Fatal Sabbath

Benjamin S. Williams, adjutant of the 47th Georgia Infantry, penned this memoir for the October 29, 1911, issue of the Charleston, S.C., Sunday News. Williams moved to South Carolina after the war and died at 87.

AT THE CLOSE OF DAY, September 19, 1863, [Maj. Gen. John C.] Breckinridge’s Division, of [Lt. Gen.] D.H. Hill’s Corps, weary, worn, and hungry, was on the edge of the battlefield of Chickamauga. Many of our wounded passed us in ambulances. [Lt. Gen. James] Longstreet’s Corps had been sent from Virginia to reinforce [Gen. Braxton] Bragg; many of the wounded were newly arrived soldiers of the Virginia army.

Bragg ordered Breckinridge to move to the right and farther front. We passed many dead Confederates and a few Federals. We rested under orders to sleep on our arms. We were up early Sunday. We were very hungry.

We were ordered to advance in line of battle 300-400 yards. We emerged from this wooded tract into open meadow-like ground where we encountered fire from line of skirmishers in the wood beyond. They retired hastily before our advance and the Federal batteries in