Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1863-02-18

copied by neither, bat within range Of the /
rifles Of both sides. , .. 70 -.-.i
About 3 o'clock the skirmishers on our left |
commenced advancing, driving the enemy's
skirmisbers before them, andwe were ordered
to make a similar advance, to cover their right
flank As soon as we commenced crossing
the open space, they opened FIRE on rs from
the woods, but we made the fence row with
out difficulty, where the men got little shell
ter behind the peachntreAs and houses when
the rebels, whose skiFmishers had fallen back
on their supports, opened. on our men with a
battery and sent them back on double-quick.
When we saw them falling. back on our left,
we fell back also, returning to our places in.
the woods, without loss
About 4 O'Clock, the great attack or the
left commenced and continued till nearly dark
4 We were in the centre and too far of to see
anything bu: the flashing Of the guns, but
the FIRE, both of artillery and small arms, was
furious. Towards dark it ceased, and aDodt
the same time II seems to have been suspects.
ed that the enemy designed an attack on our
centre, of which. we held the 'front.' Phe Ma
Ijor told me to-advanee withTthe -skirmishers,
to feel if they had any force in front; and
i two more companies--Cspt. Ewings and
PeatmaR's-were sent with US. They com
menced firing as soon as we showed ourselves
in the open ground and kept it up pretty
heavily, both from the front and flank. We
had gone but a short distance, when our bat
teries opened over our heads, and we laid
down for a while, to avoid their ere as well
as the enemys. We then advanced again to
the fence row and part way across the next
field, when our purpose being accomplished
! by the batterie opening, we fell back 10 the
log houses, and from there to the regiment
losing one man killed and one wounded.
Co. B. lost the same. --r. b. - Jos
When we got back to the woods where
we had lain all day, the regiment had been
relieved ard started to the left; to cross the
} river and we followed it. After. taking two
or three positions in the dark, we went into
a piece tof. woods built fires and laid down.
J 1t rained considerably IN the night but it
wasn't cold and we slep soundly-having had
scarcely any sleep for three days and two
nights.
The next morning it was raining aud rain
ed all day (Jan. 3 with hardly an internis-
sion. We formed about s o'clock, as I sup
posed for a renewal Of the attack, which had
been made the evening before on the ground
where we now were, but we were only
marched out and took up a position, behind
the breastworks, which our troops had thrown
up in, the night, on the ground gained the
evening before, from the enemy. Here we
made fires and staid all day perfectly quiet
making ourselves as comfortable. as possible
in the rain and mud, During the morning a
small ration Of secesh bacon which had been
captured in a house was served out to the
men and officers, which we cooked on sharp
sticks by the FIRE, and found very nice, About
noon wagon came up with crackers and
coffee and sugar and meat which were issued
to US. As night came on, the men got corn
stalks and weeds and made beds to keep them
out of the mud, and on these we slep very
comfortably till 2 o'clock, Sunday morning,
tho the rain continued.
At 2 o'clock we. got orders to move back
across the river, which was rising so fast with
the rain, that it was not deemed prudent, be-
Eeve 10 leave our force onthisS side isolated from
support. The march back in the night was a
hard one. The mud was deep, and the wat
er where we forded the river over boot top.
About 5 o'clock, we reached a point on the
Nashville Turnpike, some 4 miles form Muir
freesboro, where We stopped, made fires and
Immediately went to sleep my aim being to
get to sleep before daylight, which I did.
We laid here for three days-Saturday
having proved the last day Of the great bat
tie. And you may depend upon it, it was a
very welcome rest. We had nothing to do,
and officers and men, Just laid about on the
rocks, by the fires all day long, enjoying the
luxury of doing nothing, resting and talking
over the battle. We were a hard looking
set I wish you could have seen. me. Ma
ior Squires, (who hadn't much the advantage
of me either) used to laugh at me for having
the strap Of my boots sticking out through
a big hole in my pants, burnt by standing
too near the FIRE, one cold night. Ny hat
from sleeping in it, &c, was worse look
ing than the one 1 brought to Louisville,
and my appearance generally dilapidated and
forlorn. But day or two afterwards, we
got our baggage and are now all right again.
I have written an unconsctonaJly long let
ter, but when I once. got into the subject, ]
hardly knew when to stop, and have not
now written a half or a tenth Of fwhat might
e have wrote, for man sees a great deal in ten
such days as we passed through from the 26th
December to The January. The scenes on
the field during and after batde-the great
hospitals-(there was one near our camp with
near 1000 wounded) and the innumerable
incidents and stories, one hears related: fur
nished a great deal to talk or write about, OF
think about and remember.
PLEAsAxrRT.-We would not for the world
print anything which might shake the conf
dence of even the weakest sister, in Holy