Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1862-04-25
Frldnr,s skirmlsh a. shnoh.

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Fridays Skirmish at shiloh.
We are permitted to publish the following
letter, giving an account of the affair of Friday,
previous to The great battle:
CAMP SmLoH, Tenn, April 5th, 1869.
DEAREST MorHER:-You may glory in usI
now. Yesterday, while drilling about mile
from here, our pckets were fired upon. In al
very few moments the I'D was on its way tol
battle at a double quick step, company in the
rear. When we arrived at convenient place,
we were deployed as skrmishers, and were TO
try and surround the rebels Henry and were
near the end of the company. The company
were in groups of four, and each group twenty |
PAGES apart. An order was given to rally onl
| first group when the front commenced TO fire,
but ceased before we could get up. We moved
around for nearly an hour in body, making
! frequent hats. Every ear was listening and
every eye watching eagerly for sound or sight
of the enemy Nearly an hour from the first
fire got sight of them again, and nearly all
got chance TO fire. We think one was killed
or badly wounded Here we found there We're
more of the enemy than we thought and so we
retreated to kind of pen built of rails and
then to a big tree on the brow of ravine. In
little time the rebel cavalry rode up in sight,
and then the fight began | could hear the balls
go "whizip" through the air, and strike the
trees around us. There were hundred and
fifty rebels against forty -four of us Once in
while one would drop from his horse or horse
would fall dead or wounded We would load,
run up where we could see, drop on one knee
take aim and fire, and then run back to load
In this way We made them believe there were
a good many more than there were of u.s. In
this part of the fight two Of our men We're
wounded, Chas. II. Bennett in the right leg and
James Titsword through the left breast above
the heart. When we had fought about three
fourths of an hour it commenced to rain and
hail, which made it difficult to load without
wetting the powder. Then the rebels retreated.
In very little time it rained so hard we could
not more than couple of rods, which was
just exactly the time for them to ride on to us
and cut us to peices. We threw out guards to
watch for them ] never knew it TO rain so
, hard. When the rain had ceased, we saw them
! forming on a sort of prairie beyond the reach
4 of our Enfelds. In a short time they gave
great shout and advanced on us. AS soon as
they were in good reach, we commenced to drop
them again. They had been reinforced to about
400 or 500, beside what may have been in re-
] serve. We fought here about a quarter of an
: hour more, during which three more were woun-
ded and several had shot holes in their clothes
! --one having a thumb broke, two shots in his
arm, one through his clothes and one in his boot.
Now was the desperate time. The rebels fired
a volley, drew sabres and began to advance
. They were on three sides of us. Our hearts
{, began to sink. We rallied round the old white
oak, each one firmly grasping his gun with its
i' powder-stained bayonet, and determined to give
: as good as we got. How fierce we felt. Our
y last chance seemed gone when volley sounded
3 in the rear Of the rebels. II was the I'D How
u loud the hurrahs sounded then 1t was the
a sweetest music ever heard The rebels turn
"a ed and fed We were saved We fired rs
u long as we could reach them, and then tool
iS TitaWO in nj after which IVp Upu r
- where part of the rebels had been. We found
y, two of them mortally wounded. Our EDfeld'
- made wicked holes. The first was n boy about
!, eighteen. He was afraid of us, and wanted tc
q know what we would do with him. We an
"a swered that we should take care of him as we
> would of our own men. Thus assured his fears
were allayed. The other was a man about 25
:, We carried them as far as the pckets where we
u had to leave them, for we could carry them no
% farther. Each one said there were four or five
hundred of them. They were from Alabama
:, were well dressed and pretty well armed. These
IL two men died last night The rebels had car
= ried all their wounded and dead away; but oW
81 cavalry say they saw about 90 dead rebels in
the woods, and there must have been many
~ wounded. l saw four dead horses. Company
A passed over the ground where our heaves
ne IRE was aimed, and found great many sabres
= pistols, guns, blankets and every thing they
~ couldn't take away. They had battery no
y far from where we were, and the cavalry follow
~ ed them nearly into it, have heard our meI
took two pieces of artillery, but am not certain
q if it be true. None on our side We're killed
=, but Major Crockett fear, is prisoner. The
40 last seen of him he was riding like flash thTo
N u, the woods, followed by dozen rebel horsemen
u He had no arms with him and couldn't igh
= them A Sergeant and Corporal were takei
3 prisoners from company H. Company H ha,
four wounded, one the Color 6ergeant--Dr
~ ~ Gessner's son. He was taken prisoner and toll
,f hole l.
na would not do. The rebel drew a revolver an
~ ~ snapped it at him, but it missed FIRE. He ra
va while the rebel was cooking it again when tn
-, fellow shot and hit him in the shoulder. ou
- men took nine or ten prisoners, who said "the
~ hadn't thought we could shoot so well. w
nt must have killed about as many us there wef
@ ' Of us for every man took aim, and there AZ
W 4, some who dom miss often. Grin England an
~ Eugene Rawson were with our company, an
" neither one Of them had even pistol. Bot q
& soon as Titsword was wounded, Orin took hi
n gun and cartridge box and fought well, Will
n, Eugene stood upwith the boys and talked an
: laughed, and told them to keep cool and tax
ne good aim. It was no light matter to stand u
~ ~ unarmed and LOT Of rebels shooting 1T you
10y Our fight will not probably appear in the pa
y, pers, but we Ind hard struggle and againi
~ ~ most fearful odds. Ten to one is great disad
"P vantage. Two minutes more and company
79d regiment o. " T. would have been no NOR
We NOAAQ nave All Dccn ahi4AIu8 Apl tHCu VI
~ a., would have died fighting. II would have bee
Nv barren victory, for there would have been
dead rebel or two for every one of us. o.
bayonets were fixed, and they are sorry thing
10 run upon We were willing 10 stop fighting
How soon we viii have another fight, | don
ou know, but any minute the long roll may soun
nd for battle. We may fight and die, but Mothe
yn. your sons viii never quail.
II is getting too dark TO write, 50 must clos
'"o Good bye, dear Mother, aud remember II di
pre- il is for my country.
Of Your son, CHESTER A. BUCKLAND.
s. B. Ames of Clyde, member Of the 72
afe Ohio Regiment, died on the 18th inst, ast
,n- he reached the Third Street Hospital Cincinnati
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