I recently found this gem:
"About this time another Federal battery
["West Point Battery" Co. D, 5th US Artillery] of five pieces
[issued: 4 10 pounder Parrott rifles 2.9" M1861 , & 2 12 pounder field howitzers, M1841] under Captain Griffin came up the hill and unlimbered between Ricketts and the Henry House. Griffin's position was now on the left of Ricketts. Both these batteries were shelling our artillery while we were taking our position, over the crest of the Henry hill. All this was almost within a hundred yards of us, but over the hill and out of our sight. After they had been firing for about half an hour. Captain Griffin decided to move two of his pieces
[3rd Section, 12-pounder Howitzers ??] to the elevation on the right of Ricketts,
[the right end of the Federal line] in order to give himself more room. They limbered up and came charging up the hill directly in our front. They did not see us, for their attention was directed toward the artillery on our right. When they got within 22 steps of our line and brought their horses half way around preparing to unlimber, Captain Anderson shouted ' 'Fire ! ' ' We rose up from the gulley and gave them a volley. Sam Emerson and I ran through the smoke to within 16 steps of them to see what had happened. Every horse had been killed and only one man was in sight. He was crouching behind a wheel of one of the caissons. I fired at him, but in the excitement of the battle I do not know whether I hit him or not. This was the first repulse the enemy had met with that day. Captain Griffin afterwards testified before a committee investigating the conduct of the war, that he had moved these two pieces up there and that they had been in position about five minutes and had been firing when they were shot down. In this he was mistaken. They did not even get unlimbered. Captain Griffin remained down the hill with the rest of his battery, and no mounted officer accompanied the two guns to the top of the hill. One of the caissons exploded a few minutes afterwards and shell flew through the air in every direction. The wheel horses were partly burned"
Co. J, 4th South Carolina Infantry at the First Battle of Manassas
A Letter Written by B. B. Breazeale [4th sergeant of Capt. William Anderson's Company J, 4th South Carolina Infantry, Col. J. B. E. Sloan] to His Son~
Belton, S. C, June 1, 1912
Source:
https://ia800904.us.archive.org/24/items/coj4thsouthcarol00brea/coj4thsouthcarol00brea.pdf
Could Brezeale's 'gulley' be Hunt's 'high fence'?
And, lets face it, Griffin & Hunt lost guns in the battle, mortal sin for an artillerist. Personally, I have absolutely NO doubt each of their reports was very carefully crafted, er, written, to reflect the best possible light on their obvious defeat.
Thanks for allowing me to join the fun!!