ber chest next to
the breastwork and our own shell went rolling around promiscuously. Lt.
Hargrove grabbed a slush bucket and proceeded to pour water into the
limber chest with the smashed top, where fuses were fizzling and
friction primers crackling in the tray above the loaded cartridges
thereon. Some of the boys yelled at him to let that thing go, but he
poured that water on, and put out those fuses. Every fellow was dodging
our own shells for a few minutes.

A tin strap from one of the sabots struck Corporal John Watson on the
tight seat of his pants, and he dropped flat, with his hands clapped on
the place where he had felt the blow, yelling: "Oh, I'm wounded, I'm
wounded." The laugh was on him, when it was found that his pants were
not even split.

Gracious! How those Yanks did yell, when the column of smoke went high
in the air from our exploded caisson. Well, all the satisfaction we got
out of the affair, was that "We found out, what the enemy had over
there," and we did not stir up that hornet's nest again. Occasionally,
they would plug at us, but we would lie low and not reply. One of their
24-lb. rifled parrot shells ricochetted over from the front one day
with out exploding. Some of the men got it unscrewed the percussion
fuse from its point and poured out a lot of powder, then dug out some
more with a sharp stick, until they thought it was about empty. Then
private Dan Kelly, got hold of it, stooped down to a flat rock and
jolted the point down on the rock. It struck fire, exploded and tore
Kelly's arm and hand all to pieces. He was sent to hospital, then home,
and I think died from the wound.

We more than evened up on the Yanks, a few days after, on June 27th,
when Thomas's and McPherson's corps swarmed over their works and
started for our lines in a determined assault. We filled the skirt of
woods in front, full of shells until their lines appeared in the open,
and then we swept the earth with canister and over their line of
infantry made every bullet count, so that in our immediate front, they
did not get nearer than 150 yards, and had to rush back to cover of
their own entrenchments. Our command had no causalities that day, but
many Federals were buried in trenches in our front, their total loss
officially reported in the assault was 2,500.

Here is what is recorded in Federal official records:

"He (Sherman) Resolved: To attack the left center of Johnston's
position, and orders were give