I have the honor to make the following report of the operations of my brigade, composed of the Third, Fifth, Sixth, Twelfth, and Twenty-Sixth Alabama Regiments, and Carter's Battery, making an aggregate of about 1,460 men, from the evening of June 26th to that of June 28 last:
In common with the other brigades of Maj. Gen. D. H. Hill, mine took position on the Mechanicsville turnpike on the morning of June 26. We lay there until late in the afternoon, when we moved across the Chickahominy, taking position in the between Mechanicsville and the Chickahominy.
Next morning, following the preceding brigades of the division, we came under heavy artillery fire at New Cold Harbor, when we were ordered to take shelter for a time at this point. We were subjected to a heavy fire for half hour or more, but lost only two men, Lt. Ramsey and a private of the Fifth Alabama. I sent out two from my staff to communicate with the major-general commanding, but in moving forward in person communicated with him myself, and under his order moved forward in line of battle to the support of General Garland in contemplated attack upon the enemy's battery to the left of Old Cold Harbor. Before the attack was made, however, the position of both Garland's brigade and mine was changed, both brigades being wheeled on Garland's left to the rear. Then we were ordered forward by Major-General Jackson to attack the enemy in front of New Cold Harbor, coming into the fight on the left of his troops. In crossing an almost impenetrable swamp to get into action great confusion ensued, from the fact that at the same point several brigades were crossing at the same time, and upon emerging from the swamp and striking the field beyond three of my regiments, the Fifth, Twelfth, and Twenty-sixth, were found on the left and behind, and the Sixth and Third Alabama on the right of Anderson's brigade, which was in front of us.
The brigades of Generals Anderson and Garland having in the mean time, with three of my regiments, been brought into some sort of alignment, were ordered to charge. The charge was intended to be general. the whole line having a moment before paused and hesitated, nearly if not the whole of the left of the division, as far as one in my position could see, broke and retreated in apparent confusion. I thought the whole of the brigade on the left of mine as well as my three regiments were involved in it. I found, however, that the confusion before spoken of on the left of the line had not been general; that my three first-named regiments had continued the charge, and had successfully and almost alone beaten back two large bodies of the enemy on the top of the hill, besides taking a battery of the enemy directly in our front. The Fifth, which took the battery, was sustained in this portion of the charge by the Twenty-sixth only, the Twelfth, in some confusion, having shifted to the left late in the evening and joined the troops which came up on the left of Hill's division.
All the regiments and regimental officers acted handsomely, but the Fifth and Twenty-sixth were especially distinguished for their great courage. I feel no troops ever acted better than they did on this occasion. Men and officers all acted nobly.
Col. C. C. Pegues, of the Fifth, wound desperately in the charge and has since died. Upon falling he called the next officer in command to him, Major Hobson, and told him that the Fifth has always been in the advance, and that was his last wish that it should then go ahead and no regiment to pass it. Major Hobson gallantly carried out his wishes, and led the regiment on constantly ahead of all others of the division except the Twenty-sixth, which kept, under its brave colonel (O'Neal), steadily with it.