n friends,
Captain Frank P. Amsden, in command of his battery. Said he, as he
gripped my hand, "Boy, you got out of those woods just in time. Our guns
are double-shotted with grape and canister; the word 'fire' was just on
my lips when your colors appeared." I saw his gunners standing with
their hands on the lanyards. After forty years my blood almost creeps as
I recall that narrow escape.

We now moved to the rear across the plank-road from the Chancellorsville
House in the woods, where we supported Hancock's line. Colonel Albright
soon returned from his visit to Hooker's head-quarters. His account of
that visit was most remarkable, and was substantially as follows: "I
scratched on the flap of the Hooker head-quarters' tent and instantly an
officer appeared and asked what was wanted. I said I must see General
Hooker, that I had important information for him. He said, 'You cannot
see General Hooker; I am chief of staff; any information you have for
the commanding general should be given to me.' I said, 'I must see
General Hooker,' and with that pushed myself by him into the tent, and
there lay General Hooker, apparently dead drunk. His face and position
gave every indication of that condition, and I turned away sick and
disgusted." It was subsequently stated that General Hooker was
unconscious at that time from the concussion of a shell. That he was
standing on the porch of the Chancellorsville House, leaning against one
of its supports, when a shell struck it, rendering him unconscious. The
incident narrated above occurred about one P.M. on Sunday, May 3. The
army was practically without a commander from this time until after
sundown of that day, when General Hooker reappeared and in a most
conspicuous manner rode around between the lines of the two armies. If
he was physically disabled, why was not the fact made known at once to
the next officer in rank, whose duty it would have been to have assumed
command of the army, and if possible stem the tide of defeat now rapidly
overwhelming us? A half-day of most precious time would have been saved.
That this was not done I happen to know from the following
circumstances.

In our new position we were only about fifty yards behind General
Hancock's line. The head-quarters at this time of General Couch,
commanding our corps; of General French, commanding our division, and of
General Hancock were all at the right of our regiment, behind our line.
These generals and their staf