Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-07-06
FROM THE 18th WISCONSIN.
The Battle Before Petersburgh.
Partial List OfLOSSeS
correspondence Of the State journal.

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Nv last letter left the S7th Wisconsin vo
unteers in a state of peace on Arlingto
| Heights, D. c. Since then we have exper
| enced the actual realities q warfare in sa
and sober earnest. On the 29th of May OF
ders arrived for US TO march for Alexandris
there to take transports for White House, O
the Pamunkev river, on the following morn
ing. Accordingly at O'clock on the morn
| ing of the Goth we moved off, and after
| rather fatiguing march, for the day was warn
| and still, we arrived at Alexandra, :" all il
| good order and condition" There being n,
| transports ready for US, we lay at Alexander,
till the evening of the 3lst, when the regi
| ment embarked in three propellers whicl
anchored in the stream till the following
| morning.
| A mild and pleasant morning found Us, OF
the lst of June, steaming down the broad
still waters of the Potomac Slowly anG
steadily we steamed on, past Mount Vernon
Acquia Creek. Belle Plain, Piney Point
Point Lookout, and many place famed in
the eventful past and present OF this coun-
try's history. And so the hot afternoon sun
shone down on our decks as we steamed
down Chesapeake Bay on the young ebb tide,
our steamer rising and falling lazily to he
long swells setting in from the seward a.
night we anchored at the mouth of York riv-
er, off the city of Yorktown, waiting for day
light before proceeding up the river. Al
aybreak we weighed anchor, and standing
up the river entered the Pamunkey at 10 A.
NJ, and moored ship at White House shortly
after noon Here we found all the hustle
and stir attending the base of supplies of so
large an army as that of the Potomac. The
Sanitary and Christian Commissions, IN whose
praise it is impossible to speak too highly,
were there in active, willing and eager readi-
L. l..
around the thronged tents, ministering, as
only women can minister, 70 the wants of the
suffering wounded. Fair hands, unused to
toll, smoothed back the dark tangled hair
bathed the hot forehead, held the cooling
cordial to the heated lips, and performed all
the disagreeable and revolving duties of hos
pital nurses uncomplainingly and cheerfully.
God bless the women of America they have
not spared themselves in this our great strug-
gle for national existence, and it stands re-
corded for them, be assured both here and
on high, +" iorasmuch as We did it unto the
least of these"
We stayed here till Friday, June 10th, es-
cOrting wagon trains, guarding prisoners, &c
On the 10th we marched at sunrise for Cold
Harbor, and arrived there at IL o'clock the
same night. We were assigned at once to
the 1st brigade, Sd division, 9th army corps.
On the morning of the 18th we moved out to
the second line OF rifle pits, on Gaines Farm,
eight miles south of Richmond, and at 9
o'clock in the evening of the same day march
ed out of them with all possible quietness and
secresy. Our destination was unknown, but
we had a strong suspicion that our course
was to be James riyer-wards, and this con
lecture events finally showed to be correct.
But you will have heard, ere this reaches
you, how we marched across the Chickanomi-
II Il
how we crossed the James river; and how
the great army changed its base to this
point. The night of June 10th found US in
the front, hot and tired with lorg march
over dusty roads, day and night, with light
rations and heavy baggage, during which
many officers and men were sun struck. But
there is no rest for the wicked" and even
the righteous don't fare much better in the
Army of the Potomac. The same night we
were ordered to occupy and hold a line of
rife pits from which the rebels had Just been
driven. This we did under a fanking fire
which luckily did US no damage. Here we
lay all night keeping a sharp look out for
"Johnnies," and of course not permitted to
sleep. The forenoon of Friday, June 18th.
we rested, and in the afternoon were ordered
Up to charge a line or rebel works. This
seemed to US rather hard, for the men, I'M
used to privations and hard marching were
travel-worn and weary, but the boys brisking
up at the news, entered the field of blood
as gaily as a young lady her first ball room
The rebel works were very strong double
line of rife pits in Y shape, fanked by two
heavy batteries and commanding the whole
field. But the word given, and amid
perfect hell-fre of shot, she'll, grape, canister
and mimic bullets, the Sd brigade rushed gal
lantly on. Half of the distance had been
wit 1v~ oall loss
the order was passed down to the left to
Swing round to the right" l was forcibly
reminded of the charge of the Light Cavalry
Brigade and Tennyson's description of 1t, the
words coming into my mind even then amid
the noise and confusion of the battle
What though they knew
Seine on had blundered
Theirs not question why,
Theirs ak reply, 81. -.-.
Theirs but to do and die,
Into the jaws of death, into the gates of hell,
Charged the six hundred. .-. q. Z.
Storm ed at by shot and shell,
Bravely they charged and well,
Into the jaws OF death, into the m outh of nell,
Charg ed the six hundred.''
Our left swung round accordingly and be-
came thereby exposed to a thanking fire from
the left, besides battery in front and the
two lines OF rebel pits Our men dropped
thick and fast, and when nearly one half had
dropped, the order at length came to fall
back, and our men retreated in good order TO
the breast works
Our loss was very heavy, Major Kershaw
and our color bearer We're both shot through
both legs, the latter, Sergt. Green of Co. c,
bringing the colors back in his teeth and
drawing himself along by his hands. / am
too young a soldier IS understand strategy,
but l must confess can hardly see either the
wisdom or expediency of taking raw troops,
fatigued and wearied with long marches and
short rations, into action without any rest
and exposing them to a fire, which many vet
Grams assure me, they have never seen equal
led. But strategy is big thing, my boy
On Saturday we again advanced on the pits
which the enemy, we found, had vacated the
night before, and after marching in line OF
battle through belt of timber reformed or
the edge of an oatfeld about half mile in
width. Across this we again charged under
heavy fire driving the enemy back and
gaining possession of railroad cut in the
middle of the field which we held We twice
| attempted to charge in the course of the after
noon, but were as often compelled to fal
| back on the railroad
| Our loss has been dreadful, amounting il
| killed and wounded to l3S. Our Lieut. Col
| Major three captains and four lieutenants ar,
wounded, and one captain and lieute nant hav,
| since died. These were Captain Steven