his head, and he fell dead upon the
interlacing pine boughs. Wild and blind with wounds, bruises, noise,
smoke, and conflicting orders, the men staggered in every direction,
some of them falling upon the very top of the rebel parapet, where
they were completely riddled with bullets,--others wandering off into
the woods on the right and front, to find their way to death by
starvation at Andersonville, or never to be heard of again."

The second battalion had advanced at an interval of about seventy-five
yards after the first, and the third had followed in turn, but they
were ordered by General Upton to lie down as they approached the
entrenchments. They could not fire without injury to the line in
front, and could only hold their dangerous and trying position in
readiness to support their comrades ahead, protecting themselves as
they could from the fire that seemed like leaden hail. There was no
suggestion of retreat at any point and several hundred of the enemy,
taking advantage of a lull in the firing, streamed over the
breastworks and gave themselves up, but through a misunderstanding of
the case the credit of their capture was given to other regiments,
though clearly due to this.

The history continues: "The lines now became very much mixed. Those of
the first battalion who were not killed or wounded gradually crawled
or worked back; wounded men were carried through to the rear; and the
woods began to grow dark, either with night or smoke or both. The
companies were formed and brought up to the breastworks one by one,
and the line extended toward the left. The enemy soon vacated the
breastwork in our immediate front, and crept off through the
darkness." Throughout the terrible night they held their ground,
keeping up a constant fire to prevent an attempt by the enemy to
reoccupy the line, until they were relieved in the early morning by
other troops; they had secured a position which it was indispensable
to hold, and the line thus gained remained the regiment's front during
its stay at Cold Harbor. Until June 12th the position was kept
confronting the enemy, whose line was parallel and close before it,
while daily additions were made to the list of casualties as they
labored in strengthening the protective works.

[Illustration: The first battle]

The official report of General Upton reads in part as follows: "The
Second Connecticut, anxious to prove its courage, moved to the
assault in beautiful order. Crossing