Not long after this we got unexpectedly into the Battle of Fuzzle's Mill. We were quietly moving camp one day, our ambulances and wagon train with forage and cooking utensils and baggage being ahead, apprehending no danger, when our pickets ran in to us to give alarm of the advance of the enemy, but they were fleetly mounted and pressed hard on our pickets, riding into us simultaneously with our own pickets. The first thing we knew we were fired into, and our wagon and ambulance train made a summersault and ran back among us who were leisurely riding in their rear. We were completely taken by surprise, but General Gary rode up opportunely, as he always did, and ordered Major Arnold to dismount a squadron at once and hold the enemy in check until we could form the brigade and repulse them and get our led horses to the rear. He promptly did so, none too soon, for they came on thick and fired into us lively. It fell to my lot in counting fours to be No. 4, and I had to ride my horse and lead three others, taking care of all baggage, etc., feed and water them.

I had always rather go into a fight than do this. I remember I offered to take T. L. Crosland's place, telling him he had a family and I had none, if either were killed, but he would not, and I led off my horses to the rear, leaving our boys in a stiff fight and not seeing them again for three or four days. Thus I cannot detail this fight, though near it and hearing often from it by guns and messengers.

Mr. William Murchison, an invalid, had just joined us here, being forced into the army, and was with the hospital crowd and came near being captured. The Yankees shot a volley at my negro boy and others at the same time, calling him to stop, but he ran like the wind and escaped. It was said he ran fifteen miles before he took up. He was the worst scared negro I ever saw. As he passed me I shouted to him to stop and ride one of my horses, but he needed no horse, one could not have caught him.

This fight was a series of sharp battle for several days, in which we suffered considerable loss. I was worried greatly with my horses, keeping them fed and watered and keeping the blankets under saddles, which was a job; with no rider they were always working out; then keeping luggage on saddles, running night and day hither and thither with them to be in reach of men if needed and out of reach of the enemy, who often stampeded us to capture them. I was rejoiced when I was able to see each man mount and take possession of his own horse. This was the battle of Fuzzle's Mill.

Assigned to Duty at Brigade Headquarters.

Soon after this I was ordered to report to brigade headquarters at once. I was at a loss to know what it meant and thought I had been reported for some action. Being a boy I could not imagine what was up. I arrived there and called at Lieut. R. W. Boyd's tent, to whom I was ordered to report He received me kindly and asked me to write a sentence on some paper on his desk. I was puzzled and wrote one, boy-like, thus: "To spell well is a great merit, to spell imperfectly is a great demerit." He looked at it, smiled a little, and asked me if I had any idea what was wanted of me. I told him I did not. He then told me that Dr. H. Baer, my old school teacher, then in the surgeon generals office in Richmond, had gotten him, an old friend, to have me detailed from the regiment to remain with and to act as ordnance clerk and courier to him and Gen. M. W. Gary, he being on the latter's staff and brigade ordnance officer. I was much elated, as it meant higher duty, better rations and immunity from picket duty, though more danger in battle, as I must be always mounted and more conspicuous, and at the heels of General Gary all the time, who never feared danger and was always under fire. I went back to camp and got my little plunder and negro boy, bade my mess good-bye and took up new quarters at headquarters. The general had about eight other couriers, among them M. V. Tribble, of Anderson, Dan C. Tompkins, of Edgefield, a young Hamilton, of Laurens, Hughes, of Union, J. T. Sloan, now of Columbia, Albert Nickerson, of Edgefield. I soon fell in with these and became a favorite with them and was kindly treated by the general himself, and Lieut. R. W. Boyd treated me with the kindest consideration, for I was his ordnance clerk, too, and under his especial charge as he was ordnance officer of our brigade and of General Gary's staff.

Col. A C. Haskell Wounded.

