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On the night of December 12th the regiment marched to the vicinity of Hamilton’s Crossing, south of Fredericksburg. December 13th was cold, foggy and with light snow on the ground. The brigade, commanded by James Walker as Jubal Early was commanding the Division (Ewell’s), was placed in the second line, supporting A. P. Hill’s Division. This sector was the right of the Confederate line and it was assaulted in the morning. Around noon a Union Division (that of Major General George Meade) penetrated the first line and made a big gap in the Confederate line. They were threatening to trap one of A. P. Hill’s brigades and capture Hill’s divisional artillery.
The Official Records O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME XXI [S# 31] DECEMBER 11-15, 1862.--Battle of Fredericksburg, Va. HEADQUARTERS EWELL'S DIVISION, CAPTAIN: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of this division in the action of the 13th instant, near Fredericksburg: Having, in obedience to orders from the lieutenant-general commanding the Second Corps, marched the division, on the night of the 12th instant, to the vicinity of Hamilton's Crossing, on the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, and bivouacked for the night, early next morning, in accordance with like orders, I moved to the crossing, and posted the division nearly at right angles with the railroad, along the dirt road which here crosses the railroad, with my right resting on the latter, so as to support the right of Maj. Gen. A. P. Hill's division, which occupied the front line. Hays' brigade was placed on the right, with Trimble's brigade, under command of Col. R. F. Hoke, of the Twenty-first North Carolina Regiment, immediately in rear of it. To the left of Hays was Lawton's brigade, under command of Col. E. N. Atkin-son, of the Twenty-sixth Georgia Regiment, and to the left of the latter was my own brigade, under command of Col. J. A. Walker, of the Thirteenth Virginia Regiment. The batteries of the division, under charge of Capt. J. W. Latimer, who was detailed to act as chief of artillery for the occasion, in consequence of Capt. William D. Brown who was previously acting in that capacity, having been disabled by an accident, were directed to be parked under cover in the rear until wanted. As the division moved into position, the artillery fire commenced from the enemy's batteries, though not at first directed toward the place occupied by the division. After a short interval, however, shell began to fall in the vicinity, and for two or three hours the division was exposed to quite a severe cannonade, and suffered to some extent from the shells and other missiles which passed through the woods in front. About, or a little after noon, the infantry fire having commenced in front, and becoming quite animated, a messenger from Brigadier-General [J. J.] Archer, of General A. P. Hill's division, came to the rear, stating that General Archer was pressed, and wished re-enforcements. Just at this moment I received an order from the lieutenant-general commanding the corps, through one of his staff officers, to hold my division in readiness to move to the right of the railroad, as the enemy was making a demonstration in that direction. This caused me to hesitate a moment about sending a brigade forward, but I directed Colonel Atkinson to get ready to advance with his brigade, and the order had hardly been given before an officer of artillery came galloping to the rear with the information that an interval (an awful gulf, as he designated it) had been left in our front line, on the left of General Archer's brigade, through which the enemy were penetrating with a heavy column, thus endangering Archer's brigade and all our batteries on the right. I immediately ordered Colonel Atkinson to move forward with his brigade (Lawton's), as I was informed the interval was in front of it. This order was promptly complied with, and the brigade, with the exception of one regiment (the Thirteenth Georgia), moved forward in fine style and in a few minutes encountered the enemy in the woods on the hill, immediately in rear of a point at which the railroad passes through a small neck of swampy woods, which position he had reached almost without opposition, thus greatly endangering our right, as in a few minutes Archer's and Field's brigades, with our batteries on the right, would have been surrounded, and the enemy have obtained a lodgment from which it would have been difficult to drive him. Lawton's brigade, without hesitating, at once dashed upon the enemy with the cheering peculiar to the Confederate soldier, and which is never mistaken for the studied hurrahs of the Yankees, and drove the column opposed to it down the hill, across the railroad, and out into the open plain, advancing so far and with such ardor as to cause one of the enemy's batteries to be abandoned. This brigade, however, was compelled to fall back from this point by the approach of a large column on its right flank, which proved to be Birney's division of Stoneman's corps and Hooker's grand division. In a very few moments after ordering the advance of Lawton's brigade, I also ordered Colonel Walker forward with my own brigade, as I was informed Lawton's brigade would not cover the interval in the line. This order was executed in double quick time, and Walker encountered the enemy in the woods to the left of the place at which Lawton's brigade encountered one column, another having turned General Lane's right flank, and his brigade having given way in consequence. This column was quickly driven out of the woods by Walker across the railroad and into the plain beyond; but perceiving still another column crossing the railroad to his left and entering the woods, he withdrew the brigade back to the railroad and took position on it, detaching at the same time the Thirteenth Virginia Regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel [J. B.] Terrill, to attack the last-named column of the enemy. About the same time General Thomas, of General A. P. Hill's division, with his brigade, attacked this column in front, and under the two fires it was driven back with considerable slaughter. As soon as Lawton's and my own brigades were ordered forward, I directed Colonel Hoke to move with his brigade (Trimble's) to the left of Hays', on the same line; but he had hardly got into position before I received information that Archer's brigade was giving way, and I ordered Hoke to advance to his support, oblique to the right. This was done in gallant style, and Hoke found the enemy in possession of the trench (which had been occupied by General Archer's brigade) on the crest of the hill and in the woods in rear of it. Hoke attacked the enemy