Friday, June 3d.
At half-past 4 A. M., after a rainy night, our artillery on the left opened fire, and the cannonading gradually extended to the right, and at about 6 o’clock became simply terrific all along the line. A charge upon the enemy’s work’s followed, made by troops of two or three of the corps at least, and it was reported that two rebel lines were carried and eighteen guns and many prisoners taken, but that being flanked by artillery our troops could not hold their position and were compelled to retire, abandoning the guns and leaving many wounded on the field. The prisoners taken and brought off were a tough looking lot, but they were better clothed, better shod and had more rations in their haversacks than any we have heretofore captured during the campaign. Our regiment was not actually in the charge, but in the afternoon we were moved up to the breast-works, which, along a part of the line, were simply a broad ridge of earth with a ditch on each side, the Union troops being on one side and the Confederates on the other, and the soldiers on neither side dared show their heads above the ridge. Immediately in the rear of the intrenchments, the earth was full of little excavations two or three feet deep, over which shelter tents were pitched so that the occupants could sleep, when opportunity offered, without danger of being hit by the bullets which often traversed the surface of the ground both day and night. These residences were called “gopher holes,” and, as might be supposed, were very popular with the soldiers no matter what their rank might be. After cutting abattis for the breast-works until dark, I was, during the night, ordered to take a detail from my company, and, with other details from our regiment, go and assist in building a redoubt for artillery on General Barlow’s front close up to the rebel lines. My instructions were most vague and unsatisfactory, and as I knew nothing about the lay of the land, I reported at once to General Barlow’s headquarters, which consisted of a wall tent with a sentry and a Division flag in front of it. I found the General curled up in the corner of his tent examining a map with a candle, but on learning that I wanted a guide he sent a staff officer with me to point out the way. I do not think this officer knew any more about the location of the lines than I did, for he lead us around in an aimless way, and at length brought us up behind a battery of artillery posted in the second line, where I halted the company to inquire of the officer in command of the battery whether he knew what was required of me. It was pitch dark, and suddenly one of those unaccountable fusillades occurred, so frequently started by somebody firing a gun on one side or the other in the night time, and the artillery on both sides promptly joined in the melee. The enemy seemed to have the range of this particular battery perfectly, and made our position so hot that I took the company away from the rear of it by the right flank at “double quick,” fortunately not losing a man except my guide, whom I never saw again. The commander of the battery had indicated to me where he thought I ought to go, which was across a ravine almost immediately in his front, and after the firing had ceased I reached the ground and with the other details built the redoubt. We had to cut the necessary logs in the ravine and carry them up the side hill, and the almost incessant musketry fire, and the sharpshooter’s fire as it grew lighter, seriously impeded the work. Occasionally there would be paroxysms of artillery firing, when we would have to suspend altogether and seek the best shelter we could find, and on one of these occasions Capt. Gould and I met in a washout or gully near by, made by some previous rainstorm in the light sandy soil, which was hardly large enough for two, and we had a good-natured argument as to which ranked the other in the right to possession. After the work was sufficiently advanced to afford some protection from the rebel fire, we were subjected to danger from our own people, for the battery in our second line of which I have spoken, opened fire two or three times on the rebel line beyond us, and sent its shot and shell screeching uncomfortably close to our heads, some of the latter exploding rather short and sending fragments and encased iron balls into our redoubt. And yet it was a beautiful sight to see the lines of fire in the darkness caused by the burning fuses of the shells when coming towards us, followed by brilliant explosions, the whole exhibition resembling very closely that made by sky-rockets at a Fourth of July celebration. During the night Gen’l Barlow visited our little fort, crawling in over the exposed ground on his hands and knees, and upon his asking how we had got in there, we answered “just as you did.”
