29th, the brigade moved forward
as a support to the First Division (Paine's), the First
Brigade of which, under Col. Duncan, charged and carried the
enemy's works on Signal-Hill, on the New Market road, beyond
the line of works taken by the Seventh and Ninth on the 14th
of August.[32] [See foot-note next page.] * * * The
Eighteenth Corps at the same time charged and carried Fort
Harrison and a long line of rebel works. Soon after noon,
while the brigade, which had been moving by the flank down
the New Market road, had halted in the road, orders came to
form column of regiments, faced to the left, in the woods.
Scarcely had this been done when Gen. Wm. Birney, commanding
brigade, rode up to the right of the column and ordered the
Seventh to move off by the right flank. As it was crossing
the Mill road, Col. Shaw reached the head of the line and
received from him the order to "form on the right by file
into line, and charge and take the work that is firing," and
adding, "if that work is taken when you reach it, push right
on and take the next _before Gen. Foster can get there_." In
the meantime the Ninth had charged a work on the right and
had been repulsed, and the commanding officer of the Eighth
had been ordered to send four companies deployed as
skirmishers to take the work to the left, but when Major
Wagner found how strong it was he halted his line and
remained in advance as skirmishers. As the regiment was
forming for the charge, behind the crest of a knoll, Capt.
Bailey, Gen. Birney's Adjutant-General, rode up to Col. Shaw
with the order to send four companies deployed as
skirmishers to 'attack and take the work that is firing.'
Col. Shaw replied that he had orders to charge it with his
regiment, to which Capt. Bailey answered, 'well, _now_ the
General directs you to send four companies, deployed as
skirmishers, to take the work.' Lieut.-Col. Haskell, being
absent on leave, and Maj. Mayer sick, companies C, D, G and
K were placed under command of Capt. Weiss, who, when he
received the order to charge, replied, 'what! take a fort
with a skirmish line?' and then added, 'I will try, but it
can't be done.' What followed can best be described by
quoting his own words:

"Captain Weiss says: 'I at once, about 1 P. M., ordered