Soon after this we had quite an engagement at Malvern Hill and drove the enemy away with considerable loss. We were at this time in almost daily fights of minor importance and skirmishes as our brigade was set on the north of James river between Richmond and Pamunkey River for the local defense of the capital, while the main army of Lee was south of the James confronting Grant. Sheridan, Kautz and Wilson, of the Federal army, were always trying to turn our left flank and so capture Richmond, and several times came very near doing so. On one of these occasions Yankee troops were massed secretly in our front and a desperate charge made upon us, but we drove them back with loss, but the battle assuming much importance General Lee sent Longstreet's Corps across the pontoon bridges on the James River to our aid and finally came himself, and we had quite a desperate engagement. In our front were the Yankee cavalry and artillery in vast numbers. Our regiment and the Seventh South Carolina Cavalry were sent in to the charge, and the fight was so hot our men were pressed back by much superior numbers till finally Col. A. C. Haskell and General Gary dashed to the front and our color-bearer with them, when our flag fell into the enemy's hands.

Here Colonel Haskell ran bluff upon Sheridan, Kautz and Wilson and in an instant hesitation which one to bring down with a fine pistol, a rifle ball from the enemy ploughed through his head and eye and brought him down. The enemy closed around him, took his watch and ring from him and at the same time our colors.

Haskell was much loved by our whole brigade, and our men became infuriated and made a desperate dash upon the enemy, retook the body of Haskell, recaptured our flag and drove the enemy back with great slaughter. And here our company immortalized itself again, for at this juncture I came upon them riding out of battle to the rear after the engagement was over upon eleven pieces of fine artillery with horses and all (our men were mounted upon the horses) guns, caissons, caps off, hurrahing.

This was an inspiring scene, and just during this battle was the only time I saw General Lee closely. He had ridden up with his staff around him, and while he planned and surveyed the situation his minor officers lolled and rested on their horses. One younger officer, with some petulance, remarked louder than he meant that he was tired and sleepy and that he "had slept not a wink last night." General Lee calmly turned and simply remarked, he had slept scarcely a wink in a week. The young officer wilted.

Just about this time the fall of Ft. Harrison occurred. We were waked up one morning after fighting all day and getting to camp and sleep supperless about midnight, about an hour before day, by the bugle call to saddle up, were hurried to the front at a lively rate to New Market Heights to the rifle pits, then pushed to left to our earthworks, where the enemy, behind a mass of negro troops, were charging our thin line. We had hardly got to the breastworks before the enemy rushed en masse upon us and the works cheering tremendously. Here Will Simmons, of Charleston, one of our company orderlies, was killed, together with Sergeant Dannerly. Simmons jumped upon the works and swore he would have one good shot, when a rifle ball took him between the eyes and he fell backward dead. We lost a good many men here and were driven pellmell back. The great hoard of cavalrv and infantry who had secretly been massed in our front, against only our one brigade, drove us wildly back before Lee could send us help from across the river. We had a running fight to the rest set of earthworks, made a stand, but were as chaff before the wind.

We ran in a panic for the line of works farther back commanded by Ft. Harrison. Here we made a desperate stand, but with only a few heavy artillerymen to aid us could do nothing against such numbers flushed with victory. We had to abandon the fort and whole line, and it looked now like nothing could save Richmond.

