On Wednesday evening, August 27th, we arrived in the neighborhood of Manassas. On arriving at the little station of Gainesville we were drawn into line of battle after double quick, but crossing only a short distance farther bivouacked for the night. On Thursday, the day following, we lay still listening to our picket’s stray shots and to the occasional booming of big guns. On Friday we arose considerably refreshed and marched up in reach of the enemy shells that now commenced falling thick and fast. We lay in the woods a short distance from the enemy’s line, watching the flying shells as they passed over us, seething, whistling, literally plowing the air, the loud shriek of the flying shells, the dull whiz of the great ancanisten, with the dispiriting cry of wounded mortals, fairly rent the air. Our pickets in front were continually popping away at those of the enemy, while every now and then we would hear the loud shout of Regiments as they would charge upon the enemy, firing like a crane brake on fire, and shouting like demons. All day we lay and listened to these discordant sounds, knowing that our time would soon come to mix in with the medley. As evening approached the firing became still hotter. Brigade after brigade hurried to engage in the general revelry. A short while before dusk General Evans rode up to our Brigade and ordered us to advance. We formed a line and the general ordered us to double quick, and thus we went through bushes, over hills, etc. for half a mile when we came upon a farm house, all around which was strewn with dead bodies. A short distance from this house Benbons Regiment, the 23rd S.C. Volunteers, being on the left of the brigade was charged upon by a regiment of Yankee cavalry. Our fellows stopped steady, poured a destructive fire into the charging cavalry, emptying nearly every saddle, and throwing them into the utmost confusion. These that left immediately wheeled and fled, followed by the exultant shouts of our victorious boys. While advancing a stray ball struck W.A. Parker of our company inflicting a wound that proved mortal in a short time. We kept steadily on, waded a deep creek, until we came in view of General Law’s1 Brigade of Alabamians where we halted in a corn field and remained there half the night, wringing wet and shivering with cold. About midnight a rumor reached us that the enemy were trying to get into our rear and General Evans ordered us back to the farm houses where we spent the reminder of the night. All night long the pickets kept up a constant firing, indicating that the enemy still confronted us. We all knew that the following day would be an eventful one for some of us, and a fatal one.
1 Evander M. Law - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evander_M._Law