The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1882-07-04

"The rehs walked right at US as if they
meant to climb over us. hadn't re.
loaded after my first fire before saw
their legs under the smoke. | was then
lying down behind aslight bresstwork
Of rails Jumping up, was hardly or
my feet before Confederate had his
foot on the rails. He had fired his gun
and now it was fight with the bayone'
between us. He lunged at me and bis
bayonet went through my coat on the
left side and showed me over. My fall
brought him forward on his face, and
before he could get up had him by the
hair. He kicked and struck. out and, ever
tried to bite me, and we had regular
rough-and.tumble, but / was too muct
for him and he went to the rear priso
ner believe he was the only Confede
rate captured by my regiment that day
The Colonel of the Third was killed
within two minutes after the firing began
and 10 ten minutes the regiment lost 15f
men and every officer excepting two o,
three. 1t was the same. with the Twen
ty-sixth They would not be pushed
back, and the Confederates advanced un
til they could use the bsyonet. 1t would
not have taken another ten minutes tc
have wiped both regiments off the rolls
to the last man, when the advance o
three Union regiments brought abont {
cross-ire which drove the Confederate'
back. +s,
TI ''THEY WILL COME AGAN!"
So shouted Hascall az be galloped ~
and down his lines and, made new dis
position Of his troops.
So they would Tnev had been beaten
back to rally again. Hardly had quar-
ter Of an hour slipped away before The
lines Of gray, composed chiefly OF men
from Mississippi and Arkansas, again
appeared. Hascall had not budged ar
inch. He had a hundred heroes with
him who had been wounded, and vel
they were determined to "see 1t OUT
The dead lay thickly all about, and d.
rectly in front of the lines the ground
was almost hidden from sight by the
number of dead Confederates Many oil
Che wounded took advantage of the lull
to crawl into the Federal lines. realizing
that the next advance would be their
death.
"Here they come --steady, now J" ran
down the Federal lines as the Confede-
rates broke cover half mile away. The
smoke had foated away, the sun vas
shining brightly, and the sight was a
grand one. From FIVE to six thousand
men were keeping the same step, flags
streamed back over the lines, and half a
dozen mounted officers rode along the
lines and shouted their orders. The
Federal batteries with Hascall waited
for a moment. as il to give every man e
chance to witness the grand advance, and
then the slaughter began For three or
four minutes the work was left entirely
to the artillery Almost at the first fire
three Of the advancing aags went down,
and next day one OF them was found
with its staff splintered to match-wood
and the banner so shot to pieces that one
could not secure piece three inahes
square. 1t was one Of the terrible sights
OF war, and, brief as was the view, hum
dreds of men turned their heads away
that they might not see more
Tie advance was checked, but only
fo- the moment. Rallying over the dead
and wounded. the Confederates made
rush for the Federal lines, striking the
Twenty sixth and Sixth Ohio and Fifty
eight Indiana squarely in front. "Fire
lowi Fire low !" was the order all along
the line, and the consequences we're both
appalling and curious More than three
hundred Confederates were killed or
wounded on that front by shots below
the waist, while nine-tenths of the woun-
ded were hit about the legs. The center
OF the advance bore directly upon the
Fifty-eighth, which had the cover Of a
bresstwork. The Hoosiers held their
fire until tho first line was hardly City
feet awav, then every musket blazsd at
once The center was literally swept
out of the fight by that one regiment,
leaving the wings standing alone II
was. perhaps, the deadliest volley delv-
cred on that field, but not ever FIVE min
utes had elapsed before fresh regiments
moved down from the woods, and the
fight then settled do wn to steady crash
of musketry at short range.
DEATH OF GAREscHE.
No man could have exhibited more
nerve and GOODNESS on a field of hattie
than Rosecrans' chief of staff-Garcs-
che. He rallied broken regiments, sta
toned batteries, encouraged the lines,
and dozen times rode over ground on
which il did not seem as il fox could
have lived HishOrse was twice hit, bis
saddle struck bv three bullets, his scab.
bard BY two more, and grape-shot
whizzed over his shoulder and tore up
the blue cloth until the padding could
be seen. | have never seen q Federal
account which stated further than that
he was hit in the head by cannon ball
or shell, but there we're several Confed-
crates who saw him die. One who serv-
ed under Chalmers gave me the paftic-
ulars as follows:
"We had assaulted and been repulsed,
and in falling back to cover lreceived a
bullet in the calf of my right leg. /
fell fat, but after minute or two, know
ing that should be killed where l was,
l crept along over slight ridge to be
out of the way of the Federal bullets -
The pain was now 80 great that could
60 no further. and I had just got my
back against small tree when Rose
Grams galloped across the edge OF the
open to my right Our batteries were
playing across this spot with terrible
fire, and l expected to see the General
killed. He was closely followed by
Garesche When in plain view of me
and not two hundred feet awav bis horse
jumped aside at something and Cares
che lost his right stirrup. He had it in
second, and was just Strengthening up
when shell tore through the top of a
cedar behind me, passed over nv head,
and / saw it strike the poor fellow as
plainly as see you. There was q sort
of puff when 1t struck, but it did not
explode until far hevond. Garesches z
49, III 81