As we retired, their bullets were hissing through our ranks and cutting
the bark from the trees and the twigs from the bushes, and now and then
striking down our men.

My cousin, Dallas Leith, and myself stood together behind a tree for
protection. As he fired, his head was exposed, and a bullet from the
enemy's ranks just brushed his lips. He turned to me and said, "Wasn't
that a close shave?" And at the same time a bullet grazed my finger as I
fired.

We fell back through the timber to the edge of the open fields, and
getting behind a rail fence, remained there until the enemy came up. We
held our fire until they got close to us, when we poured a volley into
their ranks that sent them scurrying back through the woods. We then
climbed the fence and followed them up.

About 20 steps from the fence we saw two Yankees lying mortally wounded.
We gathered around them and asked them some questions about where they
were from, and one of our men pulled a photograph from the pocket of one
of them. It was a picture of a young girl, and one of the men said, "I
guess that's his sweetheart." He opened his eyes and said with much
difficulty, "No, it is my sister." Our captain was standing by, and as
the men were so close to our line, someone conceived the idea that they
had come up to surrender, and one of them said to our captain, "Captain,
these men came up to surrender, and were shot down." One of the Yankees
denied the accusation with some feeling. They were both shot in the
breast, and were bleeding profusely. It was very evident that they had
but a short time to live.

The captain ordered them to be taken back to a place of safety. They
begged to remain where they were, saying that they hadn't long to live,
but they were taken back to a safer place.

We were again ordered forward, and kept on until we came in touch with
the enemy, when the firing was resumed.

Dallas Leith and myself were again behind a tree. He was kneeling down
loading his gun, when his head was again exposed, and a ball struck him
in the forehead. It tore away a part of the bone, exposing his brain. I
felt confident the boy was killed, and had no other thought than that of
leaving him there, for we had all we could do to carry back the wounded,
much less the dead.

We were then ordered to fall back, and someone more humane than I
proposed that we carry his body back with us. I protested that it was
impossible, but the others insisted, and, tying a h