emper, but the confederates finally advanced with
such a rush that they ran over Heckman's Brigade and left it, the dead and
wounded and living in the rear of the confederate line of battle, not even
stopping to place guards in charge; and a good many of our men, finding
they were not restrained, passed down to the left, around the left of the
confederate line and got back once more into our own lines, thus missing
the pleasures of Andersonville.

The battle raged all day and only ceased with darkness. During the night
Butler decided to withdraw his army within his fortified lines at Bermuda
Hundred. Our cavalry picket line was ordered to hold its place only until
the enemy advanced and then fall back also, within the fortified lines.
Personally I was in command of that part of the line at Weirs Bottom
Church where we had a howitzer. The infantry retired during the night, and
in the morning we were unsupported except for the fortified lines about 3
or 4 miles in our rear. We had the howitzer loaded with shell and aimed at
the road where it crossed the low hill back of the Howlett House, but the
enemy were in no hurry to close in, and it was about 3 o'clock P. M. when,
looking at this point in the road where our howitzer was aimed, I saw 8 or
10 confederate cavalry slowly and watchfully advancing. They were just
where the howitzer was aimed and we fired on them at once, but they jumped
their horses to the right and left out of the road like cats, and when the
shell got there, there was nothing but the road for it to hit. They
scattered to the right and left across the fields and carefully inspected
our position but did nothing further on that part of the line.

I had been in the saddle night and day and was thoroughly worn out and was
more than half sick with malarial fever, and so after dark, holding my
horse's reins in my hands, I sat down at the road side with my back to
the trunk of a tree, never dreaming of going to sleep, but alas, the next
thing I knew I heard the Captain of my Company, who had commanded the line
a little to the left, give the command, "Fours right, gallop, march," and
away they all went in the darkness, leaving me alone in the woods. Be sure
I was on my feet trying to gather a few of my scattered senses, when
suddenly I heard a horse whining in the darkness, out a short distance in
the woods, and rushing headlong in the direction of the sound, ran bodily
against my horse who was quietly browsing o