A Soldier's Story of His Regiment (61st Georgia): And Incidentally of the Lawton-Gordon-Evans Brigade Army of Northern Virginia

Chapter 12

149 and I never heard of but one man gp-tting hurt in the brigade. That was the one above referred to. We took some prisoners, and among them there were two generals. One of them, General Seymour, was a very tall man. I suppose he was six and one-half feet high and would have weighed 150 pounds. The other, General Shaler, was a regular cut-short Dutchman about five feet high, and would have weighed about 250 pounds. There was quite a contrast in them as they were marched out. Next day the enemy had left our front and I feel sure thot General Grant decided that he had struck a "snag," and that if he ever got to Richmond he would have to try a different road. We tramped 'over the field of battle, where we fought the fint day. It was thick woods in front of our line with much small growth. We could not find a bush without the sign of a ball on it. The bushes were literrlly shot to pieces. It looked surprising that anyone could live in the midst of such carnage. The enemy's losses were severe, while ours was very light. CHAPTER XII. BATTLE OF SPOTSYLVANIA COURT Housa. On the 8th of :May Ewell's corps was ordered from the extreme left to the extreme right of Lee's army, and on down to near Spotsylvania C. H. A part arrived on the evening of :May 9th. General Grant was trying to swing his immense army around Lee's right flank. \\'e ran a few cavalry back and reconnoitered. We saw the enemy coming in full force, and we had a little battle on 150 the evening of the 9th, and stopped the enemy. We captured a Union staff officer, and if I am not mistaken, he said that he belonged to General Hancock's staff. He was a fine looking man and was very intelligent He rode a very fine black horse. The next day the rest of Ewell's corps came up and we began to fortify. Hill's corps, which wascommanded by General Early on account of Hill's sickness, also arrived on the lOth and took position. Longstreet's corps arrived later in the day, and Ge11eral Lee formed his line of battle in the shape of a horse-shoe, with the wings extending from the heel in right and left angles. Ewell's corps occupied the shoe. Gordon's division (Early's old division) was in a well fortified line about two hundred yards from the toe of the shoe and extended from one side to the other. General Evans' brigade was on the reserve line near the left sirle of the shoe. We spent the 11th in fortifying. General Grant moved up his army and reconnoitered and found how Lee's lines weref ormed. On the night of the 11th every one knew Grant would make a desperate effort to break Lee's lines. \Ve could hear them arranging their artillery and getting it in position. vVe could hear them moving all night. About 3 o'clock on the morning of the 12th we could hear them getting up as close to Johnson's line in the toe a5 they could. Gordon and Evans had their lines up and in perfect readiness. One of the heaviest fogs I ever saw had risen. It was so dense we could not see a man thirty feet fro111 us, even after the sun had risen. About 4 o'clock we heard Hancock's men start to advance , and we expected to hear the battle open and did hear some of Johnson's pickets fire; but I suppose they fell back to their line of battle, and found very nearly all of the men asleep, for Hancock's men ran up and 151 found them in that condition. A few guns were fired. We heard the Union men cheer with their huzzas, and we knew Johnson's men were prisoners. Hancock captured General Johnson and two thousand and eight hundred of his men. Hancock captured Johnson's men from a little to the left of the toe of the shoe, and down to the right of our line to some distance past where we were connected with the shoe line, which was the front line. This gave some of Johnson's and Gordon's men a...