Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-07-06
~HARKER's

HARKER's ASSAULT.
Harker's brigade held the rightofNew
toms division, the 125th Ohio, Col. Op-
dycke, in advance. Like Wagner's it
was deployed into a column Of divisions,
the six regiments forming a column Just
thirty lines deep. When the bugle peal
ed forth the clarion note for the advance,
the brigade sprang into line, and marcp .
ed boldly from their trenches, sweep -.
over the enemy's scattered pickett Ing
gaining the rife-pits where the 81 .I
ers were posted. The enemy onana5
terrible fire OF musketry, grap< opS -,
lister, but our boys poured in 20 tbarao;.l
equi-distant from the he yst;Ia tranoLaS
and began to ascend tie siona bara.S
fast becoming slipper with bIooS A,
ms monlent, : oAsse ~ opened on theil
right, entlading .tLe column and disor
derlng It's ines' " Ithout, however, lessen.
ing the lmpetoosity of the lads. Many
swarmeo 70 The rebel works, and after
vainly ende avoring to scale the works
took lodguient at their base, fighting des.
peratelY within reach of each other over
the parapet, so close that several of an
advance regiment were dragged over by
the hair and captured.
The struggle lasted one hour and twen-
ty minutes, regiment after regiment
planting its colors on the ramparts only
TO be driven back. Harker, the fearless
and beloved commander, upon whose
shoulder the star had rested but a brief
month, fell MORALLY wounded at the head
Of his column and died two hours after.
No one who saw his cheerfulness on 90
ing into the fight, and his glorious bear
ing during the action to the moment he
was hit, would have dreamed that a few
hours before he had quietly handed a
packet to a comrade not selected for the
assault asking him to send it home. al
shall be killed" said he, in conclusion
Stout hearted, kind, noble Harker; such
souls as yours are the safety of the coun
try. The yawning rent in our forur
would have closed when you fell With -
instant and thunderous olang, if a t. nan1
the richest treasure of the Repubf 49,
the only sacrifice demanded. Tn rnIie
brigade at last fell back, briE eino 49,
dying chief with them, leaving a 6fth &c
their number killed and wounded on AZ
held; and to the internal infamv of a.
wretehes who fought us at that no;nt
several of the latter were made -
after u troops had retired. L-iaptoSs-s
Benham of Harker's brigade, was one af
the victims, the internal devils shooting
at him deliberately, as he lay bleedinoo 6
the ground between the lines, and bitfino
him not less than four times. This i the
only instance in which / obtained the
name, but many who participated in the
assault assured me that other wounded
officers were similarly butchered.
KimbalPs brigade, though it did not
endeaVor to storm the rebel works, acted
ehclently as a support, and being without
our trenches and within range of the en-
envy, Its loss was scarcely less than that of
Its fellow brigades. No higher compli-
ment can be paid any body of troops that
say that they endured a heavy FIRE
which they might not return, coolly and
without wavering. The loss in the brig
ade Is 1913, including Lieutenant Colonel
Chandler and other valuable officers.
OPERATIONS ON THE RIGHT.
With this recital the history of the as
'aults of the 9th ends. On no other
of the rebel line was a storminQ
hurled, though while the events
have related were transpiring, Dodge
Blair on the left, and Hooker and
'chofeld on the right of Davis division.
made 4 strong demonstration; 6eary's d.