Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1876-06-05


night fell, the brave fifty.two were living
and unharmed.
After Manassas they filled US up to
but somehow we went on
counting ffty-two, and felt as if the
strangers were intruders. My commits
sion of captain came one day, and the
two lieutenants were men who had brave
ly won their shoulder-straps.s
At Sharpsburg we numbered forty
nine-forty-nine old veterans. 1 mean.
The other three had been killed on
picket. AS We depleyed to the left of
the pike and filed across the fields, l
wondered if the new men would do us
credit, We were eighty strong as
company, and over thirty of the men
had never been under fire. Lees ar
tillery was pounding at our columns half
an hour before our brigade got the order
to move. Meadows, fields, groves, knolls,
fences, and creek-and we knew that
Lee was standing on the defensive. and
had strong position.
When the word came | could see that
some of the new men trembled, but the
old forty-nine took up their knapsacks
as if 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,
a long ditch, and line of willows, and
he did not yield till we crushed him by
weight of numbers. As he retired we
followed, men falling dead at every step.
Unknown to US, weak three thousand
were piercing Lees line. He saw his
danger. and battery wheeled into the
gap, opened on US, and the left and CEN
tire of our brigade swung back under the
fearful rain of grape shot and shell. The
right caught the order to retreat, and to
go forward Some fell back; others
leaped the ditch with wild cheer, and
charged the battery. Company G led.
Half way to the guns we left the recruits
behind, and only the forty-n1ne kept on.
Men could pause and retreat from that
charge, ane no one could call them cow
ards.
The smoke and the flames hid US fol
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 heavy line of battle came dowr
through the gap, closing it up, and mel
fought hand-to-hand over the cannon
over the caissons, over the great heap
of dead on the grass. Less than thre,
hundred Federals were fighting fv,
thousand Confederates 1t could no
last long. After a moment we wer
driven back, over the ditch, beyond tn
fence, and into the Federal line of bat
tie.
pretty hot in there, Captain? p shout
ed brigadier, as the torn and mangle
- -
Pretty hOt!' my God it was tn
work of fends and devils Forty-nin
of the bronzed old fighters in Compan
G had dashed at the cannon! only twer
ty-four came back Twenty-fOur wer
lying dead under the guns, heaped up s
that they blocked the heavy wheels
The recruits were there to answe
"aye" to the next roll-call. No Oh
thought i'll of them; men cannot turn
devils at once. We still had a stron
company-stronger than some, but "
went on counting twenty-four-countin
only those who would stand until toucl
ed by the fame of death. Both liel
, tenants were gone, and they gave n
! men from the ranks.
, We looked down upon the placid riv'
from the north bank in front of Eret
ericksburg, and when the blue colum
/ crossed we were near the front. "
were still twenty-four Death had take
some of the new men, but the old on
had been spared. On through the cul
/ Gus old town, up through the valley b
| hind it, and then the line of battle fC
| lowed the line of skirmishers on to &
low stone walls behind which Lees w
] Grams we're painting for the. word to fl
Their sheets of fame almost scoreh
/. our faces. The battle line melte
e doubled, twisted, and then we fell bac
: the living leaping over heaps of dea
r Forward again, back again, and tn
: the walls were hidden from sight by
f piles of dead dressed in blue, and
y did not charge again. Six of the tive
b ty-four were left close to the walls. a
:, eleven of the new men never answ,
It ed roll-eall again. 1t was not war,
: was not murder-it was butchery.
s one murmured. The order had come
t. charge, and we had charged. thou
Ie every soldier knew that he was chargi
2 into the open jaws of destruction.
d Not soldier in Company g had be
D. wounded not one of those who fell ba
$ to the rivers bank could show a scIat
h from bullet or fbayonet. 1t had bt
er thus ever since our first battle. Th'
4. was nothing to report under the head