Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-04-24


as skirmishers, Motifs battery supportinC
them With very accurate fire of shot ana
shell, The Vermontes skirmlshed un6l
noon, when they were relieved, Their fire
had been very accurate The rebel bra, ga ne
who begun daicing on their ramparts and
swinging their hats, and defyinc our troons
in the customary Southern military fashion
were dropped so rapidly by the sharpshooters
as to be soon cured of this style of warfare
The four companies OF the Sd laid down After
dinner and tho nughly rested themselves
At 5 o'clock in he afternoon they werc call.
ed up, formed into line, and told by their
Colonel in pithy speech that the work en-.
pected of them was TO charge across the
creek and take the enemys intrench nents
| Ayre's guns-all of the batteries, numbering
% pieces, were under the command Of theiT
accomplished artillery oflicer-covered the
Vermonters' advance. They marched stea.
Oily at the quick TO the edge of the creek
and plunged in, on the run. The water
deepened unexpectedly, The men were soon
wading to their be- sts, their cartridge-boxea
Slung upon their shoulders, and their muskets
held up high, The moment they entered the
| stream, the rebels Swarmed on their rife-pit
and rained fire OF bullets on the advaucins
line. The stream, as damned, was about 10
rods wide. The Vermonters loaded and fired
as they waded. Their killed and wounded
began to fall from the instant of entering the
water. Many of the latter we're sustained bv
their arms an j the collars oftheir coats, and
so helped across and laid down on the oppo.
site side, The Sd, as soon as they emerged
and got foothold received the order to
charge" With a yell, with true Green
Mountain ring in it, they dashed at the ex.
tended rifle pit, At least a regiment of reb
els broke from behind it, and ran into the
redoubt in the rear, leaving the Vermonters
in the pit. For at least an hour they fought
from here against overwhelming numbers.
receiving reiniorcements in that time, FIRST of
four companies of the 9th Vermont, and al
forwards OF four companies of the 4th Yer
mont They shot their foe principally through
the head, and so superior was their fire, and
their pluck so impressive that the rebels
moved two additional regiments INTO the fort,
and into thanking position on the left Of the
rifle pit Exposed now to cross FIRE, as
well as an inCrea, ed fire in front, the Yer.
monters, though they wanted to stay, bad to
go, In good order, covering themselves be-
hind trees, and fighting as they went, they
recrossed the stream, carrying with them all
their wounded whose condition at all proms.
ed survival OF their hurts Many were pow
shot IN the water, and drowned beyond all
possibility of help, The language of La,
noble County boy, not Is years old 81 WI'ny
SIr, 1t was Est like sap boiling in that stream
lie bullets fell SO Thick" Is go expressive
that | use It as a measure of intensity. These
brave men having backed out of the deep
water, formed on the dry land and began the
h@ht anew, while many, not detailed, but
volunteering through impulses of soldierly
devotion and personal affection, dashed into
the stream again and dragged out the wound
ed, who were cHnging to trees and sitting
with their heads just out of water Julian
Scott of the Sd Vermont, Company f, under
10 years OF age, was one of these heroes
He pulled out no less than nine Of his wound
ed comrades, He twice went'under FIRE way
across the stream, and brought back from the
slope Of the rife pit John c. Backum of his
own company, who was shot through the
lungs. Ephraim Brown, who was helping
Inns, was himself shot through the thigh in
the inside, aud disabled Scott waded back
like the boy-hero he is, and brought hia safe
ly over.
III was sight to come all the way from N.
lofk 10 see-the mastery manner In which
capt AyreS saved the 4th Vermop;'s four
companies from the fire of the rebels, who
Swarmed more than a regiment full in their
rlne-pit' The moment he saw them form, for
a Charge, Ia rode to every gun and directed
II 10 De sighted so as to shave the top Of the
ofedStwork, and then, in the magnetic man
her which distinguishes him in the field, re-
CURED his command to serve the % pieces
with the utmost possible rapidly This fire
was literally bosom of destruction. The
shells burst with precision within few inches
Oh the top OF the parapet, and over it. The
AIMS companies were saved by it. The reb-
els dared not lift themselves, or even elevate
their heads above the edge OF their breast
work to tre down on the Vermonters In the
creek. Their guns were necessarily discharp-
ed at an upward angle, and their fire almost
wholly thrown away.
AS an evidence OF the terrible accuracy of
the fire of Ayres' battery, which silenced
every rebel gun, the effect of four of his
shots are very significant A rebel regiment
was moving at right angles to his position
lie Tired conica ball at the f in which
the flag was carried, cut down the whole file
and threw the flag to the earth. The other
three shots, equally effective, scattered the
regiment like smoke.
Among the incidents of the fight was the
recovery from fever of Sergeant Fletcher
OF Company E, Sd Vermont, on the sick list,
and excused from duty, and The use he made
OF bis temporary health. He crossed the
stream and went through the 6ght-then on
his return, was among those who went back
and rescued the wounded On his return to
camp, he went into hospital and resumed his
fever, with aggravation.
John Harrington, a beardless orphan boy
Of II, unarmed, went over and rescued out
the rife pit disabled comrade
Lieut.. Whittemore commanded Company
E, which is without Captain for some rea.
son. This officer, with bis revolver, covered
Harrington ia his hazardous expedition, and
killed several rebels who aimed their pieces
at the boy. His most intimate friend in the
A m