d into
that clump of bushes. I saved myself by lying down behind the body of my
dead comrade.

As the sun was dropping below the western horizon the Confederate rifle
pits were captured. Hancock's charge had succeeded. Fort Magruder fired
its farewell shot; the Confederate rear guard was on its way to Richmond.
The battle of Williamsburg was ended.

The next day, one of a group of Confederate prisoners declared there was
one thing about that battle he could not understand. He said he was a
sharp shooter; that he could hit a mark quite a distance away every time,
and offered to prove it by actual demonstration. The thing he could not
understand was--why he could not hit General Kearny the day before. He
said he saw him plainly; knew he was a commanding officer, and that he
deliberately shot at him six times. General Kearny was not touched, but
the Captain who tried to persuade him not to expose himself as he did was
shot through the heart and instantly killed by the side of the General.

An interval of time, a march through mud and water almost waist deep,
brought us to Fair Oaks, within sight of Richmond. Heavy rains had made it
almost impossible to ford the Chickahominy River which divided McClellan's
army. Seeing an advantage in this, General Lee ordered General Longstreet
to attack the part of our army that had succeeded in crossing the river.
General Casey's division received the brunt of this attack. General
Kearny's division was held in reserve to support General Casey. We ate our
dinner and then lay on our arms for some little time, just out of range,
tracing the course of the action by listening to the firing and watching
the increasing number of wounded making their way to the rear. To be thus
held in reserve, expecting every moment to be called into action, is the
supreme trial of a soldier's courage. In those moments my heart became
faint. But, when the bugle call was sounded calling us into action, all
thought of self vanished. As eager as an eagle in pursuit of its prey, we
went forward. Longstreet's division was making a final charge. Casey's men
passed through our ranks as we formed a line between the contending
forces. My Company had the regimental colors, defended by a detailed color
guard of sixteen corporals. I was not of this guard, but was a corporal
then, on the left of my Company next to the color guard. Our line was
hardly formed when we received the Confederate charge. Firing was at short
rang