, a fresh set of troops who had just come on, and were
literally gobbled up by Lee. We met the prisoners--some eight or nine
hundred--going to the rear. Their coats were so new and blue, and
buttons so bright, and shirts so clean, that it was a wonder to look
upon them by our rusty lot.

They were pushing on to cooperate with the larger movement that was
going on to the right, and fell in with General Lee's cavalry, and
after a very respectable fight had their military experience brought
to an abrupt conclusion. Lee's men had possessed themselves of a
complete set of new brass instruments that formed their band.

The fight on the right was the heaviest and most damaging to us that
occurred on the retreat, and is known as the Battle of "Sailor's
Creek," or "High Bridge," where the divisions of General Kershaw and
General Custis Lee, under the command of Lieutenant General Ewell,
were knocked to pieces--and General Richard Anderson's command,
composed of Pickett's Division and Bushrod Johnson's, with Huger's
artillery. Pickett's and Huger's commands were, I think, destroyed,
but Johnson managed to get through. Generals Kershaw, Ewell and Lee
were, I know, taken prisoners. All this we knew nothing of at the
time, only that there was heavy fighting, and that being a matter of
course, excited no surprise.

The sun was nearly down and we moved towards Farmville, to go into
camp for the night. It was after dark when we got there, went through
the town to the grove on the other side, and made the best of it. We
lived upon what we could pick up, as we had no wagons with us, and our
servants and spare horses were with the wagon train.

The most fruitful source of supply was when we passed a broken down
commissary wagon. The men would fill their haversacks with whatever
they could find; and whatever they got, either in this way or at the
country houses, was liberally shared with their friends and officers.

By a big fire we lay down, and slept the sleep of the tired. The
nights were cold, so near the mountains, and, with light coverings on
the cold ground, the burning down of the fire was a general awakening
and building up of the same. At one of these movements we were
surprised to find, between Colonel H. and myself, two men, who,
attracted by the fire, cold and tired, had crept to its friendly
warmth, making a needless apology for their presence. We found one to
be a colonel of Pickett's division, the other a lieutenant, a