he powder did not have time to
ignite in the gun. After firing the gun, "No. 4" could hardly get the
"primer" in before the gun was loaded, and ready to fire again. So it
went on! It was fast and furious work! And the bullets sounded like bees
buzzing above our heads.

I felt a sharp pain, then a numbness in my right hand. I glanced at it,
and saw that the back of it was cut open, and bleeding. I had to pull
the lanyard with my left hand the rest of the fight. I supposed a bullet
had done it, but was disgusted to see blood on one of the rails, which
chocked our gun, and find that this rail had worked loose, and, when
struck by the recoiling gun wheel, had flown round and struck my hand,
and disabled it. So, it was not an "honorable" wound, even though
received in battle, as it was not done by a missile of the enemy.

Minute after minute, this hot work went on. The enemy, in coming over
our works, and sweeping around, was thrown into disorder, so that they
advanced on us in a confused mass.

In this mass our canister was doing deadly work, cutting lanes in every
direction. Still on they came; getting slower in their advance as the
canister constantly swept away the foremost men. The men in front began
to flinch, they were within thirty yards of us,--firing wildly now. One
good rush! and their bayonets would have silenced our guns! But they
could not face that hail of death any longer; they could not make that
rush! They began to give back from our muzzles.

At that moment, the Texans having rallied under the bank, forty yards to
our right, and rear, came leaping like tigers upon their flank. The
Texans were perfectly furious! It was the first time during the whole
war that they had been forced from a position, under fire, and they were
mad enough to eat those people up. A screaming yell burst out, a
terrific outbreak of musketry, a rush, with the bayonets, and the inside
of our work was clear of all, save the many dead, and wounded, and six
hundred prisoners.

We ran our gun instantly back to its place, in the works, and got
several shots into the flying mob, outside.

Then all was gone, and we were ready to drop in our tracks, with the
exhausting work of the ten minutes that we had held the foe at bay.

General Gregg came up to our gun. With strong emotion he shook hands
with each of us; he then took off his hat, and said, "Boys, Texas will
never forget Virginia for this! Your heroic stand saved the line, and
en