Company A was in an open ground covered with, dewberry vines, and the berries were ripe.  We ate dewberries and loaded and fired.  I never saw so many dewberries or any so good.  Bullets whizzed over us and amongst us, but the men ate berries.  I had on a white straw hat that I had swapped for with one of the men; where he had got it, I don’t know.  My hat was a target.  I took it off.

The enemy continued to extend his line beyond our right.  From the division below, the first regiment was sent back to help us.  The regiment deployed on our right and began firing.  The enemy still increased, and other regiments were sent back to us, until we had a skirmish-line more than a mile long, and had a reserve force ready to strengthen any weak part of the line.

The Federals broke through our line at the left, but the line was reestablished.  They got around our right and a few of them got into our rear.  One of them rode up to Peagler of Company H, an unarmed infirmary man; he brandished his sword and ordered Peagler to surrender.  Peagler picked up a fence-rail and struck the rider from his horse.

Company H of the First, only about fifteen men, were in a house, firing from the windows.  Suddenly they saw the enemy on both their flanks and rapidly gaining their rear.  A rush was made from the house, and the company barely escaped, losing a few men wounded, who, however, got away.

General Pettigrew was killed.  The fight kept growing.  It had already lasted three hours and threatened to continue.

At length, we were forced back by the constantly increasing numbers of the Federals.  As we readied the top of the hill again, we could see that the bridge was clear.  All the wagons and troops were on the south side of the river.  On the bridge were only a few straggling men running across.

And now came our turn.  We retreated down the hill.  At once its crest was occupied by the Federal skirmishers, and at once they began busily to pop away at us.  I ran along, holding my white hat in my hand.

We reached lower ground, and our batteries in Virginia began to throw shells over our heads to keep back the enemy.  The battalion flanked to the right, struck the bridge, and rushed headlong across, with Yankee bullets splashing the water to the right and left; meanwhile our batteries continued to throw shells over our heads, and Federal guns, now unlimbered on the Maryland side, were answering with spirit.

XXXV

AWAKENINGS

                             “’Tis far off;
     And rather like a dream than an assurance
     That my remembrance warrants.”—­SHAKESPEARE.

With the passage of the sharp-shooters into Virginia at Falling Waters, the campaign was at an end.  The pontoon bridge was cut.  We marched a mile from the river and halted; it was five o’clock.  At night we received two days’ rations; I ate mine at one meal.