40 HENRY HILL GOODELL 



thrown out as skirmishers on the right of the road; the 

 left was protected by the Bayou. We advanced for about 

 two miles through cane-fields without meeting anything, 

 till at 6.30 we entered the main plantation, the mill on our 

 extreme left close to the road, while on our right were 

 thick woods. Here we first encountered a dropping fire, and 

 our line of skirmishers gradually swung round till finally 

 they occupied the place marked C C. But for an hour, 

 till reinforced, our line extended also over the space occu- 

 pied by the 26th Maine. As we swung into position, we sud- 

 denly heard the cry, 'Attention Battalion, take aim, fire!' 

 and immediately the woods seemed to spring into life, while 

 a perfect storm of canister, grape and minie balls was 

 rained down upon our ranks. 



" Taking advantage of every little ridge and furrow, we 

 slowly advanced, loading and firing, while our artillery en- 

 gaged the rebel battery. Here we were in an open field for 

 an hour and a half, seen but not seeing, for the rebs were 

 concealed in the woods and did not needlessly expose them- 

 selves, so the most of the time we could only aim and fire 

 at the flash and the smoke. The men now began to be 

 carried out pretty rapidly. About 7.30, the 26th Maine 

 came up on our left, while the 13th crossed the road and 

 tried to capture the reb battery. About 8 o'clock suddenly 

 there was a terrific yell and 1100 men rushed in on our flank 

 and commenced peppering us well. I have heard men speak 

 of a hail-storm of bullets; but I never imagined it before. 

 We were between two fires and the way the balls whisked 

 and zipped among the cane-stalks and ploughed up the 

 ground around us was truly astonishing. In less than ten 

 minutes two thirds of all the loss we experienced on that 



