Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1871-03-31

such cries and shTleks as these greetei
the ear:
20 Godi why can'tI die?'
g My God viii no one have mere
and kill me and end my misery p
Oh, stop one minute and take mt
out and leave me to die on the road
side"
am dying I am dying! Ny poo
wife, my dear children what viii be
come of your
Some were praying others were utter
ing the most fearful eaths and execra
tions that despair could wiring fronltheu
in their agony. Occasionally a WagoE
would be passed from which only low
deep means and sobs could be heard. r.
No help could be rendered to any ef thg
sufferers. On, on we zEfkSL move On
The storm continued and the darkness
was fearful. There was no time even to
fill a canteen with water for n dying man,
for, except the drivers and the guards
disposed in compact bodies every hall
mile, all were. wounded and helpless in
that vast train of misery. The night
was awful, and yet in it was our safety,
for no enemy would dare % attack Us
when he could not distin uish friend
from foe. We knew that when day
broke upon us we would le harrassed
by bands OF cavalry hanging on our
hanks. Therefore our aim was to 90 as
far as possible under cover-of the night,
and so we kept on. 1t was my sad lot
to pass the whole distance from the rear
to the head of the column, and no Ian
guage can convey an idea of the hor-
rors of that most horrible of all nights
of our long and bloody wal
DaybTeak on the morning of the 9Th
found the head of our coluf4n at Green
castle, twelve or fifteen mil from the
Potomac at Williamsport, cur point Of
crossing. Here our apprehendedtr troubles
from the Union cavalry began. From
the fields and crossroads they attacked
US in small bodies, striking the column
where there were few or no guards. and
creating great confusion.
To add still further to our perplexities,
a report was brought that the Federals
in large force held WiliamspOrt. This
fortunately proved untrue. After a great
deal of harrassing and desultory fight
ing along the road, nearly the whole
immense train reached Wilhamsport a
little after the middle of the day. The
town was taken POSSESSION of; all the
school-houses, ETC., were con-
verted into hospitals, and proving in
many of the private houses
were occupied. Straw was obtained on
the neighboring farms tie wounded
were removed from the agons and
housed the citizens were all put to
cooking and the army surg 2ns to dress
ing wounds. The dead v'-re selected
from the train-for many lad persisted
on the way-and were decently buried.
All this had to be done because the ire
rains had raised the river more
han ten feet above the fording stage, and
we could not possibly cross.
Our situation was frightful. We had
over 10000 animals and all the wagons
IF General Lees army under our charge, 4
md all the wounded that could be
brought from Gettysburg. Our supply
IF provisions consisted of a few wagon
Dads of -four and a small lot of cattle. 4
Ny effective force was only about ?, 100
nen and twenty-odd field pieces. We
lid not know where our army was; the
liver could not be crossed and small !
parties of cavalry were still lowering
around. The means of ferriage con
sisted of two small boats and a small
wire rope stretched across the river,
which owing to the force Of the swollen
current broke several times during the
lay. To reduce the space to be defend !
d as much as possible, all the wagons |
md animals were parked close together
IN the river bank.
Believing that an attack would soon |
De made upon US, I ordered the wagon !
RS to be mustered, and, taking three,
3ut of every falr, organized them into /
and armed them with the
Weapons of the wounded men found in 4
he train By this means added to my /
effective force about FIVE hundred men. !
Slightly wounded officers promptly Yol- /
inferred their services to command these
soldiers and many Of our
Iuartermasters and Commissaries did |
he same thing. We were not seriously /
on the 9Th; but next morning
about nine o clock information reached |
ne that a large body of cavalry from /
Maryland, was rapidly adj /
-ancing to attack US. As we could not
etreaI further, it was at once frankly |
made known to the troops that unless
We could repel the thIeatened attack we
should all become prisoners, and that /
he loss of his whole transportation /
would probably ruin General Lee; for
could notbe replaced for many months, I
at all, in the then exhausted condition /
IF the Confederate States. So far from
the ardor of the troops, this |
rank announcement of our peril inspir- !
I'd all with the utmost enthusiasm. Men
and officers alike, forgetting the suffer
ngs of the past few days, proclaimed |
heir determination to drive back the |
force or perish in the attempt. /
All told, we were less than 5000 men.
The advancing force we knew to be
more than double ours, consisting, as
we had ascertained, of FIVE regular and
sight volunteer regiments of cavalry, /
With eighteen guns. all under the com
mand of Generals Buford and Eilpat-
rick. Wehad no works of any kind /
the country was open and almost level ]
and there was no advantage of position \
we could occupy. It must necessarily /
be a square stand-up fight, face to face. 4
We had twenty two field guns of vari-
Gus calibre, and one Whitworth. These
were disposed in batteries, in semicircle,
about one mile out of the village, on the /
of very@slight rising groundI
that lies back of the town. Except the. |
our troops were held out of
view of the assailants, and ready to be
moved promptly to any menaced point
along the whole line of nearly two miles
IN extent. Knowing that nothing could
save but bold q bluff game, orders
had been given to the artillery as soon
as the advancing forces came within
range to open fire along the whole line,
and keePit up with the utmost rapidly.
a little after one o clock they appeared
on two roads in our front, and our bat-
teries opeRed. They soon had their guns
in position, and very lively artillery
fight began. We fred with great rapid
ity, and in less than an hour two of our
batteries reported that their ammunition
was exhausted. This would have been
fatal to US but for the opportune arrival
at the critical moment of an ammuni-
ton train from Winchester. The wag-
ons were ferried across 10 our side as
soon as possible, and driven on the field
in a gaHop to supply the silent guns
Not having men to occupy half our line,
they were moved up in order of battle.
first to one battery, then withdrawn and
to another. but out of
view of our assailants till they could be
shown at some other point on our line.
BY this maneuVring we made the i'm