THE EIGHTEENTH CORPS AT COLD HARBOR.

227

^®corne, therefore, somewhat of a question as to the expenditure of ammunition or muscle. All^ artillery firing has been strictly under my orders, and has not exceeded the amount I havey e)I 1 t ! d necessary to cover my men. I regret exceedingly that the absence of my own amrnuni-011 should have forced me to make the requisition. Of its propriety the general commandingmust himself be the judge.”

To that General Meade replied, telling me to call for all the ammunition I<x l'hred and additional batteries if they could be used, and adding:

H -p

1 am sorry to hear that General Martindale is unable to assault. I have just heard fromj e ^ rrei1 , who is forcing the enemy back on his right. I have directed him to push forward his' 111 order to relieve the attack you are able to make.”

I then wrote and asked for two batteries of rifle guns, and stated:

da ^° Ur re 8 '™ eil ^ s that I have got for an assault are now forming for an attack, but I

,, re not ox 'der it till I see more hope of success to be gained by General Warren’s attack or°therwi se . ”

Later in the day I received a verbal order from General Meade to makeMother assault, and that order I refused to obey.

, , Lad carefully examined the entire front of my line, and was convinced

. "0 assault could succeed that did not embrace a portion of the works in

r °bt of my right,” where I was powerless to make an attack.

assault under such conditions I looked on as involving a wanton waste

life. An hour or more after I had declined to obey the order Colonel

Vj °hastock, an engineer officer of General Grant’s staff, and to-day a distin-

^ l8 hed officer of the Corps of Engineers , came to me and said that he had

<:, -b ordered by General Grant to go over my lines. This visit was but the

th Lll ' a ^ conse< l uence of my act, and I at once directed Captain Farquliar, of

a e Lbgineers, who was on my staff, to accompany Colonel Comstock. After

k ^ eas °nable lapse of time Captain Farquhar came back and, smiling, said,

0, bstock was thoroughly satisfied and has gone back to report to General

r ant.” What Colonel Comstock reported I never knew, but I heard nothing

. 1 e from headquarters on the subject. Some of the troops of other corps

jjy p" Lave been more advantageously situated for making an attack than the

shteenth Corps, but no success seemed to have attended the efforts made on

y part of the line, for the next order I received was dated 1:30 p. m., andl ead:

^and^ 6113 ’ For tlie present all further offensive operations will be suspended. Corps com-6rS once intrench the positions they now hold, including their advance positions,

r 6o cause reconnoissances to be made with a view to moving against the enemy’s works by

ar approaches.”

troops were put under cover as rapidly as possible and the front line waseil 8'thened. The last order of the day was as follows, and dated 6:30 p. M.:

The commanding general directs you to report the con-'s in your front and what it is practicable to do to-morrow.”

J" °Ledience to it I made this report:

hold re t ei ’ence to the condition of affairs in my front, I would respectfully state that I nows ibl e Lave held all that I have gained, and am now intrenching myself as rapidly as pos-11 reference to what it may be practicable to do to-morrow 011 my front, I can only say

diti„ lreu l ar to Corps Commanders,11011 of affair