Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-07-07
The FIRST BLOOD OF THE FOUR.
TENTH.

The FIRST BLOOD OF THE FOUR.
TENTH.
The nearest tie that binds this ed
itOr to GAINESVILLE is his recollection
of his relation to the pet GAINESVILLE
regiment, the 18th, as surgeon of
which regiment he gained his first
experience of field duty. Perhaps
some of his old comrades will be
amused with a "Reminiscences of their
beloved regiment on the first occa-
sion when they shed blood in the
cause.
1t was during the retreat from
Yorktown in the spring of 1862 when
the forces outlying in the peninsula
were called in to man the defenses
of Richmond. The 18th was getting
impatient, not to say indignant;
they had had no share in the great
battles of 1861, the first Mannasses
campaign; the Brigade it is true
had little brush on Cheat noun
tain with very small result during
the fall, but even from this the 18th
was excluded, being invalided at
Greenbier bridge, so that the 1st and
18th reaped whatever laurels were to
be found on that barren soil. And
again they had gone on the never
tO-be suficiently-cursed ROmney ex-
petition where they got sight of
the enemy, but fought with no other
foe but Jack Frost who punished
them severely enough, but not so as
to confer any glory; and now they
hadspenta wetspring in the swamps
around Yorktown with the OCCASION
al pleasure of guarding dam No. l
or dam No. 2, and the frequent sat
isfaction of damning all the dams.
But, so far, not drop of blood had
been drawn from the 18th, and the
14th was mad and there was tall talk
in their camp. "Why couldn't they
have fight as well as other regi-
ments? They might as well have
joined the home guards, indeed had
they staid at home they would have
had a hand in the Fort Donaldson
affair, and, who knows? their vail
ant service might have reversed the
disastrous result of that affair. A
fight they must have or they'd stack
arms and go home, so they would"
Such was the camp talk of the 18th.
When the order came for the retreat
of JOhns0n's army to Richmond
there did seem a chance, and a
very fair one, for a little scrim-
mage. The retreat had to be made
along a peninsula between two riv-
ers, the peninsula at one point mar
rowing to the dimensions of an 18TH
mus, and the enemy's gunbOats
commanded both the rivers which
enclosed it; certainly we should
have fight and with rather heavy
odds against us. 1t was rather eX-
citing and perhaps some of our
yOudg warriors began in their in
wardness to doubt whether they
were really as eager for a real fight
as they had imagined. These little
misgivings are of general occurrence
and will be acknowledged by all but
the clustering braggadOciO; when
the fight has really come the 18th has
never misbehaved and God knows
it has seen its share of fighting
since.
Well, the retreat had been effected
as far as Williamsburg with no event
to chronicle except a horrible
drenching at night and we had
marched through the town and
mile or two beyond it when, the
regiment having halted for break
fast, a rumOr arrived that the enc
my were attacking our rear guard,
and, sure enough, soon afterwards
there was an inspection of arms,
empty cartridge boxes were filled
and the brigade retraced its steps,
passed through the town again and
the sharp-eyed thought they de-
tected a body of Federal troops;
across the road soon after getting
clear of the town; this editor has
never been quite sure (fOr the dis
lance was considerably whether
they were Federal troops ora skirt of
pine woods. 1t was certain, how
ever, that there had been fighting
already, for both artillery and
small arms had been heard during
the morning and the unmistakable
sign was added of ambulance trains
loaded with wounded meeting us on
their way to Williamsburg. The
brigade was now marched to the
right where perhaps half a mile
from the main road they were
formed behind a small breast work,
satisfied that they were soon to be
engaged with the enemy's left.
Every heart beat high, we were now
certain to go into action; but it was
not to be, the fighting had been done
the night before. a few solitary
cannon shots were heard the action
was over, and the 18th were to have
no hand in it. Everyman now was
quite certain that he had been burn
ing for a fight, and it was an ill-uSed
18th always to be placed where it
could have no opportunity of dis
playing its ValOr. The battle had been
simply an attack of the enemy's adj
vanced guard on the rear of our
march, which was soOnrepulsed and
the march continued as if nothing
had happened. No blood yet drawn
from the 18th.
The next was not a false alarm.
The Federal gunboats had landed a
considerable force at West Point on
the James River for the purpose of
arresting our line of march, cutting
off our Wagon trains and other dew
iltry. Hoods brigade of Texans
was detached from the line of march
to meet them and quite early on the