Early in the morning before sunrise the First Louisiana was
ordered into line of battle. Companies B, H, and E, were ordered “as
skirmishers.” My company was well posted in the skirmish drill, and I had no
fear about them. A dense forest in which was hidden a powerful foe lay between
us and his strong fortification, the fearful nature of whose armament we had
already been made sensible by the destructive missiles he had previously hurled
crashing through the trees at us. But not much time was allowed for these
reflections. We were quickly deployed, and Lieutenant Gardner being in command
of Company E gave the command of the first platoon to me, and the second to
Lieutenant Koblin. Colonel Holcomb was acting Brigadier General and he quickly
gave the command “Forward.” Flushed as we were with success, having been
continually seeing the enemy fleeing before us for the last two months whenever
we came up with them, victory had come to be almost a matter of course with us.
So the boys expected a real “picnic,” and it may as well be said that they got
it before the day was over. We had not proceeded more than two hundred yards
before the grey coats of our enemies appeared among the trees, and they made
their presence further known by a shower of bullets. The men returned the fire
with interest and a sharp fight was kept up for a few minutes when the rebs
gave way. I ordered the men to move forward as rapidly as possible, and not
halt to load, but to load and fire as they marched. They had practiced this on
the drill ground and knew how. In the excitement of the moment we entirely
overlooked the necessity of keeping in line with the rest of the skirmishers
and we soon found ourselves alone with one platoon of soldiers. The woods were
so dense I could not see the length of my platoon. I was afraid to be in the
rear for the danger of firing into them, and if we were forward of them they
would fire into us. I could see no remedy, so we kept on our way, loading and
firing into the bushes ahead as rapidly as possible, I could hear the
stentorian voice of Colonel Holcomb as he gave the command, “Forward on the
right!”
This I expected was intended for Company H as I feared they
were in my rear: So I reiterated the command and kept up a continual fire into
the woods in front. I think when I reiterated the command to “Forward on the
right” it drew the fire of the whole rebel picket line on us, immediately in
our front. But our fire soon silenced them and they disappeared entirely. This
gave us a clear passage so far as the rebels were concerned. But we kept up the
fire and pushed forward as fast as the nature of the ground would admit. We
continued our course in this way for about a mile and a half, when we arrived
at a small creek known as Thompsons creek, crossing this, we ascended a steep
bluff. About half way up I halted the skirmishers and myself and another
sergeant crept to the top to reconnoiter. About two hundred yards from the top
of the bluff across an old cotton field was the rebel breast works. To the
right was a deep basin of about seventy-five acres of felled timber commanded
by a battery of two guns. Everything was silent and scarcely a man was to be
seen, I believed the enemy was concealed behind the breastworks and did not
deem it prudent to approach any nearer until support arrived. I told the
sergeant next in rank to remain there and I would see if I could find any of
the rest of the skirmishers. At the foot of the bluff I found Colonel Holcomb
sitting on the bank wounded and Captain George, Company F, near by in command
of the reserve. The Colonel said to me, “Sergeant where are your skirmishers?”
I saluted him and said “Colonel they are up there (pointing up the bluff). We
are in front of the rebel breast works and cannot go further until we have
reinforcements.” He said, “I am wounded and cannot go further. A piece of shell
struck me on the hip and I am disabled. But you go and tell Captain Parsons to
charge on that gun that is firing down on us and take it.” “Very well,” I said,
I went out to the right in the direction Captain Parson ought to be but could
find nothing of him. I did not look long, and returned to report to the
Colonel. But he had gone to the rear. I then returned to my command. I found
the remainder of the line of skirmishers had arrived and taken up their
positions along the bluff. We had not been there long when the enemy seeing we
were not going to make a charge, opened upon us with a terriffic volley of
grape canister and musketry splitting the limbs of the trees above our heads
into splinters. I had my men stationed in a gully cut out from the side of the
bluff by the action of the water, so that the fire of the enemy could not reach
us. One poor fellow carelessly exposed himself and was shot through the brain
and fell at my feet. I looked down at him. He gasped once, and was dead. His
comrades took him away. The firing ceased and I looked round and discovered we were
alone. I said to the men, “What does this mean?” One of them said somebody
started a report that the rebels had come out from their works and were
flanking us.” I said it was all nonsense. “The rebels dare not come out from
there works; and we will hold the position until we are compelled to leave it.
It has cost us too much hard fighting to abandon it.” So I said to one of the
men, “How many cartridges have you got?” “One,” he replied, “besides the one in
my gun.” I asked another, and he said, “Four.” This I found was the average
number among the men. I said to them, “This is a bad state of things, but I think
we can deceive them for a while at any rate.” I told them that there was no
possible danger of being captured if we only kept a good lookout so that they
could not surprise us. I told them further to fire occasionally when a good
mark presented itself, so as to keep the enemy informed that we were there. I
then went around to the right of where Company H was posted and found Captain
Parsons of Company I and Lieutenant Jenner of Company D with their commands. I
told them of my condition and that we were out of ammunition. Lieutenant Jenner
generously gave me a few packages of cartridges and I returned to our heroic
little band, after promising Captain Parsons and Lieutenant Jenner that I would
hold the position to the last extremity. The sight of the cartridges inspired
the men, and whenever a mark presented itself it was attended to. The retreat
happened at about 12 m. We held the position until 2 p. m., when they returned.
Company H, B, and the second platoon of Company E retreated. They had been back
to our starting point in the morning. They all felt chagrined that they had
retreated so rashly, the officers in particular. One said, “Sergeant Smith,
where have you been?” I replied that I had been right there all the time. He
said, “You have not.” I replied that I had, and appealed to the men of my
command to prove my statement. He became convinced, and said, “Well, by G—d, I
would give a thousand dollars to be in your boots.” I did not know before that
I was doing anything more than my duty. They brought a supply of ammunition,
and I believe some grub, but I don't quite remember about the last. At 5 p. m.
a flag of truce was displayed from the breastworks of the enemy. A tremendous
cheering was heard all along the line, and contending parties of both sides
laid aside their arms and rushed out to see each other as though they had been
friends long parted. Two officers met, the flag of truce was found to be a
mistake, the two disappointed armies retired behind their breastworks, and the
firing begun again. But the truce showed me that I was right in my calculation
that there was a large force behind the breastworks in front of us, where we
charged up the bluff; for no sooner was the truce proclaimed than the rebel
soldiers swarmed out on the parapet like ants on an ant hill. If all the forces
in that immediate vicinity had combined and attempted to charge across that
plateau, there was force enough there to have swept it away like chaff from the
summer threshing floor, or ever they could possibly reach the breastworks. I
have thought sometimes that it was a blessing in disguise that Colonel Holcomb
was disabled on that morning, or that I failed to find Captain Parsons to
deliver his message.
SOURCE: Abstracted from George G. Smith, Leaves from
a Soldier's Diary, p. 58-66
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