ordinary musketry. One of the privates, named Knox, was a
wonderful shot, and had received permission to use his own
special rifle, a weapon accurately sighted for very long range.
While the regiment thus lay under the storm of shot and shell, he
asked leave to go to the front; and for an hour afterward his
companions heard his rifle crack every few minutes. Major Hyde
finally, from curiosity, crept forward to see what he was doing,
and found that he had driven every man away from one section of a
Confederate battery, tumbling over gunner after gunner as they
came forward to fire. One of his victims was a general officer,
whose horse he killed. At the end of an hour or so, a piece of
shell took off the breech of his pet rifle, and he returned
disconsolate; but after a few minutes he gathered three rifles
that were left by wounded men, and went back again to his work.

At five o'clock in the afternoon the regiment was suddenly called
upon to undertake a hopeless charge, owing to the blunder of the
brigade commander, who was a gallant veteran of the Mexican war,
but who was also given to drink. Opposite the Union lines at this
point were some haystacks, near a group of farm buildings. They
were right in the center of the Confederate position, and
sharpshooters stationed among them were picking off the Union
gunners. The brigadier, thinking that they were held by but a few
skirmishers, rode to where the 7th Maine was lying on the ground,
and said: "Major Hyde, take your regiment and drive the enemy
from those trees and buildings." Hyde saluted, and said that he
had seen a large force of rebels go in among the buildings,
probably two brigades in all. The brigadier answered, "Are you
afraid to go, sir?" and repeated the order emphatically. "Give
the order, so the regiment can hear it, and we are ready, sir,"