Colonel William Wallace, of the Second, in speaking of this affair, says: 

“Our brigade, under the command of the lamented Colonel Keitt, was sent out to reconnoitre, and came upon the enemy in large force, strongly entrenched.  Keitt was killed, and the brigade suffered severely.  A few skirmishers thrown out would have accomplished the object of a reconnoissance, and would have saved the loss of many brave men.  Our troops finding the enemy entrenched, fell back and began to fortify.  Soon our line was established, and the usual skirmishing and sharpshooting commenced.  That same evening, being on the extreme left of Kershaw’s Division, I received orders to hasten with the Second Regiment to General Kershaw’s headquarters.  I found the General in a good deal of excitement.  He informed me that our lines had been broken on the right of his division, and directed me to hasten there, and if I found a regiment of the enemy flanking his position, to charge them.  I hurried to the point indicated, found that our troops to the extent of a brigade and a half had been, driven from their works, and the enemy in possession of them.  I determined to charge, however, and succeeded in driving them from their position, with but little loss.  Our regiment numbered one hundred and twenty-seven men.  The enemy driven out consisted of the Forty-eighth and One Hundred and Twelfth New York.  We captured the colors of the Forty-eighth, took some prisoners, and killed many while making their escape from the trenches.  We lost in this charge one of our most efficient officers, Captain Ralph Elliott, a brother of General Stephen Elliott.  He was a brave soldier and a most estimable gentleman.”

Our lines were formed at right angles to that on which we had fought that day, and the soldiers were ordered to fortify.  The Second and Third on the left were on an incline leading to a ravine in front of a thicket; the Fifteenth and Twentieth, on the right of the Third, were on the brow of a plateau; in front was the broad old field, through which we had marched to the first advance; the Third Battalion, Eighth, and Seventh, on extreme right, were on the plateau and fronted by a thicket of tall pines.

As nearly all regimental commanders had been killed since the 6th of May, I will give them as they existed on the 1st of June, three weeks later: 

    Second—­Major Wm. Wallace. 
    Third—­Lieutenant Colonel W.D.  Rutherford. 
    Seventh—­Captain James Mitchel. 
    Eighth—­Major E.S.  Stackhouse. 
    Twentieth—­Lieutenant Colonel S.M.  Boykin. 
    Third Battalion—­Captain Whitener. 
    Brigade Commander—­Colonel James Henagan.