Edward Porter Alexander, Military memoirs of a Confederate: a critical narrative

[508] attack. Early had adopted a theory that Grant would have Burnside's 9th corps in support of the right of the 6th. In vain Gordon answered that observation showed it was not there, and in vain he appealed to Ewell, the corps commander, to verify it. Early's personality dominated Ewell's to such an extent that Ewell not only sustained him in his theory, but would neither go and see or refer the important question to Lee. And so the matter remained during all the hours and all the vicissitudes of the day, until about 5.30 P. M., when Lee, who had been occupied until then on the right, and wondered at the strange silence on his left, rode up and asked, ‘Cannot something be done on this flank to relieve the pressure on our right?’

Ewell, Early, and Gordon all happened to be present. Gordon's proposal was mentioned, and Early vigorously combated it. Lee listened in grim silence to his reasons for non-action, and answered only with direct orders to Gordon to proceed immediately to make the attack, taking one other brigade, Johnson's, to support his attack.

Strange to say, the situation had not changed. The attack took place just as the sun sank in the west. It was as immediately and brilliantly successful as Longstreet's flank attack with four brigades at eleven o'clock had been; but now darkness intervened to save Grant's army as effectually as had the bullet which disabled Longstreet. Two brigades, Seymour's and Shaler's, were completely routed, the brigadiers and several hundred men being captured. Gordon's casualties were very small and a large proportion of them were from a cross-fire of our own men upon the flanking party, as it swept down the Federal line in front of the Confederate line of battle in the twilight. Darkness, of course, soon put an end to the possibility of fighting, and the Federals, during the night, fell back and occupied an entirely new line in the rear. Early, during the war, never admitted that the 9th corps was not on the right and rear of the 6th, but the publication of the official records shows that it was employed entirely in other parts of the field.

There are no Confederate returns for 112, out of 183, regiments.

The Federal casualties for the two days were:—

Killed, 2246; wounded, 12,037; missing, 3383; total, 18,366.