The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1861-09-06

oi stnlluS uust, a!LeF conllofleSS ana
noisome night in swamp and dripping
meadow, without one full and wholesome
meal and hence, mischievous as were
the irregularities Of the advance, they are
easily to be explained and generously for
given. Many brave poor fellow Of the
Goth, who would have thrown himself
against rebel battery that moment, and
never given a thought to what the conse
quences to himself or his lonesome wife or
his little ones, might be, used to expostu-
late with me, when, acting as | did as
Major, and in that capacity endeavoring
to keep the regiment full and close, I used
to urge and bid back those who threw
themselves, every now and then in search
Of water from the line of march.
"Heavens! we'd die for you, Captain -
they used to exclaim, with agony, "bu:
we can't stand this drought"
Exelamations such as these could find
no answer, and certainly no rebuke; and
hence it was that many time gave way
and silently, though vexed and maddened
almost, suffered these outbreaks, for water
along the road.
Gen. M'Dowell, in his report of the bat
tie of Bull Run, mentions the few miles
H. ITn,o, forooc boJ ~ ,,orol oool Ior
lays particular stress, it seems to me,
upon the fact, that Gen. Tyler's division,
of which the Goth was the pioneer regi-
ment, had marched six miles only from
their bivouac as Germantown, to the in
tersection of the road from that village to
the road from Fairfax, and that from this
intersection there were but six miles and
half more to ertrevlle-mentions that
he himself rode on and urged the advance
that night to Centreville, and that, despite
of all he could say or do, it was impossible
for him to get the column to advance fur
ther than within four miles of Centreville.
All this is true. True as an honest intre-
pid soldier-a gentleman and cheUazier
as Gen. MDowell unquestiOnably is
could write it.
But the General, whilst he enumerates,
by the surveyors chain, the few miles we
had to march, overlooks the scorching
and disabling heat, the preparations for
attack we had to make On our approach
20 and outfanking Fairfax the rush the
Goth made to cut off the retreating South>
erners-the halts, under an exhausting
and deadening sun, whilst their barricades
of trees were cut through and thrown
aside-the fierce exposure to the same
fierce sun which, drawn up in line of bat
tie, the Goth had to stand in the fields after
they had passed the abandoned earth
works of the enemy at Germantown
and last of all the frenzying heat, and dust
and ruggedness Of the road beyond the
intersection of the roads from Germantown
and Fairfax-all this Gen. MDowell over
looks, or considers it unnecessary to al.
lude to, in his report.
For nv pant, l must say, that no sol
diers could have rushed 10 battle with
heartier elasticity and daring than did the
soldiers of the Goth, on the evening Of the
18th of July; and my admiration of then
and my confidence of them were increased
and intensified by the fact, that they ha(
the worst of treatment for five days previ
Gus, and that their Brigadier, Col. Sher
man, had no sympathy whatever will
them. Despite of all their hunger, thirs
and exhaustion-keenly feeling, as Irish
men alone can feel, that they had been
somehow or other, played and trifed will
and defrarded-that they had been pre-
cipitated into action when their term Q
service to the United States had expired
the Goth, bearing the Green Flag present
| ed to them in recognition Of their refusa
to participate in the reception of th
Prince of Wales-still heartily and enthu
siastically pressed on. The Goth woul'
not abandon the Stars and Stripes what
ever injustice was done the three month
volunteers, or however violently intereste
parties, high or low, ambitiously or feal
/ fully excited, expected or exacted thei
continuance in the campaign beyond th
Goth of July. Those who left that day
however, | contend, have right and homo
and citizenship on their side. Is it manly
is it honorable, is it sollierly to force me
/ into a confict-into fierce, desperat
fght-into a fight which upsets the
homes and unroofs and makes them desc
late forever-when they marched for on
| grand project alone-to defeed the Cap
tol-as the 7th, tae Sth, the 7lst-tl
very flower Of the New York State Militi
did-without the slightest hesitancy. Pc
suasion or demur But this is deyiatin
from my narrative, and must resume
Leaving the village of Centreville