ed in the arm.
We were now about one hundred and fifty yards to the left of the Crater
battery. At about 1 p. m. three lines of battle made a desperate effort to
break our lines on the right. We could see them form an advance like they
were on dress parade, raise their cheer and rush close to our line; then
our volleys would knock them into confusion. In the meantime they were
bringing line after line down to the branch in our front, where they could
find cover under the hill. We would let them get about midway in a field,
then we could get about two rounds into them before they got under cover.
Soon they began to charge us from this close quarter, but two or three
rounds would drive them back under cover shelter. Finally they crawled up
the side of a hill and massed seven flags within two hundred yards of us,
and lay there until night. The heavy firing of musketry and artillery
lasted until midnight before we could get out. Captain Roberts, of Company
B, Fifty-sixth, had his head shot off. One tall, dark-eyed South
Carolinian was shot in the head and killed by my side. He was a brave man,
taking deliberate aim every shot. One other man was wounded close to me.

A. P. Hill's corps got to Petersburg at night of 18th. Next morning Jesse
Lattimore, of Company F, Thirty-fourth N. C. Regiment, visited us, and was
still in good spirits of whipping the Yankees. We told him they hadn't
brought men enough with them and their regiments were too small. After
resting twenty-four hours we moved right and worked on some
fortifications.

On the evening of 24th of June, Wilcox's Division attacked Grant's left,
supported by our brigade and a part of Johnson's division. It was called
the battle of Huckleberry Swamp. The enemy was strongly entrenched, and we
fell back after dark. We were only slightly under fire. We recalled that
Lafayette Beam, of Capt. David Magness' company, Thirty-eighth Regiment,
was killed that evening. We occupied Scales Brigade camp, and about
midnight they came in on us and we all lay and slept until late next
morning.

The next night we took position on the branch to the left of the Crater.
We had always felt pretty safe in the earthworks until here Grant began to
shell us with mortars, throwing huge shells up to fall on us or to burst
over us and the fragments rain upon us; so now began the most serious time
when we could not get rest day nor night except under incessant fire. The
left of our brigade rested o