I HAVE sent him the Eighteenth and WILL send him the Seventeenth.”
On my return from the General I met a part of the Eighth Virginia, Lieutenant-Colonel Tebbs among them, retreating, and I asked what it meant, if Hunton was defeated, to which Colonel Tebbs replied: “I do not know, but Colonel Hunton ordered me to fall back.” They were about a quarter of a mile from where I had left Hunton’s line, and riding forward I gave the Colonel the General’s message, and asked him why he had ordered Tebbs and his men to fall back, informing him I had met them in retreat. He exclaimed: “Go tell Colonel Tebbs I only meant for him to fall back to the line; I did not intend him to retreat.”
I soon found Tebbs, told him what the General had said, and as soon as I could convince him of the intent of Hunton’s order, he went to work with all his fiery energy to rally and reform the men, in which I assisted as best I could, and we succeeded in getting most of them back, but some were running too fast to bother with, and Colonel Tebbs returned to the line and with the rallied men was in the last grand charge.
No reflection can be cast upon Colonel Tebbs’ reputation as a soldier for this error, because he honestly thought Colonel Hunton had ordered a retreat, and that he was strictly in the line of duty.
When I again joined Colonel Hunton the Eighteenth Mississippi had come up and taken position two hundred yards to the right and in line with the Eighth Virginia at the edge of the woods.
This was about 5 o’clock, and Colonel Hunton ordered me to go to Colonel Burt, tell him the Eighth Virginia would charge the enemy in front, and ask him to attack with his regiment at the same time to cover his right.
Colonel Burt delayed his movement a short time in order that I might bring in one of his companies which had been sent off to the right, and when this was done he moved his line forward, but we had already heard the battle yell of the glorious old Eighth as it dashed forward on the enemy.
The gallant Mississippians were no laggards, when the dauntless Burt gave the command “Forward!” All during the day they had been in front of Edward’s Ferry, watching the enemy there and listening to the guns of their comrades at the Bluff, until delay had chafed them, but now their time had come, and with the steady tread of veterans they marched over the field to the woods.