Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 23.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

The next day we continued the pursuit of Butler's army, and assisted in his ‘bottling up’ at Bermuda Hundreds. Several brisk skirmishes and picket fights were had there until the lines were established, but none were of serious importance. In a picket charge on the night of June 1st, Captain George L. Phifer, of Company K, was wounded. Companies C, F and K were those from the Forty-ninth on the picket, and sustained a loss of three killed and seventeen wounded.

On June 4th we crossed the James at Drewry's Bluff, and confronted the enemy on the Chickahominy, at the York River Railroad bridge, and strengthened the fortifications there. On the 10th we were relieved by Kirkland's North Carolina Brigade, and returned by a forced march to the south side, and thence to Petersburg, to meet Grant's advance across the James. From this time on Ransom's Brigade became a part of Bushrod Johnson's Division. After marching all night of the 15th we reached Petersburg about 8 o'clock on the morning of the 16th, and were hurried to our fortifications on Avery's farm. At a run we succeeded in getting to the works before the enemy reached them. Through a storm of shot and shell we gained them, just in time to meet their charge and drive them back. In the afternoon we were hurried to Swift Creek, and with the Fifty-sixth North Carolina, under Major John W. Graham and Gracie's Brigade, drove back the Federal cavalry, which had attempted to cut our communications with Richmond, and enter Petersburg from that direction. We were then marched along the Richmond pike until about midnight, when we opened communication with the head of Longstreet's Corps. By the first light next morning we were hurried by train back to Petersburg, where, early in the morning, the enemy had captured a considerable part of Bushrod Johnson's old Brigade and several pieces of artillery. Hastily we three up a line of rifle pits; and now commenced Beauregard's magnificent grapple with Grant's army until Longstreet's command could reach us. With scarcely more than 5,000 men and eighteen pieces of field artillery, Beauregard kept in check Grant's army, coming up from City Point, all the day and night of June 17th, until sunrise of the 18th, when Longstreet came over the hill at Blandford cemetery on our right. When flanked on our right, we would fall back to meet the flank attack, repulse it, and then, being massed, Beauregard would hurl his shattered but compact