Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 16.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

[406] him time to reach the entrenchments then occupied by General Hagood. At the time appointed the advance was ordered, and immediately my second line followed. The first line gallantly entered the entrenchments of the enemy and did their duty nobly, and (as was witnessed by General Lee himself) succeeded not only in breaking the enemy, but drove them from their works. It was never expected that the entrenchments of the enemy could be held by these two lines of skirmishers, but that they should occupy them till the line of battle should come up. I asked Major-General Fields, who was on the ground, to order General Anderson forward, as a moment's delay would be fatal. He immediately sent the order, which had been previously sent, to General Anderson to go forward. It is proper here to state that this was my third effort to get General Anderson forward after my first notice to him that ‘in fifteen minutes I would certainly move forward.’ Some time after General Fields's second order was sent to General Anderson, he received a note from him saying that the entrenchments were still occupied by General Hagood's troops. In this he was greatly mistaken, as will be seen by General Hagood's report; and, if necessary to prove this mistake, Colonel DuBose, commanding Benning's brigade, will corroborate the fact that the entrenchments were then free of troops, except some stragglers, of whom I am sure no command is exempt. Colonel DuBose had by this time moved up in line of battle on the right of General Anderson's position, and after reaching the trenches moved by a left flank down them, and occupied the point in them which Anderson was to have taken. After some time (I suppose an hour) General Fields put another brigade in the trenches on the left of the City Point road with a view to attack, and seemed anxious to do so; but I advised against it, as the enemy had had time and had made all preparation for us, and I felt assured he would sustain a heavy loss and accomplish nothing. At this time orders were received from General Lee for me to report to him in company with General Fields; and, hearing the condition of affairs, he directed the attack abandoned.

I was much troubled at the loss of my men, who did their duty truly and well, without results which to me appeared certain and surely ought to have been reaped. It is not my desire to place blame or responsibility upon others; I fear neither. In making the foregoing statements I merely give facts to the best of my knowledge, and the commanding general can draw his own conclusions. I have unofficially heard that both I and my command were censured by