We rode straight across the country, through creeks, mill ponds, with no regard to roads, pushing to our left all the time, for by this time Lee was pushing us help over the river from the right, and as fast it came we gave way further to the left. We ran into the inner line of breastworks and high forts in sight of the city barely in time to save them. General Gary with three or four of our couriers behind him, in advance of our line, found General Pemberton, of Vicksburg fame, in command, the latter calmly sitting his horse overlooking the scene. Our forts were bristling with heavy guns and artillerymen alone, and below in the valley some 1,000 yards away the enemy were massing for a final charge by the thousands. They could easily have ridden into the city, but evidently felt we had a large force and were preparing for them. It was dusk now and all the houses in our front, which were many, had been fired to prevent me enemy's sharpshooters from picking off our artillerymen. The heavens were lit up with lurid lights, all was bustle and excitement, guns booming to our right, the fight raging between Longstreet and the enemy all along the line, and we calmly looking on. our foes ready to walk in on us. Here General Gary rode passionately to the forts and ordered the artillery to open on the advancing enemy. They replied they were under orders from Pemberton not to fire. Gary then rode up to him and after some remonstrance openly defied him and charged him with intention to sell Richmond as he did Vicksburg. and ordered the officers present to open fire. Pemberton at this rode to the rear, and seeing this the artillery, already eager, opened every gun and the music began. It was the grandest and most inspiring sight I ever witnessed. Sheets of flame broke forth and shell, shot and grape were hurled into the dense mass in our front. They stood it only a few moments, then broke, panic-stricken at the carnage, and dashed for a mill dam in their rear, over which they had poured just before. Our guns were trained upon this, literally mowing a lane down along it as they ran. This saved us, and in an hour's time our little crowd was upon the mill dam. pushing on to the extreme left, where the enemy was still pushing. The pond and both aides of the dam were piled in heaps with dead men, horses, cannons, caissons, blown up by our shells. The carnage was awful.

Strotcher of Orangeburg, Avenged.

General Gary took his couriers steadily on to the left, sending one hurrying up our brigade to' follow, and sent me with the ordnance train through the city, then out upon the Nine Mile Road to meet him and our troops there. Richmond as I passed through was wild with excitement. Had the old men and boys mounted on private and livery horses sending them out with such arms as they could pick up. I found the Nine Mile Road blocked with stampeded ambulance wagons, supply teams and city troops, but pushed on with my wagons until I found General Gary. If took us immediately to the front to our breastworks, and had scarcely gotten there when we heard the thunder tramp in an old field of pines of thousands of feet, and orders directing the advance of the enemy. In a few moments they broke into sight. Three lines of negro troops backed by a line of whites and white officers. The negroes were drunk and bellowing and driven on to the charge. On they came with few shots fired, our brigade hurrying as fast as possible forward, but the enemy were closer to the works than our men. We had a small field battery just to the left of the works enfilading the advance of the enemy, and they poured in their fire mowing down the men. We sat our horses impotently looking on, helpless, with balls whizzing by our heads. Just then our battery, seeing the enemy were upon us and in the works first, limbered up to leave, when Gary spurred his horse up to them, directing one more volley. As it was delivered the Yankees were pouring in a huddle up to and around it, and it made a sickening lane and havoc as it belched forth its last volley. Some of the riders cut their traces and escaped, others were captured, and then and there Sergeant Strotcher, of Orangeburg, was bayonetted, after surrender, by the enemy. We got off to the rear slowly and reformed our line some miles back about two hours after dark and started for the front again very quietly to recapture our lost works. We burst upon them suddenly and after a short and sharp fight drove them out, capturing some 400 or 500 negroes and a few white soldiers.

They fled panic-stricken, throwing away their arms and baggage as they went. We worked the negroes and prisoners all night fearfully, strengthening our works, looking for a new attack in the morning, which never came.

In the morning General Gary ordered the prisoners carried "to Richmond," which meant kill them. They were told to cross the breatsworks and run, and they might go, when they were shot down like dogs in retaliation for the murder of Strotcher after surrender. I was sent out to gather up the abandoned arms and I took up eight wagon loads of them and carried them to the laboratory in Richmond. The field was dotted with dead negroes and white officers. The negroes had just been paid off and had plenty of greenbacks in their pockets and tintypes of their women at home. The ground was covered with codfish and hard tack.

In assorting the different pattern of rifles I had the muzzle of one in my hand pulling it when it discharged, the ball passing through my coat sleeve, wristband and out at my back, going through side of my coat at body. It frightened me worse than the battle did

A Dangerous Picket Post.

Placed on Picket Duty and Forgotten.

In Camp at Malvern Hill.

