By the way, I forgot an expedition, or rather, a skirmish we had, at Malvern Hill while at Camp Mary, and I will relate it here, before proceeding to our more difficult labors. While in camp at Laurel Hill our pickets below Malvern Hill reported the Yankees advancing, and we were marched out to meet them and oppose their farther progress, but the Yankee, after driving in our pickets, stopped at Malvern Hill and established themselves there, which was about seven miles form our encampment. General Longstreet determined to take the hill and for that purpose we, Evan’s Brigade, were sent forward to drive in the enemy’s pickets. We left camp in battle trim, with three days’ rations, and marched within two miles of Malvern Hill, and we then deployed at two paces apart and advanced on the Yankee pickets. We marched these two miles through the thickest kind of black-jacks1 and wood, but the Yankee pickets getting wind of us fled, leaving guns, ammunition, knapsacks, and everything, to us, but we could not remove any of them as we were still advancing on the enemy. After getting through the woods we came upon an open old field with woods of Malvern Hill on the other side. Just as we got on the edge of the wood, it being then about dusk, our guide, a cavalryman and by the by a brave man, spied a Yankee come galloping through the field. He deliberately got off his horse, took aim through the crack of the fence, and fired, but his gun misfired and the Yankee wheeled and rode away, but the fellow belonging to the picket, and knowing that they had been driven in, thought his own men and fired at him through mistake and he rode back up to us. Our guide rode out in the road to meet him, and when he came up familiarly addressed him and after holding some conversation with him, he asked the Yankee if he ever saw a Rebel. The Yankee answered no, and our guide then bursting out into a hoarse laugh, and clapping the fellow on the shoulder, said, “Well, old buck, you see one now. You belong to me. Come along with me or I’ll spill your bacon.” It is needless to say, the Yankee was completely astounded. After this little incident, we marched out into the middle of the old field and laid down in the grass and lay here for an hour or so. Our Colonel sent one company, Captain Culp’s, forward to the woods on the side of the road. They had hardly reached there when a company of Yankee cavalry came riding along. At first they mistook us for friends, but, on approaching nearer, and perceiving their mistake, they fired and wheeled, but we fired into them, and found four Yankee dead on the road, besides several wounded. As the Yankees ran back the whole of Gadberry’s 18th Regiment2 fired at them and dropped some more. The Yankee forces at Malvern Hill, on hearing of our advance, evacuated the hills and we took possession. The same night we marched two miles back and bivouacked for the night, but we were kept at this bivouac for two days before we returned to Camp Mary, so ended this expedition.
1 Bidens pilosa - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidens_pilosa
2http://www.researchonline.net/sccw/unit150.htm