ree men were
his whole company, and when that lighted shell struck, he thought that
his company was "gone up" for good and all.

Such was about the size to which some of the companies of this Texan
Brigade was reduced.

Well! after we got rid of those shells from the rear we didn't so much
mind the artillery fire from the front, which kept up more or less
through the morning.

What with the wet, cheerless weather, and the mental discomfort of
staying in a place where they were "shooting cannons" at us, and other
kind of shooting might soon be expected, two of our men got sick, and
went back to the position of our guns on the hill in the rear. The
Captain appealed to them to go back, but their health was bad, and they
didn't think the place where we were, _a health resort_. So Captain
McCarthy called for volunteers to take their places, and instantly John
W. Page, and George B. Harrison, of the First Detachment, offered, and
came over to us.

=Successive Attacks by Federal Infantry=

Up to this time we had seen no infantry since their columns had tried to
cross our front. No attack had been made on us and all seemed quiet out
in front, except that artillery. But, out of our sight, over behind the
woods, the enemy was conspiring to break up our quiet in the most
decided manner. About ten o'clock we suddenly caught sight of a confused
appearance down through the woods on our right front. It quickly defined
itself as a line of battle, rapidly advancing. Our pickets fired upon
it, then ran back over the works into our line. The Texans sprang into
rank, we jumped to our guns, and sent a case-shot tearing down through
the woods. Next instant, the Federal line dashed, cheering, out of the
edge of the woods, and came charging at us. As they dashed out, they
were met by a furious storm of bullets, and cannister, which at two
hundred yards tore their ranks. They got about a hundred yards under
that fire, then began to falter, then stopped, tried to stand for a
moment, then with their battle line shot all to pieces, they turned and
broke for the woods in headlong rout. We did our best to help them
along, shooting at them with case-shot as long as we could catch any
glimpse of them, moving back through the trees. Then that Federal
artillery got savage again. We lay low and waited for some more
infantry.

Very soon, here they came again! another line charging on, only to meet
the same fate; shattered lines, hapless disorder,