It took Mahone’s Brigade, above eight hundred men, to walk at least five hundred yards down this covered way and gulch, one by one, occasionally interrupted by wounded men going to the rear, at least twenty minutes.  At a very low estimate it took them half an hour to form in the ravine, to listen to two short speeches, and the parley between Weisinger and Girardey.  With the most liberal allowance this will bring the charge at 9.15 A.M., but it took more time than that.

Captain Whitner investigated the time of the charge in less than a month after the battle.  I extract the following, page 795, 40th “War of Rebellion:”  “There is a great diversity of opinion as to the time the first charge was made by General Mahone * * * But one officer of the division spoke with certainty, Colonel McMaster, Seventeenth South Carolina Volunteers.  His written statement is enclosed.”  Unluckily the paper was “not found.”  But there is no doubt I repeatedly said it was about ten o’clock A.M.

General Mahone took no note of the time, but says:  “According to the records the charge must have been before nine o’clock.  General Burnside in his report fixes the time of the charge and recapture of our works at 8.45 A.M.” 40th “War of Rebellion,” page 528.  He is badly mistaken.  General Burnside says:  “The enemy regained a portion of his line on the right.  This was about 8.45 A.M., but not all the colored troops retired.  Some held pits from behind which they had advanced severely checking the enemy until they were nearly all killed.”

[Illustration:  James Evans, Major and Surgeon, 3d S.C.  Regiment.]

[Illustration:  Capt.  D.A.  Dickert, Co.  H, 3d S.C.  Regiment. (Age 15 years when he first entered service.)]

[Illustration:  Capt.  L.P.  Foster, Co.  K, 3d S.C.  Regiment.]

[Illustration:  J.E.  Tuesdale, Co.  G, 2d S.C.  Regiment.]

“At 9.15 I received, with regret, a peremptory order from the General commanding to withdraw my troops from the enemy’s lines.”

Now this battle indicated as at 8:45 was a continuation, of the one that many officers said was about half-past eight o’clock.  And both Mahone and Mr. Bernard were mistaken in stating that the great firing and retreat of soldiers was the result of the Virginian’s charge, whereas at this time Mahone’s Brigade was at the Jerusalem plank road.  Moreover, when Mahone did come up his eight hundred men could not create one-fourth of the reverberation of the Seventeenth Regiment, Ransom’s Brigade, and the thousands of the enemy.  Besides Mahone’s men’s fighting was confined to the ditches, and they used mostly the butts and bayonets instead of the barrels of their muskets.  No it was the fire of Elliott’s men, Ransom’s men, the torrent of shells of Wright’s Battery and the enemy, Ord’s men, and the four thousand negroes, all of them in an area of one hundred yards.  The part of the line spoken of by Generals Delavan Bates and Turner and others as the Confederate line were mere rifle pits which the Confederates held until they had perfected the main line, and then gave up the pits.  They were in the hollow, where the branch passes through to the breastworks.