Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-11-12

serpent tongues arc udTliHR OUT aIbuHS
the guns of the battery, officers urging
ON the men, cannoniers springing TO the'l
work, wounded horses rearing and plung
I ing. appear and disappear in the shifting
smoke. Quickly the scene changes. On
the left the smoke lifts up-rolls away tC
the right, and there, in battle array, are
the long, gray lines OF the enemy. The
! Adiutant has borne the order down 10 the
left wing Co. A opens fire, + follows, and
now the whole line is engaged. Noiley
answers volley, and the roar OF six hun
dred rified muskets, is added to the deaf
ening dire. The men came boldly up TO
| the work not man shrinks from his
duty. The first excitement has passed
away, and each loads and fires, unmind-
full of what Is going on around hIm. Hot
ter grows the contest-vollies of musket-
| ~ are broken into crashes-crashes are
mingled into one loud, incessant roar
The air is filled with flying balls whose
sharp .'whiz," and more startling "zit, "
have become familiar to the ear. Many
of the bravest and best 90 down before
this terrible fire, but the ranks close stern
ly up and boldly face the leaden Storm
| Closer press the lines OF the enemy-you
can hear their cheers above all the roar
of battle, and there, through the rifted
smoke, can see the red barred banner of
rebellion Haunting defantly in our very
faces Fix bayonets," the order comes
from Gen. Terrill, himself, who is with us
on the right. Col Hall is further down
the line to the left, where the compact
columns of the enemy are crowding close
upon our flank. Sharply the steel rattles
and the glistening bayonets are set. Then
comes the loud command, charge, don
let them take the batteryl' The ranks
spring forward right into that fearful
storm of shot. Not a man falters-the
living close over the dead, and with firm
and steady step move on. New ranks OF
the enemy spring up-new vollies smIte
our advancing line. 1t falters-wayers-
reels backward before that storm OF lead,
but does not break. Once more, led on
by Gen. Terrill and Major Perkins, those
brave men move forward against the foe,
now swarming round the silenced guns.
Louder rise the cheers of the enemy
fercer grows the decimating tempest. On
the left the massed thousands of the en-
emy have forced back the l23d i'll. and
turned our flank, and now, from new
source, the grape and canister plough
through the bleeding ranks. The line
reels to and fro, unable to endure that
awful storm of shot, yet unwilling to re-
treat. Useless, vain endeavor to drive
back the veteran thousands of the enemy
crowding on in all the confidence which
success can give. The Genl gives the
command to fall back, and the lO5th is
driven from its first battlefield. Slowly,
at first, and with something like order,
the hard fought field is yielded; but soon
confused by the merciless fire of the pur-
suing enemy, and mingled with the bro
ken ranks of an Ill. regiment, companies
became scattered and order is lost. Gen.
Terrill and Col Hall however succeed in
keeping together a few hundred men
from various regiments, many from the
l05th, and these fell back in good order,
from position to position, until finally they
form in the rear of battery which they
support until night ends the terrible con-
test.
The shot and shell from the enemy's
batteries are continually ploughing up
the ground around us, and bowling over
our heads, occasionally striking in the
ranks. Here falls Gen. Terrill, mortally
wounded by the fragments of a she'll
L1CIC. lOO, 10 SlEuCh q
shot, Capt Riker of the l05th. Lying
there in the rear of that battery, anxious
ly watching the varying fortunes OF the
battle, we saw with joy the veteran regi-
ments of Rosseau move forward to the
field of strife, and felt that the days dis
asters were ended that victory would fl
nally be ours. Soon the louder roar OF
battle on the right, the clouds of smoke
rolling up from the woods then, announc- |
ed that Rosseau's men were engaged
The strife was long and doubtful. The
close, fierce vollies of musketry, the cheers
of the combatants as the battle line swerv- |
ed to and fro, told how fearful was the
contest upon the issue of which, our for |
tunes rested.
UPON THE CLOSING ScENf
Of blood, the sun went down. As the |
shades of evening closed around the con-
tending armies, the battle scene was aw-
fully grand and imposing. Thick clouds |
Of smoke settled like a dark pail over
both friend and foe, pierced at intervals,
by the lightning fash that sent hurting
through the air, from cannon's mouth,
the deadly iron. Those dark woods were
lighted by the incessant blaze of musket-
r.. Howling shells were flying through |
the smoky air, and marking the evening
skv with long curved lines of fire, occa-
ending just over the tops of the
trees, in rings of white smoke with CEN
ters of flame, but oftener disappearing in
the battle smoke below. Gradually the
roar of musketry ceased; the echoes of
the deep mouthed cannon, died away
among the hills. The battle was ended.
: And thousands sank down on the ground OverpOu
rbe weary TO sleep. and the wounded to de-
Silence, save the groans of the wound
I'd and the sad signing of the wind thro'
the trees, rested upon
THE MooNLIT BATTLEFIELD,
where SO many of our brave boys were
sleeping the last long sleep of DEATH
Having heard that many of the wounded
l05th boys were lying in small raylne
upon the outskirts of the battlefield
Spalding of Co. G, and myself decided to
visit the place in search of our friends
whom we supposed to be wounded and
upon the field. We passed
the lines of the ID Ohio, and
soon came upon thescen of strife. Here
and there, lying upon the cold ground,
were the bodies of men, some dead, some
diving, and others merely disabled. As
we advanced the bodies became more nu-
merous, in some places lying in heaps OF
three or four. Some lay on their faces,
and others on their backs, gazing with
cold stony eyes up into the clear, bright
heaven, and others again were lying with
their heads resting on their arms, as qui.
etly as though they slept, and dreamed
the pleasant dreams of home. Men torn
and mangled, yet living still, were lying
there, some calling with faint husky voice
for ''water," others motionless and silent,
whose labored breathing, only, indicated
that they lived. Here are men and horses
piled among the broken wheels of cais-
son, and there, little further on, lies a
boyish form whose face upturned to the
pale moonlight, wears even in death,
pleasant smile, Overturned wagons, bro
ken muskets and shattered drums, all the
dread debris of battle is here in profu-
sion. 1t was sad and mournful scene,