vigorously, and drove him from the woods and trench to the railroad in front, in which there were reserves. He followed up his attack, and drove the enemy from the railroad, which was a strong position, some distance in front, capturing a considerable number of prisoners and afterward securing several hundred stand of arms. He advanced his brigade to a fence some distance in front of the railroad, but perceiving his danger of being flanked by the enemy, who had brought up large, fresh columns, I sent an order to him to fall back to the original line, which order, however, he anticipated by retiring in good order, leaving two regiments and a battalion in the railroad, and occupying the trench on the crest of the hill with the two other regiments and the Thirteenth Georgia Regiment, which latter, having failed to accompany its brigade on account of a misapprehension of its colonel, had been ordered forward with Hoke's brigade, and got up in time to occupy the trench, but not to participate in the charge. Just as I had ordered Colonel Hoke forward, I received a message from Lieutenant-General Jackson to advance to the front with the whole division, and I thereupon ordered General Hays to advance in rear of Colonel Hoke with his brigade, which movement was promptly executed, the enemy, who had discontinued his artillery fire while his infantry was advancing on the hill, having reopened his batteries, so that this brigade was exposed to a galling fire while advancing. This brigade did not engage in the infantry fight, because by the time it reached the front line the enemy had been effectually repulsed. The movements of the three brigades which were engaged are necessarily described separately, because they engaged three separate bodies of the enemy. They were, however, moved forward in rapid succession in the order stated, and were, in fact, all engaged at the same time, though commencing their several engagements at different times in the same order in which they advanced. The railroad makes a circle in passing from the right of our position around to the left, so that Lawton's brigade in passing to the front with Walker's and Hoke's, respectively, on the left and right of it, was thrown into the apex of an angle, and having the start of them both, it was necessarily thrown farther forward than either of the others when it crossed the railroad and advanced into the plain. This exposed its flanks, and hence it was that this brigade was compelled to fall back as before stated, which, however, it did not do until its commander, Colonel [E. N.] Atkinson, and Capt. E. P. Lawton, the assistant adjutant-general, were both disabled by wounds and its ammunition was almost entirely exhausted. Seeing this brigade falling back, I halted it on the hill in the woods immediately in rear of the place at which it had first met the enemy, and caused it to be reformed under the command of Col. C. A. Evans, of the Thirty-first Georgia Regiment; and fearing that the enemy might follow through the same interval with a fresh column, I sent to General D. H. Hill for re-enforcements, and he sent two brigades forward. Before, however, they arrived, Brigadier-General [E. F.] Paxton, of General [W. B.] Taliaferro's division, had filled the interval left open by the falling back of this brigade by promptly moving his own brigade into it. I then sent Lawton's brigade to the rear to replenish its ammunition. Being posted at first in the second line, I did not have any immediate use for the batteries of the division, and therefore, after placing them under the charge of Captain Latimer, as stated, I requested Colonel Crutchfield, chief of artillery for the corps, to make such use of them as the emergencies of the day might require. In a short time he detached two batteries to a position on the left of General [A. P.] Hill's line; these were Captain Latimer:s own battery and Captain [William D.] Brown's battery, both being under charge of Captain Latimer, who accompanied them. These batteries did not operate in my view, but I am informed that they did excellent service, Captain Latimer having repulsed the enemy with canister after a regiment of infantry sent to support him had retired. Captain D'Aquin's and Captain Garber's batteries were also detached to the right of the railroad, and placed under charge of General Stuart's chief of artillery, Major Pelham, and likewise did excellent service, as I am informed. Late in the evening, Captain [J. McD.] Carrington, with his battery, relieved the two which had been sent to the left under Captain Latimer, and next morning did good service. On the next day, Captain [W. F.] Dement, with his battery, was placed in position on the hill on the right occupied by the batteries the day before, but did not become engaged. About sundown on the 13th, I saw General D. H. Hill's division moving to the front, and was informed by one of his brigadier-generals that the whole line was ordered to advance, and that his division was ordered to follow. This was the first intimation I had of it, as no such order had been given me. In a few moments, however, Lieutenant [J. G.] Morrison, aide-de-camp, rode up and informed me that General Jackson's orders were that I should hold myself in readiness to advance, an immediately afterward one of my own staff officers rode up and stated that General Jackson wished me to take command of the whole troops on the right and advance, regulating the distance by the effect produced on the enemy by our artillery. This was rather embarrassing to me, as my brigades had become separated in the positions assumed by them after repulsing the enemy, and a part of the troops on the right consisted of parts of two brigades of Maj. Gen. A. P. Hill's division. I rode immediately to where Colonel Hoke was posted, and met General Jackson himself, from whom I received the order in person to advance, supporting the artillery which he was about sending forward. I gave the order to Colonel Hoke and General Hays accordingly, and some pieces of artillery having been advanced a short distance to the front, Colonel Hoke advanced with a part of his command to the railroad, a portion being already there. The enemy immediately opened a terrible artillery fire, and it becoming quite dark, our own artillery was withdrawn and the movement countermanded. In a short time afterward I received notice from General Jackson, through one of my staff officers, that as soon as General A. P. Hill's troops took position in front I would move my own back and make them comfortable, getting provisions for them. No troops, however, of General Hill came to relieve me, and Walker, Hoke, and Hays, with their brigades, remained during the night in the same positions in which they, were at the close of the fight…………..
