St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-05-05

counting fIfty-twO, and felt as if the
strangers were intruders. My commits
sion OF captain came one day, and the
Two ileutenants were men who had
bravely won their shonlder-straps.
AT Sharpsburg we numbered forty
nlne-torty nine old veterans. | me m.
The other three had been killed ON
picket. AS we deployed to the left of
the pike and filed across the fields.
wondered If the new men would do us
credit. We were eighty strong as ii
company land over thirty of the men had
never been under fire. Lees artillery
was pounding at our columns half an
hour before OuI brigade got the order
TO move. Meadows, fields. groves.
knobs, fences and creek and we
knew that Lee was standing on the de
fenslve, and had IL strong position.
When the word came | could see that
some of the new men trembled. but the
old forty-nlne took up their knapsacks
as II We were breaking camp. Down
across the field we went, following the
double line of skirmishers, and at last
we struck the enemy. He had fence.
IA long ditch, and line of willows, and he
did rot yield till we crushed him 10y
weight of numbers As he retired we
followed, men falling dead every mo-
ment. Unknown teus IL weak three thou
sand were piercing Lees line. He SAW
his danger, and Il battery wheeled into
the gap, opened on us, and the left and
centre of our brigade swung back under
the fearful rain of grape shot and she'll
The right caught the order to retreat,
and to go forward. Some fell back I:
others leaped the dicth with wild
cheer, and charged the battery. Com
pany q led. Half way to the guns we
left the recruits behind, and only the
forty-nine kept on Men could pause
aud retreat from that charge. aud no
ore could call them towards.
The smoke and the flames hid lis for
Il moment, and then We reached the
guns, leaped over them. crawled under
them, shot, stabbed. shouted and hur-
rahed. The whole battery WAS ours {:
We seized the guns to drag them off.
when IL heavy line of battle came down
through the gap, closing it up. and men
fought hand-to-hand over the cannon.
over the caiSSons. over the great heaps
of dead on the grass. Less than three
hundred Federals were lighting five
thousand Contcderates 1t could not
last long. After Il moment we were
driven back, over the ditch. beyond the
fence. and into the Federal line of bat
tie.
''Pretty hot in there. Captain '" shout
ed bilgadicr, as the torn and mangled
remnant halted to reform.
''Pretty hot - my God, it was the
work of ticnds and devils, Forty nine
of the bronZed old fighters in Company
q had dashed at the cannon , only TWEEN
tyfonr came back Twenty five were
lying dead under the guns. heaped up
SO that they blocked the heavy wheels
The recruits were there to answer
AYE" ut the next roll-call. No one
thought i'll of them; men cannot turn
to devils at once. We still had strong
company stronger than some. but we
went on counting twcuty-tour count
ing only those who would stand until
touched 10y the flame of death. Both
licutenantS were gone, and they gave me
men from the ranks.
We looked down upon the placid riv-
er from the north bank in front of Fred
eIickShug. and when the blue column
crossed we were near tn" front. We
were still twenty four. Death had tax
en- some of the new men. but the old
ones had been spared. On through the
curious old town. up through the valley
behind it. and then the line of battle
followed the line of Skirm>hcrS on to
the low stone walls behind which Lee :
veterans were painting for the word to
fire. Their sheets oftiame almost scorch-
ed our faces. The battle line melted.
doubled. twisted. and then we fell back
the living leapiug over heaps of dead.
Forward again, back again, and then
the walls were hidden from sight hV
the piles of dead dressed in blue. and
we did not charge again. Six ot the
twenty four were left close to the walls.
and eleven of the new men never AN
SwcIcd roll-call again. 1t WAS not war.
il was not murder it was butchery.
No one murmurcd. The order had come
to charge. and We bad charged. though
every soldier knew that he was charg-
ing into the open jaws of destruction.
Not Il soldier in Company q had been
wounded not one of those who fell
back to the rivers bank could show Il
scratch from bullet or bayonet. 1t had
been thus ever since our first battle.
There was nothing to report under the
head of missing" and wounded" but
all the names of those who had heard
their last roll-call went down under the
heading of .'killed in action When
they fought it was to the death.
After Fredericksburg more recruits
came down to us. We received them
kindly, but we kept Oh counting cigh-
teen, just us if Company & would he
wiped out when the last veteran went.
And they said the company WAS tatcd.
Other companies had been decimatcd.
and other companies could show long
lists of captured" and "wounded,' but
no other company in the brigade had
suffered like q.
Then came Gettysburg. The eighteen
old veterans were there, and the COM
pany numbeIed sixty eight with the
new men. Other divisions were held in
reserve, or escaped the hottest of the
fight, but ours was te beat back the
tiercest charge of the bloody war-the
charge against Round Tep. Somehow
Company G was at the front again, and
us the fierce yells of the coming Con
federates were heard above the mighty
roar of the cannon, | looked down the
line. Some of the new men were look
ing this way and that, as if seeking
cover. but the old veterans peered cool
" through the smoke, and waited with
levelled muskets to catch the first
glimpse of gray uniforms. On across
the fields came the charging, cheering
host, up the steep hillside, and then IA
sheet of flame leaped out and withcred
them. The gray line was absorbed in
that flame of death just as water dis
solves salt. But second line sprang
at us, and IL third and fourth, and then
they were at the guns which we were