An attack being threatened in front, as soon as the force on the left was dispersed one of Captain Carter’s pieces was, under the direction of Major-General Hill, who had just arrived, placed in such a position as to enfilade the road. At this moment, from a point 600 or 700 yards down this road and directly in front of our position, the enemy’s battery opened fire upon us with considerable effect, sweeping off almost every man from Captain Carter’s last-mentioned piece. This fire was at once replied to by Captain Carter’s four remaining pieces and by one or two pieces of the Latham Battery, which just then arrived, under Captain Dearing.
It was at this juncture that Captain Carter and his men gave a second illustration of their extraordinary coolness and courage, the first having been given in unlimbering his pieces in an open field and attacking with success the enemy’s redoubt, defended by heavier pieces than his, at the distance of 400 yards.
Finding that Confederate troops were arriving on my right and left, I ordered my brigade to move forward again, which it bravely did, though encountering a heavy fire of musketry and artillery from the enemy concealed behind a second row of abatis, woods, and fence. My two right regiments, the Sixth and Twelfth Alabama, suffered severely in this advance. The Sixth Alabama, upon moving across the field in the edge of which they had first halted and entering the woods on the opposite side, driving the enemy before them, encountered a heavy fire of musketry upon its right and front and finally upon the rear of its right wing. Under these circumstances, and finding that my right was not supported by the brigade of General Rains, which was but a short distance behind, and which having advanced somewhat extended now from a point opposite the center of the Sixth Alabama Regiment toward the right and was in sight of the Sixth Alabama Regiment, I ordered this regiment to fall back to the position it had last occupied on the edge of the field, where it was about in line with the enemy’s intrenchments, and where, though still under fire, it was somewhat protected.
I feel decidedly confident that if we had been properly supported in the last charge the brigade would have marched on with uninterrupted progress, because the enemy invariably yielded to a direct advance, and the Inert and officers of this brigade everywhere exhibited great courage and an earnest desire to close with him.
