learned, to my sorrow, that they had fallen into hands which were not entitled to them.  Suffice it to say that few, if any of them, could be found.  After perfect quiet had been restored, and we were thus robbed of these significant trophies of our triumph at which we felt quite a keen disappointment, it is pleasing to me to say that I think that every man of our regiment who was present acted his part nobly in the performance of the hazardous duty assigned us on that memorable occasion.  You gave me the order to make the final charge already referred to.”

* * * * *

THE ARTILLERY.

The Confederates only had twenty-six cannon, and only three of them were conspicuous.  The Federals had one hundred and sixty-four cannon and mortars.  They fired five thousand and seventy-five rounds.  They had only one man killed and two wounded.

General Hunt and others spoke slightingly of our guns, with two exceptions, Wright’s Battery and Davenport’s, which is mentioned as the two-gun battery.  General Hunt the day before had accurately prepared to silence all these guns, except the Davenport Battery.  General Hunt said he expected a company of infantry would take us in fifteen minutes after Pegram’s Battery was gone.  But the Wright Battery was a complete surprise.  It was constructed just behind Ransom’s Brigade, about one hundred yards.  General Hunt never could locate the place, and shot at short range above five hundred shells doing no damage, but honeycombing the surrounding ground.

Wright’s Battery was in five hundred yards of the “Crater,” and Colonel Coit informed me he shot about six hundred rounds of shell and shrapnel at short range.

In my opinion it did more damage than all our guns put together.  Its concealed location gave it a great advantage overall other guns.

Davidson’s Battery had only one gun, which only could shoot in one line.  But it created more anxiety amongst the enemy than any other.  The infantry officers constantly alluded to its destructive power, and they dug a trench to guard against its fire.  Major Hampton Gibbes commanded it until he was wounded, and then Captain D.N.  Walker for the rest of the day did his duty nobly, and no doubt killed many Federals.  General Warren was ordered to capture this gun about 8.30, but at 8.45 he was ordered to do nothing “but reconnoitre.”  This was before Mahone came up.

The most interesting of our guns were the two coehorns of Major John C. Haskell, because all of his shells were emptied into the “Crater,” which was packed with men.  General Mahone says:  “In the meantime Colonel Haskell, a brilliant officer of our artillery, hunting a place where he could strike a blow at our adversary, presented himself for any service which I could advise.  There were two coehorn mortars in the depression already referred to, and I suggested to him that he could serve them.