The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-06-01
How Dunn Browne was taken Prisoner.
Correspondence qfMe Springfield Republican.
LIBBY Prison.


LIBBY Prison.
Richmond, Va, May 9th. 1868. {
Your correspondent was acting on the staff of
general of brigade last Sabbath morning in
the thick of the battle about Chancelioryille.
Things were i'll decidedly mixed condition.
The splendid semi-circular line of battle O f
Gen. Hooker had been broken the night before
Saturday, May 2d) by the disgraceIu failure
of the lth aud 18th army corps to retain their
entrenched position, although attacked by
greatly inferior force of the enemy. Our brig
AIDE, the LIST in French's division, in the early
Sabbath morning, was ordered to leave its po-
sition, in rifie-pits pretty well over to the left
of our line, and cross over the plank road tow
ard the right to recover the ground, portion
Oft lost the night before. Our bows charged
in splendid style through a thicket of tangled
wood for halfa mile or more, driving the en-
envy before them like chat, Staying many, TAX
ing some prisoners and fairly running over
some and leaving them in their rear. Indeed
they charged with too much impetuosty and
advanced so far that they were not properly
supported on the TANKS and were exposed to
an intilading fire of artillery as well as mus
kerry.
To halt our line and form it anew a little
further to the rear in the woods, was sent
forward by the general, together with a fine
young friend, one of his aids, both on foot, as
Jul hOioCo HCiC lclb DCulliu US Us utterly lin
practicable in that thicket of underground,
We had separated, he to the right and to the
left, delivered our order to the colonies and
assisted in executing it in the midst of a fire,
the most diabolical that my eyes have yet wit
messed, from front and rear four own artillery
from behind the wood occasionally dropped a
shell among u.s. and both TANKS, from at least
"a different points of compass, should say,
and then fastened to retrace my steps to
report my progress to the general
was hindered some little time. In picking
up prisoners, whom didn't like to leave with
arms in their hands in the rear of our line. l
would disarm them and put them in squads OF
3 or in the charge ofsome one of our slightly
wounded men, first seeing that his gun was
loaded and capped, and then on again till l
had picked up some 20 or more of the "butter-
nuts" Had couple of the fellows ON my
hands and none of my own men in sight and
was hurrylng them forward by the persuasion
OF locked revolver, expecting every moment
to come upon our general, when all at once
pressing through terribly dense portion of
the underground, found myself face to face,
at not twelve feet distance, with at least a
whole regiment of the brownest and most ill
looking vagabonds that ever set eyes on,
every one of them with gun in his hand, who
were that moment rising up from behind
long line of rifle pits they had taken from US
the night before.
Here was fix for an amiable and well dis
posed correspondent of yours, who had trav-
elled some and ought to have known better,
to get himself into. Here was big mouth
full to swallow for belgerent patriot, intent
on squelching the rebellion, who had just got
ten his blood up hadn't been fighting more
than an hour, and was bound to distinguish
himself before night. Here was capital
chance for man who had just gotten hs hand
in Mt ha httlfn Of
put thousand or fifteen hundred more in his
bag-if they would only let him. The under
signed is compelled to acknowledge that in
this one instance he found the situation too
much for him. He had drawn mighty big
elephant in lottery aud didn't know what to
do with him. One of the impudent wretches
he had captured a few minutes before turned
round with grin and says, "Cap'en, | reckon
things is different from the way they was, aud
you'll hev to low you're our prisoner now
A very sensible remark of the young man,
and timely, though he hadn't shirt to his
back and only part of a pair of pantaloons.
Things was different from the way they WERE
with a vengeance. / gracefully lowered my
pistol to an officer who stepped out of the
ranks, and presented it to him, apologizing for
SO doing by the remark that, "doubtess it
would be more disagreeable to a whole regi.
ment to surrender to one man. than to one
uidH W sutItnucr 10 IL WuOic regiment. Inc
hard-hearted fellows didn't seem to care at all
for my misfortune, and only laughed when |
told them my story. | was courteously treat
ed and sent at once to the rear, minus my pis-
tol and trusty sword 1.-THE loss of which | the
more regretted, as it was not the purchase Of
money but the gift of friend,j and so hath
ended iuglorously, for the present, my militia
ry service.
The transition from the fierce excitement of
battle TO the quiet stiffness of my walk of near
mile through the woods with my guard, was
SO great that l could hardly realize i. Ii
seemed the fitting of vision before nv
minds eye. The roar of the cannonade and
rattle of the musketry sounded far away to
me, and was like boy rambling with a
friend in the forest of summer morning
Not for long though could the horrid sights
and sounds of battle be put away from ones
thoughts. We soon came upon other por-
tions of the bloody field and had to pick our
steps among mangled corpses of friend aud
foe, past men without limbs and limbs without
men, now seeing group of surgeons and as
slstants operating on the wounded under
tree, and now passinga group of ambulance
men carrying on stretcher some grooming
sufferer. Occasionally wounded horse
struggling in his death agony would kick at
us, occasionally wounded secesh would
mutter curse, and in little time we were
far in the rear, and was turued over to the
care of the provost marshal into a crowd of
100 captured Yankees" about to be marched
in the broling sun, without Il mouthfu to eat,
save the few who had their haversacks and ra-
tlons with them, to Spottsylvania Court
Hon. Oh. n H..