ne of them undermined the gunner's (Henry's) footing and injured him so
as to necessitate his leaving the field. Even the old Irish hero, Tom
Martin, was demoralized, and, in dodging from a Yankee shell, was struck
by the wheel of our gun in its recoil and rendered _hors de combat_. We
had been kept in this position for two or three hours, while a flank
movement was being made by Taylor's Louisiana Brigade and the Second
Virginia Regiment through the brush at the foot of the mountain on our
right. When it was thought that sufficient time had been allowed for
them to make the detour, our whole line moved forward, the rest of the
battery several hundred yards to our left. When my gun moved up an
eighth of a mile nearer to the enemy, they added two guns to the three
occupying the site of an old coal-hearth at the foot of the rugged
mountain, so that our gun had five to contend with for an hour longer.

Graham Montgomery had become gunner in Henry's place, and proved a good
one. He could not be hurried, and every time the smoke puffed from our
gun their cannoneers slid right and left from the coal-hearth, then
returning to their guns loaded and gave us a volley. As usual in such
cases, our flanking party was longer in making their appearance than
expected. The whole Federal line charged, and as they did so their ranks
rapidly thinned, some hesitating to advance, while others were shot down
in full view. Still they drove us back and captured one gun of our
battery. Singleton, of my mess, was captured, and Lieut. Cole Davis,
supposed to be mortally wounded, was left on the field. On getting back
a short distance I found myself utterly exhausted, my woolen clothes wet
with perspiration. Having been too tired to get out of the way when the
gun fired, my eardrums kept up the vibrations for hours. Sleep soon
overcame me, but still the battle reverberated in my head.

The Louisianians and the Second Virginia had gotten through the brush
and driven the enemy from the field. I was roused, to join in the
pursuit, and had the satisfaction of seeing the five cannon that had
played on our gun standing silent on the coal-hearth, in our hands.
There being no room in their rear, their caissons and limbers stood off
to their right on a flat piece of heavily wooded ground. This was almost
covered with dead horses. I think there must have been eighty or ninety
on less than an acre; one I noticed standing almost upright, perfectly
lifeless, su