The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-09-13

TO the nOrthward, Wnere we were as
signed our position In the line of battle
then forming.
The station occupied by my regiment
happened to be In timber skirting an
open field, which terminated at dis
tance of some 500 or 600 yards in front
of US in ridge crowned with several
Con federate battrles, the guns in plain
sight
The enemy's sharpshooters lay by
their artillery, concealed from view,
but the puffs of smoke from the mus
kets sufficiently indicated their locality,
and disclosed the fact that our opposite
lines were parallel.
On our left the country was open, but
in the opposite direction, beginning at a
distance of some three hundred yards
from our right, the timber extended up
to and beyond the ridge already de-
scribed.
The excitement consequent upon the
lighting going on about me and the
skirmish firing drove the dream tempo
rarily out of my mind, although its i'm
pressions were allowed to remain.
About O'Clock in the afternoon, as I
could Judge, we were ordered to charge
the position in our front; and the vari-
rous regiments of the brigade, my own
left, advanced to the dangerous under
taking.
Moving from our place of shelter, we
were greeted with severe shower of
grape, canister or shell, the first dis
charge of which we encountered as we
were climbing or in some manner get
ting over or past worm fence of five or
six rails high, and which had interven-
ed between ourselves and the cleared
field beyond.
When about half the distance of the
ridge had been traversed, one of the
men nearest to me fell; and although
going at double quick, / noticed as L
hastily glanced down at him, that he
had fallen in " dead furrow ~ but yet
the event of the night previous did not
recur to me. 1 was thinking of some
thing else about that time.
We charged ahead and reached the
hill. The enemy's gunners had fled.
The crest was almost gained, as we
(or at least, y thought, when suddenly
found myself in total darkness. A
pressure upon my throat, ringing in
my ears as though my head was plunged
in a stream of running water; sensa-
ton of dizziness, numbness, suffocation,
and of falling, and then shock as l
struck the ground how well remem-
ber it all now.
The concussion of the fall seemed to
restore my sight consciousness had
never left me) and to this day the in
cidents then transpiring are as fresh as
though they had occurred within the
year.
For instance; While L was momen-
tarily reeling, just at the time of being
hit, preparatory to fall over backward,
L heard a comrade remark; There
goes" mentioning my name,)
and L remember thinking, even on my
way down to the Mother Earth with
the back of my head, that was ''gone"
instead of going.
But to continue: So soon after fall
ing as possible, L constituted myself
board of survey to assess the damages
sustained, and forthwith entered upon
the investigation.
found that as a personal matter the
injuries were quite serious--a minnie
ball having penetrated my throat, passed
between the jugular and windpipe, and
found an exit at the back Of the neck,
quite low down, and close by the spine
which is slightly fractured.
After making up and sending in this
report, and doing what could to stop
the flow of blood by forcing into the
wound some lint, and handkerchief
fortunately had with me, crawled, as
best could, in my paralyzed condition,
to more sheltered position, which,
however, was exceedingly difficult to
find.
1t was the hottest place was ever in,
and hotter than hope for in the future,
The loss was terrible, more than half
my command being either killed or
wounded, the other regiments of the
brigade suffered in p roportion.
Speaking of hot places in battle, one
does not-cannot - understand what
they are until he is struck down on the
field, there to lie, utterly helpless, while
bullets are humming and singing like
ten thousand swarms of bees, pattering
on the ground and casting up little puffs