My War Record

My War Record

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by 6. W. F. Houser

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Part III

Monday, the first day of July ’$2, we were in the battle of Erasure's Farm. At night we took possession of a house, the family having left on account of the battle. We calculated to have a good night’s rest. Col. Hunton and Major Berkeley had gone to bed and r<< was getting ready to get th bed when an order came from General Longstreet for

to march back about three

les. Tfe«»wk*tad to try

»t my wfcary body on as

a piece bf ploughed land aly I ever saw,-which was very different' from k. feather bed I.: hoped to have, and we had todrink out cf a muddybr anch instead of the good welld Where we expectedto stay. '"’'" Tuesday, the 2nd day of July, the last of the Seven Days Battles, the battle of Malverr Hill, was fought. We waitec for orders until nine o'clock at night, but received none. The next morning we marched by the battle field, and were very glad we had not received orders to go into the battle the day before. I saw one tree about as big as my body that sixty balls had struck. I saw whef e a shell had struck a tree about two feet in diameter. The shell went through it, then struck another tree and slabbed off about one third of it and then stuck in a bank. We now had a little rest. I had slept very little for eight nights and was very tired and sleepy Col. Hunton was very kind to me and let me sleep as much as I wanted. The latter part of August found us making demonstrations along the Rappahannock River as a part of Longstreet’s corp while Jackson was getting in the rear of the enemy at Manassas. On the 29th and 30th of August 1862 the second battle of Manassas was fought. We were not engaged the first day, but were ordered out at night and were formed in line of battle across a corn field. We could hear men talking in front of us but did not know who they were. Col.