e and parallel with the
river, stood at arms,--passing on their way out hundreds of wounded men
of different regiments, on stretchers and on foot, some with ghastly
wounds, and a few taking the advantage of the slightest scratch to pass
from front to rear. Legs and arms carelessly heaped together alongside
of one of the amputating tents in the rear of the Phillips House, and
passed in the march of the day before, had prepared the nerves of the
men somewhat for this most terrible ordeal for fresh troops. Many of the
wounded men cheered lustily as the men marched by, and were loudly
cheered in return, while here and there an occasional skulker would tell
how his regiment was cut to pieces, and like Job's servant he alone
left.

From this point a fine view could be had of the encircling hills, with
their crowning earthworks, commanding the narrow plateau in our
immediate front. On the right and centre the Rebel line was not to be
assailed, but by advancing over ground that could be swept by hundreds
of pieces of artillery, while to protect an advancing column our
batteries from their position must be powerless for good. A stone wall
following somewhat the shape of the ridge ran along its base. Properly
banked in its rear, it afforded an admirable protection for their
troops. As there was no chance for success in storming these works, the
object in making the attempt was doubtless to divert the Rebel attention
from their right.

Column after column of the flower of the army, had during the day
charged successively in mad desperation upon that wall; but not to reach
it. Living men could not stand before that heavy and direct musketry,
and the deadly enfilading cannonade from batteries upon the right and
left. The thickly strewn plain attested at once the heroic courage of
the men, and the hopelessness of the contest.

"Boys, we're in for it," said a Lieutenant on his way from the right.
"Old Pigey has just had three staving swigs from his flask, and they are
all getting ready. There goes 'Tommy Totten,'" as the bugle call for
"forward" is familiarly called in the army.

Our course was continued to the left--two regiments marching
abreast--until we neared a main road leading westward from the town. In
the meantime the movement had attracted the Rebel fire, and at the last
cross street a poor fellow of the 2--th Regiment was almost cut in two
by a shell which passed through the ranks of our Regiment and exploded
upon the