Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-07-07

the LIST, 7th and 18th Tennessee was
to file to the left through |
some of the swampiest roads ever
witnessed-this editor with them.
Frequent volleys of musketry soon
evinced that we were in the vicinity
of brisk action, and we had not
advanced far before we were instruc-
ted to secure some building for the
treatment of the possible wounded.
A barn was near the road and we
sent a litter man to the farmhouse
of which it was an appanage to re-
quest permission to use it, intending
to takepermissionif twas notyield-
ed, nobody was in the house, a uni
versal stampede having taken place
under prospect of the fight antici-
pated. We then broke itopen, spread
straw over the wheat which covered
the floor, spread out our lint and
bandages, opened our instrument
cases and prepared for what might
happen. Soon we lost sight of the
command beyond little belt of
woods such as forms the boundary
line of every farm in that part of
Virginia, and almost Immediately
afterward loud and rapid roar Of
musketry broke out. We had never
heard musketry so near before, and
sorapid and fierce was the discharge
that, to our inexperienced ear, it
seemed that not man could escape;
we had yet to learn how few balls
out of a thousand hit any one.
Presently WINS, of Company A,
came back walking, slightly wound
ed in the neck. He was fine, tall,
soldierly-lOoking boy devoted to
cock-fighting and mischief of an
sorts and his wound was soon dress
ed; before we got through with him,
however, litters came in with Capt.
Crusman severely wounded in the
thigh and one of LOckertS men
Company K.) wounded in the abb
domen. Capt. Crusman's wound
was quite serious, the bone being
shattered through and through; the
other mans seemed unimportant,
but he died of it afterwards, infiama-
ton having extended to the interior.
These were all the casualties in
the command, much to our surprise.
We treated their wounds with such
dressings as can be applied in atield
hospital, placed them in ambulances
which. we dispatched for Richmond
and then our curiosity led us to fol-
low the direction which had been
taken by the brigade, for the reced-
ing sounds of the musketry and ar
tillery showed that the fight was
moving from us towards the river.
We soon came upon a small viii
lage, in every house, stable or other
shelter in which the surgeons of
Hoods brigade were ministering to
the wounded. Finding them over
tasked we helped them for a while
and then proceeded in the direction
of the river. The rattle ofmusketry
had gradually died off and was sue
ceeded fer ashort time by the BOOM
ing of heavy artillery, which, in its
turn, became silent.
We very soon met our own brig
ade, including the 18th, returning
from the battle. The general eX-
preston of cOuntenance was some
what different from that with which
they had parted from us the salts
faction of duty well performed was
visible there, but none of the roll
licking schOol-bOy eagerness with
which they started they had mani
testify discoveredsthe difference be-
tween a fight and a frOlic, and,
though they afterwards won the adj
miratiOn of our greatest chieftains
in such blOOd-stained fields as Rich
mOnd, Manassas, Sharpsburg, Fred
icksbur, &c. &C., it was well under
stood thencefOrward that fighting
came in the category of business
rather than pleasure. We soon
Joined the main army and pursued
with it the march to Richmond, in
which city we found Crusman fight
49, 4l,o D;ol,Ioor1 DOCTORS IX,bn
wanted to cut his leg off. We formed
an alliance with him, offensive,
and defensive, and in our turn de-
feated the enemy.
What had been done while we
were attending the wounded was as
follows: When our brigade arrived
ON the field of battle they found the
Texas brigade contending against
vastly superior force. The Federal
reports say that a whole army corps
had been landed; by sheer force of
numbers the Texans were being
slowly driven back and their left
flank was nearly being turned. TWAS
this thanking body which the Tennes-
see brigade was sent to attack, which
they did most successfully, very
soon routing it and driving it to-
wards the river. This enabled the
Texans again to assume the offensive
and the two brigades together soon
compelled the Federal troops to
take refuge in their gunboats.
We have had two motives in re-
cording this action, which, small as
it was compared with subsequentaf-
fairs, was of vastimportance in extri-
eating Johnston's army from a seri-
Gus danger. One motive was to
amuSe some of our old soldiers by a
Renaissance of the day when they
first experienced the realities ofwar;
another, was, toshOw by an example
how history is sometimes written.
The Federal accounts are written
on the suppOsitiOn that it was their
two attacks made at Williamsburg
and at Barhamsville which COM
PEELED Joseph E. JohnsOn's army to
retreat to Richmond and take refuge !
in the Notifications around that city, |
- ,r-oC TnhUrtcy,fes |