and opened on us quite a lively fire.
We stood this awhile until those skirmishers made a rush from the woods,
and tried to gain the cover of the church building. Some of them did,
and as this was crowding us a little too close, we took to our guns, and
so dosed them with canister, as they ran out, that they retired, out of
range, into the woods. Soon after some infantry began to form in the
edge of the woods as if they were about to charge us. We opened on them.
They advanced a little, then broke in some confusion, and disappeared.
The rest of this day, June 1st, along where we were, there was lively
sharp-shooting going on, up and down the line, and once a battery fired
a few shots at us, but no special attack was made.

In the afternoon, taking advantage of the quiet, our negro mess cooks
came into the line, to bring us something to eat. Each fellow had the
cooked meat, and bread, for his mess, in a bag, swung over his shoulder.
They came on across the field until within a hundred yards of the line,
when a shell struck, in the field, not far from them. The darkies
scattered, like a covey of birds! Some ran one way, and some another.
Some ran back to the rear, and a few ran on to us. Our cook, Ephraim,
came tearing on with long leaps, and tumbled over among us crying out,
"De Lord have mercy upon us." "Ephraim," we said, "what is the matter?
what did you run for?" All in a tremble, he thrust out the bag towards
us, and exclaimed, "Here, Marse George, take your vituals, and let me
git away from here. De Lord forgive me for being such a fool as to come
to sich a place as dis _anyhow_."

"But, Ephraim," we said, "there was no danger! That shell didn't hit
anywhere near you." "De ain't no use in telling me dat! Don't nobody
know whar dem things goin'! Sound to me like it was bout to hit me side
my head, and bust my brains out, every minit; and if it had a hit me,
dem other cooks would all a run away, and left me lying out dar, like a
poor creeter." "But, my dear Ephraim," we said, "it mortifies us to see
the 'Howitzer' cooks running so, with all the men looking on." "Don't
keer who looking! When dem things come any whar bout me, I _bleeged_ to
run. Dis ain't no place for cooks, nohow. Here gentlemen! take your
rations; I got to get away from here!" We emptied the bag, he threw it
over his back, and streaked with it to the rear.

Another night in line here! Next morning, June 2d, orders came to move.
We got on a road run