n
shot through the body and his spinal column had been injured, I think. All
but his hands seemed paralyzed, those he could use a little. I inquired
if I could do anything for him. "Yes," said he, "I wish you would turn me
over on to my side so I can see the sun rise." The sun was just about to
appear over the eastern horizon. I turned him over on to his side, then I
found a canteen and went to get a canteen of water for him. When I got
back fifteen minutes later the poor fellow was dead. He had fallen asleep
to awake, I trust, to a more glorious sunrise than that early sunrise of
June 3d, 1864.

From the 2d to the 12th of June the 21st was not seriously engaged. There
was more or less fighting along the line, but it was not our fortune to be
in it.

In the evening of June 12th, we left Cold Harbor and in the evening of
June 14th we were at Charles City on the James. We crossed the river on a
pontoon bridge about midnight of the 15th and started for Petersburg as
fast as we could go, arriving there late in the afternoon. It was on this
march I fell out, the first and only time I every fell out on a march. My
shoes were worn so badly they hardly protected my feet at all and they
galled me murderously. I fell out beside a brook, gave my feet a good
bath, made a cup of coffee, took a little rest and then went on, coming up
with the regiment during the evening. The boys were engaged at about six
o'clock when the 9th and 2d Corps made the first attack on Petersburg. Our
boys drove the Johnnies from the first line of works, and the next morning
when we moved forward we found the next line abandoned. During the night
we moved to the right and forward preparing for another advance at
daybreak. When we advanced the morning of the 17th, I was on the picket
line; as we passed a deserted line of earthworks I saw a dead Johnny lying
in one of the trenches. He had an open letter in his hand, I took the
letter from his lifeless fingers folded it and put it in my pocket, when I
had a chance to read it I discovered it was from his sweetheart at home in
Georgia. He had evidently thought of her when he found himself mortally
wounded, had taken the letter from his pocket and died while reading it.

There were two more incomplete lines of works in our front. We hoped to
take both these lines, but being unsupported we succeeded in taking only
one. During the day some reinforcements arrived and a regiment was put
right in front of us; we th