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35]
Colonel Grigsby rallied the men of the front line at the edge of the woods, where they resisted a while longer, those on the left shooting from a ledge of rocks and some straw stacks in rear of a farmhouse.
But increasing numbers forced them from this position and all of the men that could be rallied withdrew across a small stream and took position about half-way up the hill beyond, in front of another farmhouse—Hauser's, I think it must have been—where they stayed.
The enemy came into the woods and even to the ledge of rocks and straw stacks above mentioned, but did not venture across the little stream.
About this time there was a lull in the fighting on this part of the field, thus characterized by
Colonel Allan (page 396): ‘A comparative lull now succeeded the furious storm of the morning, while the exhausted troops of both sides awaited the arrival of approaching reinforcements.’
Meanwhile
General Early's brigade had been withdrawn from the support of the cavalry, which had been formed on a hill to the extreme left-front of the infantry, and
General McLaws' Division had reached the field on the extreme right.
Soon two of his brigades,
Semmes' and
Barksdale's, with
G. T. Anderson's, of
D. R. Jones' Division, were seen marching by the flank in our front and in speaking distance—for some of us hailed them and inquired what troops they were—and as soon as they had cleared our line they faced to the right, were joined by
Grigsby's remnants and by
General Early, who commanded his division after
General Lawton was wounded, and the enemy was driven out of the woods on that part of the field and across the
Hagerstown turnpike.
I judge from accounts of the battle that these men were
Sedgwick's Division, both
Hooker's and
Mansfield's attacks having been repulsed, but I do not pretend to know who the
Federal troops were, as I am merely giving personal reminiscences of what took place under my own eye.
