f the charmer." Soon
they disappeared!

Then the artillery began to pour in their shells on us more furiously
than ever! The air around us was kept in a blaze, and a roar of bursting
shells, and the ground, all about, was furrowed and torn. We quietly
sat behind our works, and interchanged our individual observations on
what had just taken place, and waited for further developments.

The two rifled pieces of our Battery, and the other rifled guns of our
Battalion, "Cabells," had been laced in position, on a hill half a mile
back of, and higher, than the low hill on which we were. The plan was
for these long range guns to fire over our heads, at the enemy. We
suspected that when that Federal infantry next tried to pass us, they
would try to make a rush. So Lieutenant Anderson sent back to the other
guns, calling attention to this probability, and suggesting that they
should be on the lookout, and reinforce our fire, and try, also, to
divert the Federal artillery, a little. We thought that with eight or
ten rifled guns, added to the fire of ours, and what the infantry could
do, we could sicken that Federal infantry of the effort to get by.

Presently we noticed the fire of the Federal guns increase in violence
to a marked degree. At this savage outburst, Lieutenant Anderson said,
"Boys, get to your guns, that infantry will try to get across under
cover of this." We sprang to the guns, and sure enough, in a minute,
those blue columns burst out of the woods at a double quick. "Open on
them at once men. We can't let them get a start this time," shouted
Anderson. Both guns instantly began to drive at the head of their
columns.

The sound of our guns started our rifle guns on the hill behind. They
opened furiously, and we could hear their shells screeching over our
heads, on into this enemy's columns. We did our best, and the Texans did
what musket fire they could. The enemy still advanced at a run, but this
storm was too much for them. Their columns were torn to pieces, were
thrown into hopeless confusion. They had, by this time, gotten half way
or more across the field, and they made a gallant effort to keep on, but
torn and storm-beaten as they were, they could not stand. The crowd
broke and parted. A few ran on across to the farther woods, and were
captured by Hill's men. The rest, routed and scattered, ran madly back
to the cover they had left. This gave them enough! They gave up the
attempt, and tried it no more.