The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-07-13
hcutcnants were men who had brayely
won their shoulder straps

icutcnants We're men who had bravely
won their shoulder straps.
At Sharpsburg we numbered forty
nine-old veterans, mean. The other
three had been killed on picket. AS we
deploycd TO the left of the pike aud filed
across the fields, l wondered if The new
2len would do us credit. We were so
strong as ii company, and over thirty of
the men had never been under fire. Lees
artillery was pounding at our columns
half an hour before our brigade got the
order to move. Meadows, fields, groves,
knolls, fences and n crcek-and we knew
that Lee was standing on the defensive
and had Il strong pos. ton. When the
work came I could sec that some Of the
new men tremblcd, but the old forty
nine took up their knapsacks and fell
into line rs if VIC were breaking camp.
Down across the fields we went, follow
ing the double line of skiIlnishers, and
at last we struck the enemy. He had
fence, long ditch, and line of willows,
and he did not yield until we crushed
him by weight of numbers. AS he re-
tired we followed men falling dead every
moment. Unknown to us weak 5000
were piercing Lee S line. He saw his
danger, and battery wheeled into the
gap, opened on us, and the left and CEN
ter of our brigade swung back under the
fearful rain of the grapeshot 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 nine
kept on. Men could pause and retreat
from that charge, and no one would call
them cowards.
The smoke and the flame hid us for q
moment, and then we reached the guns,
leaped over them, crawled under them,
shot, stabbed, shouted and hurrahed.
The whole battery was ours We sciz-
ed the guns to drag them off, when q
heavy line of battle came down through
the gap, closed 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 fighting five thousand
Confederates ! It could not last long.
After a moment we were driven back,
over the ditch, beyond the fence, into
the Federal line of battle.
FfPretty hot in there, Captainp shout
ed a brigadier as the torn and mangled
remnant halted to reform.
pretty hot!'' My God! it was the
work of fcnds and devils Forty nine
of The bronzed old fighters in Company
G had dashed at the cannon only "a
came back Twenty five were lying
dead under the guns, heaped up SO they
blocked the heavy wheels!
The recruits were there to answer aye
at 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 twenty four - counting only
those who would stand until touched by
the flame OF death. Both lieutenants
were gone, and they gave me men from
the ranks.
We looked down upon the placid river
from the north bank in front of Freder-
icksburg, and when the blue column
crossed we were hear the 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 lines of battle
followed the line of skirmishers on to
the low stone walls behind which Lees
veterans were painting for the word to
fire. Their sheets of flame almost
scorched our faces. The battle lire
melted, doubled, twisted, and then fell
back. the living leaping over heaps of
dead. Forward again, back again, and
then the walls were hidden from sight
by piles of dead dressed in blue, and we
did not charge again. Six of the twenty
four were left close to the walls and
eleven of the new men never answered
roll call again. 1t was not war, it was
not murder-it was butchery. But no
one murmured. The order had come to
charge, and we had charged, though
every soldier knew that he charged into
the open jaws of destruction.
Not a soldier in Company G had been
wounded; not one of those who fell back
to the rivers bank could show scratch
from bullet or bayonet. 1t had been
thus ever since our first battle. There
was nothing to report under the head OF
wounded and missing" 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 went on counting eigh-
teen, just as if Company G would be
wiped out when the last old veteran went
And they said my company was fated.
Other companies had been decimated,
and other companies could show long
lists of Captured" and ''wounded, but
no other company III the brigade had
suffered like @.
Then came Gettysburg. The eighteen
old veterans were there, and the COM