Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1851-09-10


as skirmishers over the fields fanking oul
march, and my regiment was the frs
heary Infantry Of the vanguard. As soou
as the firing was heard in our ranks, more
than one voice shouted-"The Rifles arc
engaged, and will be cut to pieces !" and
soon staff officer without drawing bride
sung out his orders at the gallop-"For
ward, the first artillery" and, at double
quick, the men trailing arms, the First
went forward to mingle in the fray.
And here let me interweave word Of
explanation and criticism. This was 9
grievous error, and was most fatally atoned
Less than mile before US, and five hun.
drcd yards apart, lay the convent and tcte
de-poat of Churubusco-so named from the
little river flowing their in rear, of which
the latter is the guard. Now, Worth, afte,
taking San Antonio, had proceeded by the
direct road to the bridgehead, and it was
his firing that we heard. The Rifles were
not engaged the First seas upon desperate
seruice, as We shall see.
We were rapidly lessening the interve
ming space which separated US from the
convent, when once more loud cry
arose" Make way for the battery!" and
the rumb!ing of wheels and the clatter ol
hoofs told that the "light bobs" were com
inc We cleared the road, and scattering
the clayey mud far and wide, Taylor came
down at the full jump.
| A battery of light artillery coming into
action is splendid sight; it makes the
blood tingle in the cheeks, and the eye
kindle with enthusiasm Then the drill
is tested; then your "left-abouts' anG
"countermarches," "wheels" and "rever-
ses," come into play "under creditablt
circumstances; then your horses are lion.
on the spring, and your men tigers at the
guns; then your smooth and bright little
"sixes" below, and quiver, and recoil, and
deal death with a venom and cclerity il
special contrast to their mechanical repost
upon the trim terre plein of some peaceful
holiday fort.
Such were the thoughts suggested, light
ming like, by Taylor's compact, swift and
graceful movements into battery" He
did not come off so we'll, however: "twc
officers and twenty men wounded, and fif-
teen horses crippled" left the guns short
handed, and the mud of the field in which
they were, at each recoil closed around the
wheels with such tenacity, that it was with
wonderful exertion the pieces were re-
moved. Mais rereaons
We set forward again at the run, as soon
as Taylor had passed, and in ten minutes
we were being handsomely peppered.
Through corn-feld of dense and luxuri-
Gus growth-(ten feet or more in height,
and twice as thick as we plant it)-lay the
course pointed out by an engineer, to what
was considered sore gna battery" We
marched, or rather ran, in fronting the
storm of balls, "by company into line :"
you could not see three feet on any side,
and the stalks were clipped and torn all
around by scythe of balls. One look l
cast at my captain when he sprang into
the corn, and when I saw him again, the
dcath-rattle was in his throat.
0nward-spurred almost to madness by
the fire, the thick growth, and the uncer-
tainty-unconscious of his fate, on l
rushed, with few men; and after falling
into drain, from which I was jerked by
the first sergeant, we at length cleared the
corn!
Merciful heaven! we were fifty yards in
front of regular field seorh-two salients
and curtain-containing at least three
thousand infantry, with the whole army
in reserve, and scren guns in embrasure
and barbette, keeping time to the continued
roar of musketry. The rain Of the night
before had given it a Shiny parapet and
wet ditch !; and as soon as We showed our
selves, we were mark for a thousand
muskets. "One gun battery" indeed !
my heart jumped into my throat My
had evidently entered through
the densest growth, and were in advance
of the rest of the regiment, which had
been organized by its able commander, in
readiness to take advantage Of a closer and
more reasonable reconnaissance. This l
learned afterwards.
"What shall we do, Lieutenant p
screamed the sergeant. -.
"Blaze awayl said !, temporizing in
this answer; for 1 plainly saw that some
thing else must be done.
He leveled his piece with deliberate aim,
and discharged it into the blazing crest of
the work, and was "ramming cartridge
for a second shot, when conyulsive leap,
the blood pouring from his breast, and his
gun rattling to the earth, told me he was
-. ,L.u-l IL. b,n-f1 courht hin, 20