Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 39.djvu/162

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150 Southern Historical Society Papers.

ordered to charge the Cemetery Hill in conjunction with Long- street's advance. His troops did well their part, but against such a deluge of shot and shell, no troops could long hold the position which he carried and about dark he withdrew his com- mand to the line it occupied before the assault. On the 3d only one of his brigades was engaged.

V/ith the Army of Northern Virginia, he recrossed the Poto- mac and was engaged at Bristow Station. In December of that year he was ordered to the neighborhood of Mine Run, to meet General Meade's advance, but Meade retired without an engagement.

When Gen. Grant advanced to the Wilderness, Anderson's division did not move to meet him with the rest of the corps. It was left to guard the Fords, on the Rapidan, until the Con- federate calvary had reached Stevensburg ; thus he had no part in the action of Alay 5th, but on the morning of the 6th his command arrived at a most opportune moment and took an ac- tive part in the bloody events of that day. Longstreet was severely wounded and Anderson was transferred to the com- mand of that corps, leaving his division under the command of Mahone ; and a few days after, he received a Lieutenant Gen- eral's commission. With this corps he. marched to Spotsylvania to check Grant's movement in that directions. He succeeded per- fectly and received in an autograph letter Gen. Lee's thanks for the masterly handling of his troops. With characteristic modesty this noble soldier published to his corps, the clause relating to its gallant conduct and refrained from referring to that portion which named his own distinguished services.

He commantled Longstreet's corps in the numerous and bloody battles of the summer and autumn of 1864, attending Grant's advance on Petersburg. Early in the winter of 1864, Long- street returned to duty and Anderson relieved Gen. Beauregard in command of his corps, consisting of Hoke's and B. R. John- son's divisions. Pickett's was afterwards added, and occupied the lines immediately in front of Petersburg, until February, 1865, when he was relieved by Gordon and moved to Gen. Lee's