Among the other casualties incident to the second advance I regret to say that some of the best officers of the brigade were killed. Col. R. T. Jones, of the Twelfth Alabama, the most accomplished officer in the brigade; Lieutenant-Colonel Willingham and Major Nesmith, of the Sixth Alabama, and Capt. C. C. Otey, of the Heavy Artillery Battalion, who had been conspicuous for their gallantry and efficiency, fell while pushing forward with their men into the thickest of the fight.
As a matter of duty and with pride and pleasure I bear testimony to the gallantry and steadiness of the whole brigade. Nowhere during the war has their conduct been excelled in any particular whereof a soldier might be proud to boast. The conduct of the King William Artillery has nowhere in the history of the war been equaled(*) for daring, coolness, or efficiency.
It is of course impossible for me to have noticed all those individuals who among so many brave men especially distinguished themselves, but it is my duty to mention the names of some who attracted my attention and to recommend those of them who are still living as worthy to receive the badge of honor alluded to in General Orders, No. 11, Longstreet’s division, May 23, 1862.
Among the living whose gallantry and coolness entitle them to distinction I beg to mention Col. J. B. Gordon, Sixth Alabama; Col. C. C. Pegues, Fifth Alabama; Col. W. H. Taylor, Twelfth Mississippi; Maj. E. L. Hobson, Fifth Alabama; Maj. S. B. Pickens, Twelfth Alabama; Capt. T. H. Carter, King William Artillery; Captains Bagby and White and Lieutenant Yeatman, of the Heavy Artillery Battalion; Capt. A.M. Gordon, Sixth Alabama; Capt. Extort Tucker, Twelfth Alabama; Private Johnston, King William Artillery, and Sergt. Robert Hall, Twelfth Mississippi Regiment.
