Hi Steve,
I really don't think any of the men from Rodes' Division were near the front lines after the fighting of May 2, 1863. The 5th Alabama Infantry Regiment and the rest of the brigade were reformed in a third line of battle that evening, before General Jackson was shot. The following is an except from the book I'm still working on about the 5th Alabama.
The battle line was formed perpendicular to and astride the Orange Turnpike, east of the Wilderness Tavern. Iverson’s Brigade was placed on the far left with O’Neal’s Alabama soldiers next, their right flank on the turnpike. The left flank of the Alabama Brigade was held by the 5th Alabama.
After resting for about a half hour, the sharpshooters were moved forward, many of whom were from the 5th Alabama Infantry Regiment, followed closely by the remaining troops in line of battle. General Jackson ordered Major Blackford to scout in front while the rest of the Corps filed up and deployed. Blackford took a dozen men and advanced three hundred yards in front of the Confederate position, where they caught three Yankees out foraging. “They took us for their own men & walked up to us boldly – I never saw such amazement as when I told them they were prisoners” The three prisoners from the Union XI Corps confirmed that the Federals were cooking dinner and that “none of them had any idea that we were nearer than Fredericksburg.”
Once the Sharpshooters were in position, about 300 yards in advance of main line, and finally satisfied with his strength and alignments, Stonewall Jackson asked his leading division's commander, "Are you ready, General Rodes?" Rodes replied in the affirmative. "You can go forward then." It was about 5:15 P.M. when the lines moved forward on the attack. Rodes waved to Major Blackford, who turned to his bugler, Raif Grayson, of Sumter County, Alabama. The brass instrument sounded and the sharpshooters moved forward. Rodes’ line followed, but there was a slight delay when the troops under Colonel O’Neil overran some of the sharpshooters who had evidently not heard the bugle command to move. This may well have been the men of the 5th Alabama, as they were positioned on the left flank of O’Neil’s Brigade, farthest from the road. After a short delay, the advance began again. The Confederates moved silently forward about a quarter of a mile.
Fleeing wildlife puzzled and amused many of the relaxing Federal soldiers of the XI Corps positioned near or along the pike. However, General Carl Schurz of the Union 3rd Division of XI Corps knew there was trouble brewing and of his own volition, had ordered the 26th Wisconsin, 58th New York, and 82nd Ohio, to reform facing west and take up arms. By 5:00 P.M., soldiers in these regiments were already prepared to fight, rifle in hand, or close by, eyes facing west. Those who belonged to regiments not repositioned had still been uneasy as the afternoon wore on. Rumours from various scouting parties filtered about and the men knew that something was afoot. Rifles were stacked, but soldiers sat near them. Campfires still cooked some of the freshly slaughtered beef, but the men ate quickly. When the rabbits, deer, and birds, frightened off by Jackson’s advancing columns ran through their camp at about 5:45 P.M. they were not greeted by whoops of joy and hilarity. Schurz’s men knew what was coming behind the animals and could already hear the approaching battle. Bugle calls from the thickets had soon clarified the deadly nature of the event as the sound of Blackford’s bugles resounded through the forest.
The Sharpshooters approached with such speed that they were within 50 yards of the Federal troops, before the first shot was fired. Major Blackford wrote the following to his family: “Presently one of the men near me put up his gun and taking aim, fired, and instantly reloaded. I told him I would break his head if he fired again without seeing the enemy, he called me to him and pointed out the Yankee line of battle not 50 yds off lying down in a well worn road. I had not sounded more than a note or two of the “Commence Fire” when the whole line opened up with a terrible yell, which was too much for the Dutchmen of Sigel’s Corps, and they ran off in confusion taken utterly by surprise.”
This was closely followed by a few scattered shots, then from the opening in the road the whiz of a shell. Within a few minutes they came upon the enemy hitting like a thunderclap. The men of the Union Eleventh Corps ran for their stacked rifles knocking aside simmering pots of beef, but they were shot down by Rodes’ front rank, or simply run over. The grey line moved forward with whoop and yell and the rattle of musketry. There was, there could be, no effective attempt at resistance.
The men of the 5th Alabama had moved forward, but were having a difficult time getting through the thick woods. Soon they heard the Sharpshooters firing and they moved to the “double-quick”. A terrific volley of musketry opened on their right and the excitement grew. The men opened fire but were quickly admonished by their officers as the Yankees were not yet in view. The men reloaded and moved forward at a run. Suddenly, a line of blue could be seen retreating at a run. The men fired once again, cheered and continued their pursuit.
The first Union Brigade encountered, attempted to form a thin battle line and opened fire. To the left of the 5th Alabama, the 26th Wisconsin stood until it was flanked on both sides. Alongside the 26th Wisconsin, Captain Frederick Braun was shot off his horse, mortally wounded, as he deployed his 58th New York against the 5th Alabama. Colonel Frederick Hecker of the 82nd Illinois held his regimental colors high and ordered his men to charge with bayonets. At that instant he was shot, and within minutes Major Ferdinand Rolshausen, who relieved him, was struck down by the Alabamians. After one or two more volleys, their flanks were turned and the stampede to the rear began in earnest.
The Confederate lines were soon in tatters, with swifter men well ahead of others. The 5th Alabama suffered the same problem and several times the men in the lead had to stop and wait for fear of being shot by the men that followed, some of whom were firing wildly over their heads in the excitement. There were a number of men wounded by “friendly fire” during this pursuit.
