[73] three inch rifled cannon near the road and lay there all day of the 4th of May. With the exception of some skirmish firing along our front and some ways off, no struggle occurred near us. Some distance away the sounds of battle, loud, continuous and approaching, which did not betoken success. The congratulatory order from General Hooker which had been read to us, stating that he had intervened his army between Lee and Richmond, and that Lee would have to fight him upon ground of his own choosing had raised our hopes: but the ominous sounds of approaching battle, and the somber faces of our own officers, always a barometer of success or defeat, filled us with anxious forebodings. But the day wore silently and listlessly away. Now and then the gallop of staff officers would awaken some comment and interest, until along about half past 4 o'clock, the opening of a battery and sharp musketry on our right, and the appearance of a strong skirmish line advancing in our front, immediately followed by heavier and continuous artillery and infantry firing upon our right, caused us to spring up and watch the scene before us. We soon became aware that the Rebels were making a general and vigorous charge along our whole line. Shortly a line of battle came out of the woods where we had gone in the day before, and the battery in our front opened with every gun and fired as rapidly as possible. We could see that the shots about, around and through their line of battle were making great gaps, but they closed up and came forward again. Our skirmish line made a fierce resistance and stubbornly contested their advance, but we expected it to give way and let the Rebel line come up and give us a chance to revenge our loss of the previous day. We were splendidly posted, although we had no shelter. A
