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

up like logs. and the shrieks and grOans
of the wounded was awful to hear.
And when Lee faced southwark. fight
ing as he marched. called the roll again
None wounded, none missing. but upon
the crest of Round Top we left ten old
veterans and fourteen new men. Ten
ont of eighteen, twenty-fOur out of six
tyeight The bloodthirsty fiend who
wieldS the sword of war sheuld have
been satisfied with that. Sixteen more
widows back in the little cOuatry vii
lage, more orphans, more sobs and
tears. Not one of the living could show
Il wound, but each one of us would
have rejoiced at the loss of an arm-at
some gricvOus wound which would have
made the surgeons shake their heads
and look serious.
Only eight left Only eight out of the
one hundred and three who marched
out of the hamlet that May morning I.
The new men had fought we'll, and we
respected them, but we went on count
ing eight. Three held commissions
the other five We're sergeants-not
enough to officer the company!
In the dusk of evening StOnewall
Jackson came down through the forests
and thickets beyond the Rappahanock
and struck the Federal camps and ouen-
ed the battle of the Wilderness. The
eight old veterans of Company q were
there. and the new men made up il band
of forty strong. AS we heard the crash
of musketry over on the left, our poor.
skeleton brigade. numbering twenty
three hundred instead of four thousand,
fell into line and pushed on through the
Stunted pines attera line of skirmishers.
Company q was on the left of the skr-
mish line, and we found the enemy first
IA heavy line of gray coming through
the wilderness at IL half run. Down we
knelt among the vines and bushes. and
our fire checked them. They fired IA
few wild shots, retreated little. and
then we leaped up and drove them-a
band of forty drove il double line of
Skirmishers, supported by a line of bat
tie. History has not told it to the
world. but blood WAS left OIL the vines
and corpses on the ground to prove it.
hey were feeling over strange ground.
after foe whose strength was not
known. and that was the reason of our
success. We pushed them back to the
line of battle. attacked that. and then
we were tossed back. torn and bleeding.
almost blottcd out of existence as "A
company.
OF the eight old veterans. six were
lying dead under the trees of the new
men twenty five answered roll-call af-
ter the Wilderness Was that war or
slaughter !! \ captain and second lieu
tenant only were lett To represent the
one hundred aud three?
The end WIS not Yet. but the end was
coming. There were no new recruits
for my company. but we marched to
ward Richmond numbering twenty
seven. Has the country forgotten the
fierce conflict at Petersburg As we fell
INTO line to make twenty seven more in
the brigade, SAW the lieutenant look
ing at me. Poor fellow there was no
need for him to speak Would this
fight wipe out the old company entire
ly. OF would one he spared And which
one ! He had a wife | had none |
hoped he might live to call the roll af-
ter the battle WAS over, and that death
would have taken me.
The line quiverrd a> they felt the or
der coming, and then il dashed at an
raIthwoIk. went forward with the same
old cheer which had been its own ever
since It's hronzcd veterans heard the
whistle ef bullets. But it was too much
for us. They had forgotten how weak
we were. and some one had blundcIed.
The lines withcrcd before the storm oi
shot We fell back We charged III tun.
and | went down among the heaps of
dead and wounded. The rnar of battle
died away III Il moment: day light
changed to darkness. and when | open
ed my eyes again the surgeons stood
over me. and my left arm WAS gone.
There was no one to call the roll.
The stark, stiff form of the lieutenant
had been given to earth. and the seven
men who represented Company & look
ed to themselves. Fate had ii choice
death passed me hN. alone of the one
hundred and three veterans returned
to the country village to tell them how
this one and that one died to hear the
>"l> of widow and orphan until my
heart ached. Sometimes in my day
rcvcIics or night dreams | call the roll
again, and ShadowN forms stand in line.
and gh"Stly Voices answer AYE" and
AYE" until start up with Il sob III my
throat at the remembrance of those who
sleep in the trenches beside the Poto-
mae, meath the shadow of Round Top.
along the Rappahanock. and down
among the dark thicketS of the Wilder
ness, sleeping there never to know war
again. &. Is. Lcwis. in the GaIary for
IprH.