The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1862-05-09

imcnt had left camp except co. B some three
or four days before; also that companys + and
+ had been slaughtered by the rebels. | lived
in miserable suspense until that evening when
the Adjt. Of the 47th New York came to my
quarters and told me that ! would hold my
company in readiness to march at q seconds
warning. He knew none Of the particulars,
only that companies + and F had been cut off
by the Rebels and but few OF them had as yet
reached the Coils. Head Quarters. | male
our boys pack their knapsacks, put them to-
gether AMI to keep awake, put the whole COM
pany on guard, and you can believe it is very
little sleeping did. The next morning, at 9
O'clock, received orders from Col. w. to inn
modiately march my company to his Head
Quarters, anil bring all the rations they could
carry. At 1@ p. NJ, l shook hands with him
in his quarters. The first glimpse convinced me
thrt 81 n5hng hal occurred. ] asked no qucs-
tions. Says he, "Lieut. you will fnl rooms
up stairs and opposite this in which you can
quarter your company. See that they have
10 rounds Of cartridges a piece, their canteens
constantly filled with water and three days ra-
tions in their knapsacks." In two mnuets |
met Jim. He hadiust received an order to take
the subscriber and 10 men over to Little Edisto,
recall the picket from that Island and evacua e
it. lie gave me all the particulars going along
Co. * hal II picket ut the causeway leading
to .Iehossoc co. II a picket on the bridge lead
ing to little + listo, companies + and f We're
quartered on Little Elsto, about two and a half
miles apart, co. picket near Racceon Island
On Saturday morning, the last Saturday in
March, before day light, the rebels advanced
from Raccoou and Jehossee, captured two OF
company KS pickcts at. .Iehosse, John tSaupp
being one OF the number. They advanced 50
rapidly that the pickcts had not time to give
the alarm before they reached the bridge leading
to Little Edisto on which were IIs picllets.
ii s men saw them coming, bnt thought they
belonged to our Regiment, and let them come
up very close before they halted them. when the
rebels fred, wounded sergeant, took him and
six others prisoners, crossed the bridge, and set
it on fire. About this time the Col. and Jim
got up, having heard the firing jim saw the
smoke at the bridge, and down he went, TAX
ing the Co.'s. orderly with him, When about
% yar,ls from the bridge, he heard the crowd
on the other silc say, ''hurry up boys, or you
will be too late" At the same time he got a
gii;nps, Of n fellow standing ON iriis eide of the
bridge. He stopped, and our officer halloei
over to the guard, saying, ''make him advance
and give the watch word.' Jim knew they
were rebels, for we say comte'@g7, not 'catch-
I wo,d. lie turned, jumped into a ditch and
| the bullets went over his heal, they shot at
least Is times, but didn't touch him. In the
mean time the Col. had got out the companies,
and when jim got up and told him the bridge
was burned, he asked what in the world had
become of + and f. f could be talkcdt to over
| the creek, about hundred yards above the
Coils Quarters Accordingly Jim was sent
up to see if he could see or hear anything OF
them; it was Just day light AMI when he got op-
posite Co. Els quarters he saw them drawn VI
in line Of battle; convorsed with Capt. Bennet
asked him what he was going to do. Bcnnet
replied that as he couldn't retreat, he would si
down and wait till the rebels came. The Col
had two pieces of artillery with which he scour|
ed the country in every direction save that o
Z and +. Things went on in this way for {
few hours, the bridge was repaired, Capt Ncs
bit, of co. +, had reported to head quarters, ~
follows: Before daylight he heard body o
men coming toward the house in which he wa!
quartercd, but us they kept up so much nois'
by talking and laughing, and as they were OF
the road from the bridge, he supposed it wa
lpart of the 5jth; yet he took the prccaution t'
move his company from the house some tw'
hundred yards, and put them in line of batt
behind an cmbankment in the cotton field. III
remained in this position with his whole com
panv, except his first Lieut.. 0ieut McEhancy
and six men who were out on picket until tn
crowd he had heard, came within - or l0i
yards from him, when he heard some fellow il
their ranks say, 'Iook, don't you see the Yam
kec's heads bcng the bank" which conyince
him they were rebels. He Immediately order
ed his men to fire; the rebels returned the fir
and rushed on his little squad Of sixty with
force not less than three hundred Nesbit's me-
fred so rapidly and with such COOL effect tha
the rebels could not reach his embankment IN
accordingly divided their force, sending one hal
to attack him on the left flank. Company
: stool their ground and fought them Ike heroes
} even while exposed TO double fire. Abou
this time. when the bayonets of the two par
tvs almost clashed together. some fellow pre-
posed to retreat. ''No," says Nesbt. eff we mus
die we will die facing the enemy" but the
} came on to him by hundreds and he saw tina
! in few moments more the rebel bullets tha
were cutting off cartridge-boXcs, pcnotratln
! coat tails SSc,-would not leave a man standin
in his ranks. He gave tho commanl "retrca
march and they fell back in COOL orlcr Tll
5 rebels being convinced that one Northern ma
is equal to 5 Southerncrs, instead Of the contra
rv did not follow them. Capt. Ncshlt halte
his company and called the roll. Including hi
Lieut. he had % men mssing he then told ther
S to scatter and get back to camp, the best wa
A they could; some Of them jumped into til
swamps and got by some means to the banks
t the stroam and swan over, others remained /
G the swamp for 2 hours; some made RATS an
: by that means got across -Four or five form
e cd q little boat and padded over in it. BY tn
t time, in Jin's account, we had arrived at I'll
n hattie ground. | saw where the poor fellow