Letter from Lieutenant Colonel John Thomas Jones, Twenty-sixth Regiment North Carolina Troops, Describing the Fighting at Falling Waters, Maryland, July 14, 1863
Bunker Hill, Virginia
July 17, 1863
Dear Father,
I am again on this side of the Potomac. Again in the land of Dixie. We crossed last Tuesday. My Brigade was the last to leave and the last to give the Yankees a round. They attacked us about two miles from the river. . . . We had traveled all night through the mud and at about eight o'clock stopped on a hill in open ground. We stacked arms and lay down on the ground and were all soon asleep feeling secure as there was a force of cavalry between us and the enemy. I neglected to state that few of our guns were loaded and few that were would fire. I was aroused in about an hour and jumping up I saw the Yankee cavalry all among us cutting and sabering. The men jumped for their guns and then commenced a hand to hand fight as seldom seen in this war. The men clutched their guns and knocked the Yankees off their horses. One man knocked one off with a fence rail and another killed a Yankee with an ax. We soon routed them or killed them as I saw only two of the whole number that made their escape. I was then informed that Gen Pettigrew was wounded and I was in command of the brigade. I then received orders to fall back gradually to the river which I did. After going about a hundred yards the Yankees again charged us but we turned and gave them a volley which sent them back. I fell back slowly in order to protect the troops on my left but after a while I found that they were gone and left me entirely unsupported. I then fell back as fast as I could but not before I was flanked in the left and several of my men taken.
