The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1864-07-26

anu io'tS "urc eaheh Dy "a negro Drlg
ade! just before our coming, and hels
by them udtil we came up as reinforc
ments. This was under Gen. Butler
but our further progress was to be mos
bitterly contested. All the long and
weary night ofthe 18th, the sound OF
cannon and musketry was evidence Of
the watchfulness of both sides, and the
determination to win or lose only by
the hardest dealt blows. AS l witness
ed the splendor of bursting shells high
in the air during the darker hours OF
night, felt certain tina. war genius
was controlling the battle this side OF
Petersburg favorable to our cause
Yet nothing decisive was the result
until the next night. The ceaseless
cannonading all day of the 18th, only
evince the earnestness of our men to
advance upon the further lines Of the
enemy neared the railroad leading
south ofPetersburg. With the coming
of night the battle became fercer with
the pickets and skirmishers, until it
grew into an awful conflict. At about
p. m, the I'd division of Burnside's
corps was ordered to charge upon the
the enemy and take their entrench-
ments. This was donel
Our hospital lay to the east about
u miles from the scene of action, Just
out of the range ofthe euemy's SHE'LL
Yet their occasional visits near to our
quarters, and explosions was quite
sufficient to crafty our curiosity. But
as yet the fearful results have not reach
ed us. Not until after the protracted
had ceased, and the sound of cannon
and musketry died away to leave sol
emn and strange stiffness upon the mid
night air, did we realize the fearfulness
of the mighty struggle. Then the am
balances came pouring in from the
front all filed with the fallen brave, to
share the necessary aid afforded by our
several skillful, faithful and noble heart
ed surgeons as connected with the Sd
division of the 9th corps. j can speak
understandingly only of this division,
as am confined exclusively with it as
many of you know. Other divisions of
course were in the fight and suffered
the rame fate as ours. But it was the
extreme sacrifices and loss life, and
limb, with the lst Michigan 5. s., that
came near home to the sympathies of
my own heart, than any other. And
here they are, stretched out upon the
ground under every bush, arbor or tent
The poor shot-and-shell mangled OBJ
jects of sanguine conflict Three sur
gical and amputating tables are under
the special charge ofsurgeons FRENCH,
Goth Mich, Fox, sth Mich, and WHE-
Ian, of the lst Michigan Sharpshoot-
ers, whose kind, tender and noble su-
pervisions in treating the vastly com
plicated cases of the wounded soldiers,
cannot well be excelled in the Army OF
the Potomac. And here were gather
ed in the fresh harvest of the fallen i'll
battle, for the memorable day and night
of June 18th for this single hospital de-
partment alone How many were
borne away to the several other corps,
and their divisions, we have no means
of Judging. But this spectacle was Of
itself enough to sadden and make sick
the stoutest hrart of humanity. Here
lay many a manglcd form with whose
person we had long been familiar
writhing in their gore; and sending NJ
such piteous means as will never va
cate the chambers of my soul. Al
night long our Surgeons toiled on over
their tables with a worthy solicitude
and zeal for the mitigation of the suff'
ering slain.
The lst Michigan S. S. were among
the most fearfully endangered und ex
posed in their day and night conflict
1t is ''The 'front.'" and the "Onwart
Charge" thas tests the true courage ant
patriotism of our soldiers, and our regi
ment has passed the usual ordeal to de
termine its true character.
lam reluctant at this time to tar
nish the lustre of her glory and fame
because a few of her officers have play
ed the part of the most contemptibl,
towards and sneakes that ever cringei
and crawled upon the lap of mothe
earth have fought and skirmished a
none but ''indians" can do. A "foot'
wound obtained some doubtful way o
other at Spottsylvania G, III, took thei
Captain from them. Since then Lieut.
DRrcGs has commanded the compan,
as brave and faithful officer.
Col. DELANp, from injuries receives
by a bursting shell at Spottsylvania
was parted from his command, sine
which time he has not been with tn
regiment, o3
Major JOHN PIrER was shot throug