Union General Shurz of the XI Corps attempted to rally his men at Wilderness Church. There he formed a battle line of about five thousand men. At about 6:15 P.M. this line too was broken by the surging Rebels. The Confederates brought a few artillery pieces up the Orange Turnpike and fired shot and canister into the fleeing Federals. About three hundred yards further down the road, in front of the Talley farm, the Yankees formed another line. The 25th Ohio Infantry fired three volleys and momentarily stopped the advance of Rodes’ men, but this regiment too was enveloped and broke for the rear. O’Neal’s and Doles’ Brigades thundered along the roadway like two runaway trains. Within minutes they surged over the Union breastworks at the Talley farm. A Sergeant of the 25th Ohio later recorded, “In 10 minutes the ground was literally covered with the dead and dying, our colonel wounded and we were forced to give way for we had about two thousand against 20 thousand. Old Stonewall Jackson had flanked us with his whole corps and now rained grape and canister and minnie balls in our ranks like hail. In 15 minutes we were all cut to pieces. There was no place left us but to flee for our lives which we did with a right good grace. We soon became scattered to the four winds everyone for themselves.”
Whenever the Federal troops would get behind a hill or breastwork, they would stop and shoot for a minute or two, but as the Confederates came charging upon them, they would be off at a run again. One Union soldier was standing by a tree with the butt of his gun in the air signifying that he wanted to surrender. Lieutenant Colonel Hobson called to him telling him to drop his gun and lie down or he would be killed. He did as instructed and Lieutenant Colonel Hobson told him to go to the rear.
The Confederate lines had lost their formation and men were getting scattered and mixed up with other regiments. All the while, Lieutenant Colonel Hobson continued forward, waving his sword as he gallantly led his men on. It was a running fight and the Rebels were finding it difficult to keep near enough to the Yankees to shoot them. Fifteen minutes later, the Confederates had pressed forward to Dowdall’s Tavern where the last line of defence was made by the Union XI Corps. The well-constructed line complete with rifle pits, slowed the Confederate advance. Three guns supported the Federal infantry and punished Rodes’ men with canister. Many of the lead men of the regiment lay down for a minute or two at the edge of a pine thicket, but on rushed the men following and engaged the Union batteries. Parts of the three Federal Batteries were captured. Within the Union lines, there was a large Newfoundland dog in the agonies of death with a ball through him. The Rebel front line formed a semicircle with both ends past the Federal flanks. By 7:15 P.M., both flanks were crushed and the Federal front completely collapsed. Some Federal officers on horseback rode along the line trying to rally his troops, but to no avail and the Confederates would drive the Federals back another mile and a half or two, before darkness would bring a close to the fighting. During the pursuit, Lieutenant Colonel Hobson continued to lead his men. They passed on down a slope and up the other side when a horse was spotted standing at the edge of some woods. Hobson started towards it calling to some of the men to grab it for him, when he was suddenly struck down by a ball which hit his leg above the knee. The men continued on led by Regimental Color Sergeant Archibald L. R. Thompson who had been with Lieutenant Colonel Hobson, but with the loss of formation, the men continued their advance in smaller groups.
Captain Renfro of the 5th Alabama kept far in advance of his men during the whole of the long charge of May 2nd, and with less than one hundred men captured a Yankee Colonel and almost his whole regiment. Shelby Chadwick of Company D would later report, “We drove them before us in the greatest confusion, and our boys rushed on in pursuit with deafening cheers of exultation. Scarcely any resistance was offered, and prisoners that we captured say we broke four successive lines of battle. Our Brigade captured portions of three batteries, an immense number of prisoners, and drove the enemy before us two miles or more with great slaughter. Night compelled us to desist from the exciting chase, and we threw ourselves down upon the red field we had won, in the midst of the dead and dying, to seek the repose we so much needed.” Major Eugene Blackford wrote, “We pursued until it was too dark to see how to shoot and then rested for the night. Our loss was perfectly trifling; hardly a man killed and booty in abundance. As we had had nothing to eat for two days (not a mouthful for me) you can imagine how I enjoyed the fine 8 days rations with which the Yankees were supplied.”
The regiment was greatly dispersed and intermingled with other troops. Small groups of three or four men that had rushed forward during the charge, now called out in the growing darkness as they tried to reconnect with their comrades. Private Samuel Pickens had tried to stay near Color Sergeant Archibald Thompson and fell in with Ed Hutchison, Charlie Haftner, John Cowin and Jim Arrington. Exhausted from their run of almost two miles, these men sat down in some pines to rest. Suddenly, the Federal batteries stated shelling the woods with grape shell. With shells bursting and grape cutting trees all around and above them, all they could do was lay close to the ground. After the terrifying cannonade ceased, a squad of men came by with some Yankee prisoners, so the men started back over the field to try and find something to eat. There was little left to find as the troops that had come up behind them had plundered all that was available. Finally, they found out where Colonel O’Neil was collecting the Brigade, on the Orange Turnpike just east of Wilderness Church, and they managed to join them. Everyone felt so grateful at coming out safely that he would shake each acquaintance warmly by hand and express delight at seeing him come out safely.
The men stacked arms and feasted on the captured Federal rations. Everyone was now well supplied with oil cloths, blankets, canteens and haversacks. After supper, the men were moved off the road and to the line of breastworks perpendicular to their rallying point. This was what the Federals had called the “Buschbeck line”, a shallow, thousand yard north-south trench just east of Dowdall’s Tavern. The 5th Alabama was again positioned on the extreme left of the Brigade, farthest from the road. There was a great deal of artillery and heavy volleys of musketry ahead of them that continued until after midnight.