Mounted officers.
General Pickett ordered his staff-officers, four in number (
Major Charles Pickett,
Captain Baird,
Captain Symington and myself), to
Generals Armistead,
Garnett and
Kemper, and to
Dearing's Artillery Battalion, which earlier in the day had been ordered to follow up the charge and keep its caissons full.
Orders to the other staff officers I did not hear.
But I was sent to
General Kemper with this order:
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‘You and your staff and field officers to go in dismounted; dress on
Garnett and take the red barn for your objective point.’
During the charge I found
Kemper and
Garnett apparently drifting too much to the left, and I believe it was because the red barn was too much to
Kemper's left.
General Pickett would have altered the direction, but our left being exposed by the retreat of
Pettigrew's command, our men and 10,000 more were needed to the left.
When I reached
General Kemper, he stood up, removing a handkerchief from under his hat, with which he had covered his face to keep the gravel knocked up by the fierce artillery fire from his eyes.
As I gave the order,
Robert McCandlish Jones, a friend and schoolmate of mine, called out: ‘Bob, turn us loose and we will take them.’
Then
Colonel Lewis Williams, of the 1st Virginia Regiment, came to me and said: ‘
Captain Bright, I wish to ride my mare up,’ and I answered: ‘
Colonel Williams, you cannot do it. Have you not just heard me give the order to your general to go up on foot?’
and he said: ‘But you will let me ride; I am sick to-day, and besides that, remember
Williamsburg.’
Now
Williamsburg was my home and I remembered that
Colonel Williams had been shot through the shoulder in that battle and left at
Mrs. Judge Tucker's house on the courthouse green.
This I had heard, for I missed that fight, so I answered: ‘Mount your mare and I will make an excuse for you.’
General Garnett had been injured by a kick while passing through the wagon train at night, had been allowed to ride;
Colonel Hunton of the same brigade also rode, being unable to walk.
He fell on one side of the red barn and
General Kemper on the other side.
So there were eight mounted officers, counting
General Pickett and staff, mounted in the charge.
Colonel Williams fell earlier in the fight.
His mare went up rideless almost to the stone wall and was caught when walking back by
Captain William C. Marshall, of
Dearing's Battalion.
His own horse,
Lee, having been killed, he rode
Colonel Williams' mare away after the fight.
When I returned to
General Pickett from giving the order to
General Kemper,
Symington,
Baird and
Charles Pickett were with the
General, they having less distance to carry their orders than I, as
Kemper was on our right, and
Armistead not in first line, but in echelon.