I do not assume to write a book, but to record personal reminiscences, and am fully sensible of the greatness of my undertaking and my shortcomings and the imperfections of my work, on account of the lapse of time dulling my memory, and the trying times I have passed through since, politically and financially, and my want of scholarship. Nevertheless, I dedicate these pages to my children and their posterity.
CHAS. CROSLAND.

Richmond's Narrow Escape from Capture.

Here ended the narrowest escape Richmond ever had of capture. Our cavalry followed in pursuit, driving the enemy pell mell into the Chickahomony swamp, when it was thought imprudent to go any further from our supports and we returned. This was the last grand attempt to capture Richmond from the north side, and aside from continual picket duty and frequent skirmishes we had only one more hard fight. I cannot now recall the occasion of this engagement, but it was in the fall of 1864.

Winter Quarters on the Frazier Farm.

We had been quartered for the winter about four miles from Richmond on a Mr. Fraziers farm, the general and staff occupying the lower floor and we couriers the upper story and the cellar.

We were called out very suddenly by a demonstration of the enemy on our works on the York River Road and Charles City Road as well as the Nine Mile Road. We had a chain of breast works thrown up connecting these and other roads, and the enemy were feeling us here. I was ordered by Lieutenant Boyd to go to General Gary and know where he wanted the ordnance train placed. He, as usual, was at the front, and to And him I got into a hot place. The enemy had brought up a large number of pieces of artillery and concentrated their fire upon a certain battery at an angle on our line so as to prevent our infantry from massing at that point to repel their charge upon it when they were ready. We had quite a number there already and when an order was to be carried in or brought out it had to be done at a full run to lessen the risk as to time under fire. At this time the fire was a perfect storm of shot and shell, and it looked as if nothing could escape under it, but my orders were to find General Gary, and all said he was at the battery, and I had to go. I started at a full run to get in the fort, but before I got full under fire met the general and staff coming out at full speed, and the general ordered me to go up our line to the left and put the train on the Nine Mile Road. I started and ran the gauntlet of the infantry fire for a mile. They tried to pick me off, knowing I was carrying orders, but I laid myself on the other side of my horse's neck and body and ran under spur, thus escaping much risk. Just as my course left the line I saw our adjutant, Gen. B. W. Ball, riding a large grey horse just ahead of me, shot down, but found the general was unhurt, but his horse was shot in the stomach.

When I got my train properly placed I leisurely returned and on my way back was ordered to take a back road to avoid capture should our line not be held, and when within a mile or so of the fort the enemy made a grand charge, and here, all alone, I had to stop to listen to the grand and awful concert, thanking God that I was spared being there and yet full of awe and tender sympathy for the many poor fellows I knew must be going down. It was the grandest and most sublime experience I ever heard, for I could see nothing. The artillery on both sides were in full boom and the fire was so rapid one report could not be distinguished from another except where some piece of large bore belched forth above the din. The war was like a hundred thunder storms combined. Added to this the rifle and musket fire was one continuous rattle or roar, thousands of them on each side, like in conception an immense canebrake afire, only the roar was deafening as well as sickening, and, strange to say, above all this din could be heard the regular huzzahs of the Yankees and the fearful rebel yell in one continuous peel, louder or fainter as success crowned their efforts. The effect on me there by myself in a safe place I can never describe. I now remember I stood listening, thrilled by the magnificence of the sound, at one time elated by its grandeur, and then, as I could hear the exultant yells, I involuntarily pulled off my cap in honor and sympathy for the poor boys I knew must be going to death, and felt I was standing on holy ground and in the presence of the trod of battles, and there I alone lifted my voice in prayer to God for mercy to the dying and for our cause. I seemed riveted to the spot, a perfect tumult of feelings rushing over me, as there all by myself I could hear and see, as it were, calmly and weigh matters, as heretofore I had always been in it, and the excitement swept me on, and no time for reflection, I cried aloud, shed tears, and laughed hysterically at the grandness of battle as the. different emotions took hold upon me. Those few moments were indelibly impressed on my memory, and I will carry them to my grave, and grand as it was, God grant I may never hear it again.