The Columbus journal., 1879-03-19

aud wondered il the single line o
battle could hold the nights. Oh
yes, the rank and file ever fully de-
termined 10 hold the line and then
and there TO fight it out. No firing
until l p. NJ, when all of snddeI
there comes a rtch0chet shot, down
from the village, skipping along our
line of battle like a fat stone on the
water: and then, in a moment, as
the signal is seen by the rebels,
comes the storm. From the woods
in our front, spring forth smoke and
fire along the whole line; in a Sec
ond we hear the roar of thousand
Niagaras, an inccssant roar; the sun
was darkcned by the smoke; the
hiss Of the shot and shell and the
bursting Of the same was terrible
There were upwards of l25 guns
trained on the nights, and having
had two days to get the range gave
them the advantage. They were
mostly masked. so that when they
did expose them We could not get
the range, and soon much of our
artillery was useless; several bat
teries did well, and when the artil-
leryists were killed volunteers came
from the infantry. Orderly SER
geants would come running down
amid the bursting shell, shot, can
mister and spherical case, saying
'for Gods sake come up and help
man the guns, the cannoneers are ali
killed" The men went. The fact
of our infantry being in front of the
batteries saved the line, as the artil-
lery of the enemy was trained on
ours, so we lost but few out of the
battle line. A few were killed by
the lead butts of our shells as they
passed over our heads on their dead
ly mission. This terrible cannonadc
was kept up for about an hour, then
il stopped as suddenly as il began,
and all was still. But well we knew
what would follow the smoke hung
heavy over the field, and the rebels
advanced under IFS cover. About
this time General Hancock rides
along the lines. To one regiment
he says: "Stand firm, you will soon
see them" To another: "Don't
waste a shot and don't fire till they
get over the last fence" "Stand up
10 the racket, and give them h-ll."
is his order TO the "Bloody" 69th
n. Y. 5. NJ. u; and this is The way he
went on talking TO the many regi-
ments of his command.
Ten or fifteen minutes pass, and
still we do not see the gray lines.
look back at Ricketts, Battery; this
was brass, 6-pound 6-gun battery,
but in that terrible sixty-minute
storm of shot and shell, four guns
were dismounted, three limbers
smashed, and three battery or pow
der wagons blown up; The remain
ing two guns were black as those of
Battery b., lst Rhode Island, ONLY
twelve rods from the first named
battery. OF this l2- pound rifle
Parrott four gun only two were fit
for action, and they were out OF
"Swab water" and case shot. But
volunteers were bringing up the
same, and also red, white and blue
flannel sacks containing two, three
or four ponds of powder. One
sargeant and four men were all that
was left, and they fought their guns
up 10 The taking Of the same by the
rebels. While walking along the
ridge | hear a commotion, down
with the line of battle. One glance
is enough, and down the hill | run
TO rejOin my command. AS hurry
along behind our line, | glance at
what the men were doing. Reading
their bibles? No. The last letters
from home? No. Looking at the
pictures of mother, wife or sweet
heart? Oh, no. But they were
laying their cartridges on the stone
wall before them in open boxes SO
as 10 have them ready; their iron
ramrods leaned against the wall,
and their muskets had on fresh caps
the rear rank had laid down their
food behind them, and put their car
tridges into their haversacks to
loose no time in taking them from
boxes. Ny friends, those men
meant business" pass on to the
corn-crib where | had left Captain
Black, and find my company Jus,
filing out TO engage the enemy at
long range. Out we 60, and up to |
the first fence, where we rest our |
rifle OIL the top rail, and with the |
sights raised up to the SOO-yard |
notch, open the fight by fil ing on the
approaching colors. Many a color
guard falls from the effect of our
long-ranged, strong-shooting Sharp
rifles. On they come, grand sight.
three lines of battle, bayonets fixed,
cOlors flying, slow, sure, strong,
hopeful and brave. This, thought |,
is a clear case of Greek meeting
Greek" On they come; over the
fist fence they climb, and form as
before. Our artillerists holding
their fire for close range, our infant