The daily gazette., 1880-08-03
HANCOCK AT CHERUBUSCO.
RAPHAEL sEMMEs' ACCOUNT OF THE
YOUNG LIEUTENANT's vALoR.

RAPHAEL sEMMEs' ACCOUNT OF THE
YOUNG LIEUTENANT's vALoR.
Raphael Semmes, since the notorious
Confederate privateer Admiral, was at
Cherubusco on the staff of Gen. Worth,
and in describing this affair, he relates
the following anecdOte awe made a
great many prisoners, many OF whom
threw themselves at our feet in the great
est alarm and CONSERVATION. | happen
ed to witness an amusing scene just as L
came out upon the road. l saw, lying
prostrate under one of the shade trees,
a remarkably bully looking figure in the
inform OF Mexican General and a
soldier of one of our companies standing
by him. Supposing the officer to have
been killed, L inquired of the soldier if
this were the fact. sOh, no SIR said he;
she is only a little out of wind, being
fat man; have just run him down. The
General afterward informed me that, in
the hurry of the retreat, his aid camp
had run of with his horse and that this
was the cause of his being captured, a
thing which, suppose, could only occur
in Mexico"
1t was in the hot fight for the bridge
at Cherubusco that Lieut.. Hancock
won his first brevet. The day was
perfectly clear, but the smoke, as it
rose over the heads Of the combatants
formed deep canopy that partially
obscured the sun, and reflected back
the vivid flashes of the guns as they
belched fire and iron from the frowns
ing fortification upon the advancing
ranks. Then it was that it became
the duty of the Sixth Infantry to
charge straight through the hell of fire
upon the works in front of them. The
rest of the brigade was ordered to
move by the flank, parallel to the road
through the fields; the Sixth was Or
dered directly up the road to storm the
tete du pont. Lieut.. Hancock's COM
pany, Capt. Hoffman in command, led
this terrible charge. The Mexic
in the work, whose attention had up
to this time been directed to the troops
advancing through the corn ON either
flank, seeing the gallant Sixth making
this direct assault, turned all their
guns upon it. Some of the men re-
coiled under the sweeping stroke of
the artillery, but the officers rIllied
them, and with shout, they again
rushed forward. But it was not to be
done. The awful storm of lead and
iron that poured down and across that
causeway permitted no living thing. to
and against it. In the words of
staff officers report, "the Sixth Infant
ry was met by SO destructive a fire,
ripping and cutting it's ranks in
pieces, that it was forced to recoii and
fall back; which, however, was done
with the GOODNESS of a parade" Gen.
Worth, who was with the advance on
the flank, shouted to Lieut.. Hancock's
company to leave the deadly causeway
and incline to the right into the corn.
Then, still while under CALLING fire,
they dashed past, at double-quick,
the deep, wet ditch that surrounded
the work, and carried it with the bayo
net, Lieut.. Hancock by the side of his
captain, leading his men to the embra-
sures and over the walls without the
help Of ladders. The enemy could not
withstand the shock, but gave way;
and in a moment more the cheers that
rang out gave notice to the brave fell
lows fighting along down the line that
the key to the battlefield had been
taken.