The Greensborough Patriot
July 10, 1862
Page 3
Letter from Sert. Marshall McLean.
The numerous friends of Capt. H. C. Gorrell and Sergeant McLean (who have both fallen in the service of their country) will doubtless read the following letter with deep interest:
Camp
near
I thank God for this opportunity of writing to you once more. He has saved me and brought me almost through a fiery furnace, for on last Saturday evening I had but little idea of ever seeing you all, or even of ever writing to you again. We went out on picket last Saturday morning. Our picket line is one mile long for one regiment, and it takes nine regiments to picket the whole line. Our line is right in front of the battery at which we lost so many men in trying to take it. We took it, but could not hold it. Our picket line is about three-fourths of a mile from it. Between it and our line is a dense swamp nearly covered with water. We received orders about 2 o’clock from the General to take five companies and scatter them about five steps apart and go through that swamp, and drive in the Yankee pickets, and see what kind of works the Yankees had. We did so, wading through mud and water, and dead bodies of men, and ran the Yankee pickets into their fortifications, and did not lose a man, only two being slightly wounded. We saw all we wished, and went back. We took them by surprise, and they could not get their artillery at work until we were out of the way. The General was mad, I guess, because none of us were killed, and ordered us back to the batteries. We started back with co. E, Capt. Gorrell, and co. B in front, and co. I and co. C about two hundred yards in our rear. We passed on, ran the pickets out again and went clear through, right up to their breastworks, and I tell you about that time they gave us “fits.” They had three batteries, one on the right, one on the left, and one in front. They opened a severe fire with rifle and musket at first, and they with shell and canister. We all dropped to the ground, and fired and loaded lying down, and were ordered three different times to retreat before we did so. It looked like a certain death either way, but some how they shot a little too high for our heads. We were engaged with five large regiments, and we had only two companies, E and B at first. They had fifteen pieces of artillery. I came out alive but God only knows how, for I do not. I remained in with my “squad” to take out the wounded after all had left the place, but the doctor and two or three of my men ran off with the company, and will be punished for it. We took out seven wounded men, and left Capt. Gorrell and two or three men on the field. I could not find them in the thicket, Capt. Gorrell was shot through the head and killed dead. He was up close to the battery. We could not get him out. The General is now trying to get a flag of truce over after his body. I am sorry to say that Ross Summers was killed. I was knocked down, and fell in the pond. Myself and clothing will stink like a dead man. The dead are lying all through the water about half decomposed. When I reached camp, I threw my clothes away. My cartridge box was shot and I cannot see how in the world we came out safe, for I said to some one that I did not believe fifteen men could possibly escape. When they commenced firing, it made as much fuss as you would by filling up a bucket with corn and pouring it on the floor. It was a continual “whiz” and “tip,” “tip” against the trees and bushes, and then the cannonading commenced, and shells bursted all around and over us, and grape shot flew thick. We came off picket to day about 12 o’clock. We went out on Saturday morning, and none of us have slept any since. We had several little skirmishes through the night. Sometimes their pickets came upon us, and sometimes we upon them. We have it hot and heavy. We are now looking all the time for a general engagement, but the Yankees are afraid to attack us. Then General hoped they would have come on after us on Saturday, but they did not. The road is covered with guns and nearly everything else belonging to a soldier. Since we have been on picket we have killed twenty Yankees, but do not know how many we killed at the battery. Several though I think. You have no idea how we suffer for water at such a time. I saw several men drink water out of the stinking pond, where rotten men were lying all around, and Lieut. Scales was one of them. He will be our next Captain. We are all badly hurt on account of the death of Captain Gorrell. He went up foremost, and the last I heard him say was, “Charge on them and fix your bayonets as you go!” At that moment a ball struck him, and he fell, I think, entirely dead. He was a nice man and a good man, and was, I think, prepared to go to his God, if any man ever was. His hardships are all over now. No more sorrow and trouble for him. He is gone and I hope and trust to reign with his God above. The only man in our company that was wounded badly way Young Gray.
June 24th.—Since writing the above, we were ordered out in line of battle, and had to lie down with everything on, expecting to be called all night. It is now not sunrise, and we are all ready to move at a moment’s warning. The picket that relieved us were attacked by the Yankee picket last evening. Gen. Hill says we did more with two companies than any other regiment in the whole command would have done. He praises us. All of our men are brave and will fight. Lieut. Col. Bynum stood in front, slapping his hands and saying. “Give it to them, boys!” He praises our company a good deal. I have no idea now that he will get Capt. Gorrell’s body. There is not a man in the regiment but what liked him—he was so good, easy and kind to them all. The Colonel says we may go into fifty battles, and never get in as dangerous a fire as we were in on Saturday. It was a cross-fire, the balls coming from the north, south, east and west, from all three of the batteries.