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1864 Overland Campaign Battle Report: Harris's Report

No. 294. --Report of Brig. Gen. Nathaniel H. Harris, C. S. Army, commanding brigade, of operations May 12-13.
HEADQUARTERS BRIGADE,

Petersburg, Va., December 5, 1864.

MAJOR: Your note of the 30th ultimo relative to the request made by me for an acknowledgment from General Ewell of the services of my command on May 12 last, and asking a report in detail of the operations of my brigade on that day, and also of such other commands of General Ewell's corps as came under my observation, has been received. The following copy of my official report of that day's operations will be the best means of complying with your request:

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On the morning of May 12 I received orders to move by the right flank and at a double-quick across the Po River in the direction of Spotsylvania Court-House. Halting near the Court-House for a few minutes, orders were received from General Lee, through Lieutenant-Colonel Venable, of his staff, to move by the flank on a road leading in the direction of the works lost by the division of General Edward Johnson. The command was soon under a most galling fire of grape and canister from the enemy's batteries, through which the men moved at a double-quick, displaying that coolness and steadiness under fire indicative of the veteran soldier. Arriving near the lost works, Major-General Rodes informed me that my command was expected to form on the right of Ramseur's brigade, of his division, and recapture the works General Rodes gave me as a guide a staff officer, whose name I have been unable to ascertain, and under his guidance I moved by the right flank on a road which I afterward discovered ran at right angles with the line of works, and was soon exposed to a heavy musketry and artillery fire. At this point the >ar67_1092> staff officer before alluded to deserted me in the most shameful and disgraceful manner, and I was thus left in total ignorance of our own lines as well as those of the enemy, and was unable to discover anything through the smoke and fog. One of my couriers (A. W. Hancock} galloped after the officer, but could not overtake him. At this moment a gallant private of the Tenth Alabama Regiment, whose name I regret not to know, informed me of the position of Ramseur's right and of the enemy. Having advanced thus far by the right flank, when I should have advanced by the line of battle, with my left resting on the road mentioned, no alternative remained but to file my command rapidly to the right and try to gain sufficient distance for my left to rest on said road. Moving with this view, the two right regiments had filed out of the road and were moving by the flank parallel to the line of lost works, when the enemy discovering the movement opened a most terrific fire of musketry and artillery; and finding that I could move no farther to the right in that manner without sacrificing the larger portion of my command, I at once ordered the two right regiments to front, charge up to the works, and drive the enemy from them, which they did in the most gallant manner, capturing between 200 and 300 prisoners.

In the meanwhile, in obedience to orders, the two left regiments formed in line, and wheeling to the right pressed up to the works and joined the left of the two right regiments, a portion of the extreme left regiment overlapping Ramseur's right. The whole command afterward gained sufficient front by moving to the right, and driving the enemy from the works as they moved; but my force was not sufficient to regain the entire line, and a small portion was left in the occupancy of the enemy, from which was poured a destructive enfilade fire, and this, in connection with the repeated assaults in front, had it not been for some traverses, would have rendered the position untenable, one-third of my command being already killed or wounded. At 11 a.m. McGowan's brigade, of Wilcox's division, arrived on the field for the purpose of recovering the works on my right, but being equally as unfortunate as this command in being directed correctly as to the locality of the lines, gained no ground to the right, but halted in rear of my left and Ramseur's right. General McGowan being wounded soon after arriving on the field, and unable to find his successor in command, I could make no arrangement by which that brigade could be moved to my right and press the enemy from the works. In this state and position this command remained until 3.30 a.m. May 13, repulsing desperate and repeated efforts of the enemy to dislodge them. At 6 p.m. I received a dispatch from Lieutenant-General Ewell informing me of my position could be held till sundown all would be well.

Thus from 7 a.m. of the 12th to 3.30 a.m. of May 13 (twenty hours) my men were exposed to a constant and destructive musketry fire, both from front and flank, and during the hours of day to a heavy artillery fire, in which mortars were used by the enemy for the first time during the campaign. A cold, drenching rain fell during the greater portion of the day and night and the trenches were filled with water. Great difficulty was experienced in procuring supplies of ammunition, man after man being shot down while bringing it in; and here I cannot refrain from mentioning the gallant conduct of Courier A. W. Hancock and Private F. Dolan, of the Forty-eighth Mississippi, who repeatedly brought in ammunition under this dreadful fire. As an instance of the terrible nature of the fire, trees 22 inches in diameter were hewn to splinters and felled by the musketry.

At 2 a.m. of May 13 1 received orders from Major-General Rodes to withdraw my command and the brigade of McGowan as soon as the troops on my right and left had evacuated their positions, and at 8.80 a.m., learning that this movement had been accomplished, I withdrew in tolerable order and with small loss, and moving to Spotsylvania Court-House rejoined the division.

In this action my brigade suffered heavily, losing many of the most valuable officers, among whom the gallant Col. S. E. Baker, Lieut. Col. A.M. Feltus, Adjt. D. B L. Lowe, and Ensign Mixon, of the Sixteenth Mississippi; Col. T. J. Hardin, Adjutant Peel, of the Nineteenth Mississippi; Captains McAfee, Davis, and Reynhardt, of the Forty-eighth Mississippi; Lieutenant Bew, of the Twelfth Mississippi, and many other gallant officers and men, all fell while nobly doing their duty.

I would mention for conspicuous bravery on this field Maj. (now Col.) E. C. Councell (since killed), Capt. Harry. Smith, and Private Edward Perault, of the Sixteenth Mississippi; Lieut. Col. S. B. Thomas, of the Twelfth Mississippi, and Courier Charles Weft, the latter of whom deserves great credit for the coolness and intelligence with which he conveyed orders; but where all acted so well I am sure there were many others deserving of mention, but those named were particularly observed. For number and nature of casualties I respectfully refer to lists already forwarded.

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I saw none of General Ewell's command except Ramseur's brigade, which joined me on the left. Only a portion of the right of that brigade was engaged after the early morning, all the efforts of the enemy seeming to be directed against the position held by my command. In addition to Ramseur's brigade, of Ewell s corps, the adjutant of the Sixth Alabama Regiment with a few noble men of his regiment and brigade joined me and did heroic service. I asked his name on the field, but do not remember it. A braver or more daring officer I never saw, and, I regret to add, sealed his devotion with his life's blood.

I hope the foregoing facts may prove of some service to General Ewell. I asked of him some acknowledgment, because I believe my command bore the brunt of the fight on that eventful day, and think it due to the men.

The staff officer given me by General Rodes as a guide, and who so disgracefully fled the field, was, I am confident, not of General Rodes' staff, but of some brigade of his division.

I am, major, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

N.H. HARRIS,

Brigadier-General.

Maj. CAMPBELL BROWN,

A. and I. G., Lieutenant-General Ewell's Staff, Richmond, Va.