check could I observe in the advance, and the first force anywhere except on top of the hill, as Ransom’s troops could line in good order entered the woods and was lost he seen there, in reserve, and the men in the sunken road were visi-to our view. But the immediate crash of musketry hie at a short distance only.
and the thunder of artillery told of a desperate Soon after 11 A. M. the enemy approached the left of my line by conflict, and we waited anxiously for some sign of the Telegraph road, and, deploying to my right, came forward and the result. Soon masses of the enemy were seen planted guidons or standards (whether to mark their advance or to emerging from the woods in retreat, and the whole aid in the alignment I do not know), and commenced firing; hut hody of the enemy marched back in the direction the fire from our artillery, and especially the infantry fire from they came from, in excellent order, and very de- Cobb’s brigade, so thinned their ranks that the line retreated with-liberately. Now began the trial against Long- out advancing, leaving their gui-street’s lines; but our confidence in our ability to dons planted. Soon another resist all assaults against us had been wonderfully force, heavier than the first, increased by seeing the repulse of Franklin. [See advanced, and were driven the narrative by General Beynolds on page 177.] back with great slaughter.
My line of defense was a broken one, running They were met on re-from the left along the sunken road, near the foot tiring by reinforee-of Marye’s Hill, where General Cobb’s brigade ments, and advanced (less the 16th Georgia) was stationed. During the again, but were 12th the defenses of this line had been extended again repulsed,
THE SUNKEN ROAD UNDER MARYE’S fUEL. From a photograph taken in 1884.
and continuous I have ever witnessed, not a man was injured t>y the tire of his comrades. ... In the mean time line after line of the enemy deployed in the ravine, and advanced to the attack at intervals of not more than fifteen minutes until about 4: 30 o’clock, when there was a lull of about a half-hour, during which a mass of artillery was placed in position in front of the town and opened upon our position. At this time I brought up Colonel De Saussure’s regiment. Our batteries on the hill were silent, having exhausted their ammunition, and the Washington Artillery were relieved by a part of Colonel Alexander’s battalion. Under cover of this artillery fire, the most formidable column of attack was formed, which, about 5 o’clock, emerged from the ravine, and, no longer impeded by our artillery, impetuously assailed our whole front. From this time until after 6 o’clock the attack was continuous, and the fire on both sides terrific. Some few, chiefly officers, got within 30¿yards of our lines, but in every instance their columns were shattered by the time they got within 100 paces. The firing gradually subsided, and by 7 o’clock our pickets were established within 80 yards of those of the enemy.
“ Our chief loss after getting into position in the road was from the fire of sharp-shooters, who occupied some buildings on my left flankin the early part of the engagement, and were only silenced by Captain [W.] Wallace, of the 2d Kegiment, directing the continuous fire of one company upon the buildings. General Cobb, I learn, was killed by a shot from that quarter. The regiments on the hill suffered most, as they were less perfectly covered.”
pickets of tke opposing forces were posted within a short distance of each other, my pickets reporting noises as of movements of large bodies of troops in the city.
Thus ended the battle. The enemy remained in possession of the city until the night of the 15th, and then retired across the Rappahannock, resuming their former positions, and Kershaw’s brigade of my division reoccupied the city. . . .
Note.—In tile background is seen tile continuation of Hanover street, which on the left ascends the hill to the Marye Mansion. Tile little square field lies in the fork made by the former road and the Telegraph road. N early all that remained in 1884 of the famous stone wall is seen in the right of the picture. The horses are in the road, which is a continuation of the street south of Hanover street, and on which is the brick house mentioned in General Couch’s article. The house in which General Cobb died wouldbe tile next object in the right of the picture if the foreground were extended.
In his official report General Kershaw, who succeeded General Cobb, thus describes the situation during the battle in that part of the road seen in the picture. “ The road is about 25 feet wide, and is faced by a stone wall about 4 feet high on the city side. The road having been cut out of the side of the hill, in many places this last wall is not visible above the surface of the ground. The ground falls off rapidly to almost a level surface, which extends about 150 yards, then, with' another abrupt fall of a few feet, to another plain which extends some 200 yards, and then falls off abruptly into a wide ravine, which extends along the whole front of the city and discharges into Hazel Run. I found, on my arrival, that Cobb’s brigade, Colonel McMillan commanding, occupied our entire front, and my troops could only get into position by doubling on them. This was accordingly done, and the formation along most of the line during the engagement was consequently four deep■ As an evidence of the coolness of the command, I may mention here that, notwithstanding that their lire was the most rapid
The last charge was made after sundown — in fact it was already dark in the valley. A Federal officer who was in that assault told me that the first discharge at them was a volley, and the bullets went over their heads “ in sheets,” and that his command was ordered to lie down, and did lie down for a full half-hour and then retired, leaving a large number of killed and wounded. The firing ceased as darkness increased, and about 7 p. M. the
WITH THE ARTILLERY.
with great loss. This continued until about 1
p. M. . . . The enemy, then deploying in a ravine about three hundred yards from the stone wall, advanced with fresh lines of attack at short intervals, but were always driven back with great loss. This was kept up until about 4:30 p. M., when the assaults ceased for a time ; but the enemy, posting artillery on the left of the Telegraph road, opened on our position; however, they did no damage worth particularizing.
The batteries on Marye’s Hill were at this time silent, having exhausted their ammunition, and were being relieved by guns from Colonel E. P. Alexander’s battalion. Taking advantage of this lull in the conflict, the 15th South Carolina was brought forward from the cemetery, where it had been in reserve, and was posted behind the stone wall, supporting the 2d South Carolina regiment.
The enemy in the mean while formed a strong column of lines of attack, and advancing under cover of their own artillery, and no longer impeded by ours, came forward along our whole front in the most determined manner; but by this time, as just explained, I had lines four deep throughout the whole sunken road, and beyond the right flank. The front rank, firing, stepped back, and the next in rear took its place and, after firing, was replaced by the next, and so on in rotation. In this way the volley firing was made nearly continuous, and the file firing very destructive. The enemy were repulsed at all points.
beyond the hill by an embankment thrown up to protect the right from sharpshooters, as also to resist assaults that might be made from that direction, and then the line was retired a hundred or more yards to the foot of the hills in the rear, along which was extended Kershaw’s brigade of South Carolina troops, and General Barksdale’s Mississippians, from left to right, the brigade of General Semmes being heldin reserve. The Washington Artillery, under Colonel Walton, were in position on the crest of Marye’s Hill over the heads of Cobb’s men, and two brigades under General Ransom were held here in reserve. The heights above Kershaw and Barksdale were crowned with 18 rifle-guns and 8 smooth-bores belonging to batteries, and a number of smooth-bores from the reserve artillery. The troops could not be well seen by the enemy, and the artillery on my rear line was mostly concealed, some covered with brush. The enemy from their position could not see the sunken road near the foot of Marye’s Hill, nor do I think they were aware, until it was made known to them by our fire, that there was an infantry
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