Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1920 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XXXI The battle of Cold Harbor was fought on the 1st and 3d of June, and the news came that my regiment, having joined the Second Corps there, was hotly engaged. It carried the works in its front and was driven out by the attack of the enemy in front and on both flanks. The part it took here has been related to me by Colonel Hapgood and other members of it who were in the action, as follows: The regiment was in Miles's brigade of the 1st Division. It had a skirmish line in its front who were frequently firing at the enemy. The main body of the regiment lay a little less than a third of a mile east of the road leading from Old Cold Harbor south to Barker's Mill, and the shortest line to that road from its bivouac would lead to a point on the road about one sixth of a mile south of the junction of the road from New Cold Harbor to it. The regiment was ordered to carry the rebel works in front of it. It moved forward in line with one or more of the other regiments of the brigade on its left (which was the extreme left of the line, I think) and some other troops on its right. It had the cover of irregularities in the ground a little more than half the way, say, about one quarter of a mile, and then from just over the road to the rebel works, about one sixth of a mile, was entirely uncovered, and while passing over this ground received the furious fire of musketry and artillery point-blank. The colonel had ordered the rifles to be carried at a "right shoulder shift" and no shots to be fired until the works were taken. The regiment numbered about five hundred, and in fine order the line charged forward without delivering a shot, and, with a loss of about fifty men, carried the works in its front. A, large number of prisoners were taken...