Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1863-09-03

| I remember, the second day after tn
battle, wounded horse from batter
(which was standing here. Ii could no
lie down. 1t stood waiting death
emaciated, groaning with pain. I re
member the beseeching look, the dunn
, appeal as passed by-s l,ok Of intel
| lligence. its demand for sympathy ant
help almost human.
II the blows which Hooker gave her,
had been little more powerful, or i
Mansfield and Sumner had given their
at the same time. we should have car
ried those limestone lodges, folded bacl
the Rebel left. and won the day; buI
it was not 80 to be.
Here is the debris of the fight-old
fboots, shoes, haversscks, belts, olethel
Amoldy in the dsmpness OF the " )
You see the fattened bullets sEzea,
the leaves, the fragments Of shells,
and sickening to the sight. her.
and there skulls upon the giound, and
the blesching bones Of horses and men
The Rebels buried In haste, before
their retreat, portion of their dead,
TO hide their losses. 1t was seraping
away of leaves and mould-s shallow
excavation. The dead were tumbled
in, few shovels full Of earth thrown
on top, washed of BY the 6rst shower,
and the molding corpses became food
for the swine.
THE DUNKERs' CHURCH.
Passing down the turnpike you come
to the Dunkers' church, q small,
square, brick, one story building in the
corner OF the woods q mile and bali
north of Sharpsburg. Its walls are
pock- marked with muskets and rife
bullets. There are great holes where
solid shot crashed through openings
where shells tore out the masonry
1t is windowless--simply monument
attesting the 6erceness Of the fight
In front OF il was a Rebel battery. At
its doorstep lay a Major, Captain
and eleven uen, all dead. There was
the cannon they had fred, sileneed-
not man left!
With what tenacity they held this
position. How Mans6eld's and Sum-
lsfr els batteries hurled their bolts upon
this spOtl How tie Rebel shot came
back to usi l remmember one uncom-
lfortabIy near. as l gaEed at this church
from our line in that corn6eld east oil
the pike, where Generals Green and
Williams stood with the two divisions
Of Mans6eld's corps.
While examining this position, Gen.
Green and staff rode up. He kindly
pointed out the position occupied by
bis division during the day, and stated
what l did not before know, that in
the charge which his troops made, the
Rebel line was driven from its position
by the church, and from the woods
around it. He also said that if be
had beeu properly supported he could
have beld his ground. | remember the
reserve srtillery-6fty pieces--which
were behind Sumner and Mansfield,
and louged 60 see them laundering
upon the church. If they had been
put into position the Rebels would
have been routed here.
Green and Williams were obliged to
fsH back. They took position in the
Geld Just east Of the turnpike, and
not ia the roads north Of Mums's
house, as I stated in my account Of
the battle. There they waited the sp-
preach Of the enemy the long lines
and dense masses advancing, like the
waves OF the ocean. TO be hurled back
broken, like the breakers from the
lodges of Nahant. General Green
gave the exact position Of the lines.-
Tourists, when they visit the battle
field. may End it by taking the road
which leads northeast from the Dun.
kers' church; to 60 out about sixty
rods and look into the northwest and
you will have the direction Of the line
Here Stonewall Jackson was discom.
fitted. He had massed his troops in
the woods around the church, and
moved out to break our centre. Greer
and Williams stood in silence. i did
not allow my men to Ere until they
were within an hundred yards, and
then the whole Rebel line melted
away said the General. as we sur
veyed the spot. / remember that vol
ley. It was one long unbroken roll
like the fall Of the walls Of a gres
building long. loud roll and crash
and then a patteriDg FIRE like rain
drops on g roof. with the cannon
pounding in like hammer strokes from
the sledges Of Titsns.
There by the residence l met MI
Muma, whose farm buildings were be
tween the two armies. His famil
fed before the battle to our lines
, Our shell set his barn on FIRE, and th
Rebels, TO complete the work Of de-
, struction. applied the torch to hi
. house. His crops were ruined-hi
fences all destroyed. But be has nc
q set down and pined and moaned at bi
loss. A new house is up, fences ar
rebuilt. The place has been busy, sn
, now the reaper is in his fields, cuttin
the grain, ranker, richer, fertilized wit
human blood. South Of his house j
: Mr.. Rulett's. Here. leading from tn
house up to the turnpike is Blood
: Lane. Never shall / forget no,
. French on the north, and Richardso
: on the south swept past Rulett
through the orchard, up the bill to u
lane where II. Hill had placed bis me