……….The failure to mention other officers is not intended to exclude them from the commendation bestowed on those mentioned, but it is impracticable to mention all that are deserving of praise. I feel it incumbent on me to state that to Brigadier-General Archer, of General A. P. Hill's division, is due the credit of having held the enemy in check with a small portion of his men, after his flank and rear had been gained, until reinforcements arrived, and that with what of his brigade was left he accompanied Colonel Hoke in his charge across the railroad. But for the gallant stand made by General Archer the enemy would have gained an advantage which it would have required a greater sacrifice of life to wrest from him than was made. The reports of brigade commanders and also of Captain Latimer, acting chief of artillery, are herewith submitted. A list of killed, wounded, and missing has been heretofore forwarded, from which it will be seen that the total killed was 102; wounded, 726; missing, 105. Most of the wounded are but slightly injured, and about 50 of the missing, being entirely from Lawton's brigade, fell into the hands of the enemy, the greater part being, in all probability, wounded. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. A. EARLY, Brigadier General, Capt. A. S. PENDLETON, Asst. Adjt. Gen., Second Corps, Army of Northern Virginia.
O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME XXI [S# 31] DECEMBER 11-15, 1862.--Battle of Fredericksburg, Va. HEADQUARTERS EARLY'S BRIGADE, I have the honor to report the operations of Early's brigade in the battle near Fredericksburg, on the 13th instant. We were placed in position by General Early, commanding division, in the second line of battle, supporting A. P. Hill's division. The action had not continued over half an hour before I received an order from General Early (through Major [J.P.] Wilson, volunteer aide) to advance at double-quick, as the enemy had cut their way through the first line and were advancing. I put the brigade in motion and met the enemy about the middle of the woods, but they fell back as we came up, and we continued to press them closely, driving them across the railroad and following them some distance beyond into the open field. When we reached the railroad there was no support on our left, and a large column of Federal infantry were moving across the railroad about 400 yards to our left and entering the woods. Fearing to advance farther to our front, I drew my command back to the railroad and held that position, after detailing Lieutenant-Colonel [James B.] Terrill, with the Thirteenth Virginia, to deploy his regiment on our left flank, and directing him to advance under cover of the timber, to engage the enemy's columns on our left upon the flank. This was done promptly, and Thomas' brigade, of A. P. Hill's division, engaging them in front about the same time, they fell back in good order, but scarcely firing a gun in their retreat. The two fires told severely upon them, as the large number of dead and wounded left on that part of the field clearly showed. After this column of the enemy fell back, there was for some time no body of their troops in sight; but not deeming it prudent to give up the advantages of our position by advancing in pursuit over the open plain, I continued to hold the railroad for the remainder of the evening without any molestation from the enemy further than by forming a fresh line of troops in sight, but out of our range, and throwing out skirmishers, who kept up a straggling fire until night. After dark, I left pickets on the railroad, and withdrew my command back into the woods about 150 yards, and bivouacked for the night. Early the next morning we were relieved by [Brig. Gen. E. F.] Paxton's brigade and joined the division. Our loss was 157 in killed and wounded. I cannot close without expressing my admiration for the manner in which this brigade performed its duty, and the gallantry and bravery exhibited by both officers and men. I had no trouble in getting them to fight, but a good deal to get them to stop, when, in my opinion, it was imprudent to go farther. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, J. A. WALKER, Colonel, Maj. S. HALE, Acting Assistant. Adjutant-General.
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