Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1861-12-13
CAMP NEAR Nun BRANCH, MD,
Nov. 18th, '6l.

no more LOT my lie tnan w ioi
snakes.
My birthday this year was the most
remarkable of any other of my life. was
killed, as it were, and came to life again.
You have probably heard of the disas-
trous battle of Balls Bluff. / shall have
to tell you of little incident that occur
rex to me there.
About one o'clock in the morning of the
2lst of October, the whole company was
reused up to get ready to march in
half an hour. Some time in the P. NJ.
We got to Conrad's Ferry. The battle was
going on the other side, but we could
not get our battery over-there was no
commander to head things-the scows
were kept on the Virginia shore and no
re-enforcements could get over. Six of
us cannonicrs with Sergeant Driscoll got
a little boat from the canal into the river
and went over to Harrison's Island-here
we met some men with the body of zen.
Raker and several wounded officers. A
man 49, us there were two howitzers on
the field in tr. IF the Massachusetts,
10Th, where the eannoniers all shot
and no one could work them. We laun-
chcd our skiff and rowed over as soon as
possible-climbcd the steep bank-turn-
ed to our left-went through the woods
keeping hold of hands, (the smoke was so
dense and the bark few so, torn by the
balls, we might get astray.) We passed
over any quantity of dead and wounded
men, of the Mass. 10Th, strcwn through
the woods. We soon came to the shatter-
ed ranks of the Mass. 10th, still standing
their ground under fire from the rebels
ten times more than they could return.
We were shown the howitaers, which were
some rods in front of our lincs--we rush
cd up, supported by several Mass. boys
and commenced firing canister. The
Mass. boys, cheered by again hearing the
roar of artillery on our side, rallied, clos
ed ranks and advanced to us. We had
fired but few shots when the rebels, re-
inforced, poured tremendous fire into US
and advanced. When their bayonets be-
came visible through the smoke we in
with double canister. | primed the
vent No. fired the gun too soon.-it
recoiled and knocked me senscless. The
last | remember was to see the fire leave
the muzzle of the piece and the glistcning
of the rebel muskets just coming through
the smoke. When | came to | raised my
head, the two howitzers were there
the field was strewn with dead and all
kinds of implements of war. The woun-
ded were all taken away. 1t was just
twilight. l raised myself with difficulty.
/ was so weak l could scarcely walk. My
head ached and was dreadfully swollen
where the cannon hit me. l went towards
the river-on seeing rebel picket near
where we crossed, turned up the river
around him. saw many dead bodies by
the landing, where our forces retreatcd.
| went up the river about mile-coming
to some hay-stacks and seeing no one l
got between them, and the MI ht being
rather cloudy and warm, soon fell asleep.
| walked up twenty or thirty times with a
severe pain in my head and shoulders. If
| had not been most dead with fatigue l
could not have slept at all. After long,
long time morning dawned and with it
came rain, slow steady rain and cold
wind was kept up all day. In the course
of that dreadful long day put my hand
into my pocket for my knife. ! found
not only that gone but my purse contain
ing $40 gold piece rebel was
tickling over that. My memoranda book
with $40 more were safe in my inside
pocket. wondered why they did not
take my boots, as they were new, long
legged 81 pair. Towards night, as the
storm continued, | had one of two things to
choose--give myself up to the rebel pick
ct or swim the Potomac. They were so
near heard them balboa to our men to
come over and take our Yankee dirt off
their virgin soil. ! was very weak and
faint with hunger, yet 1 decided to swim
if drowned, rather than to lay in some