Kimball enterprise. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1883, 1883-04-27
GENERAL NJ. G. BUTLER.
How Gen. M. G. Bntler of South Car.
olina, One CT the Most Distin.
guished OF the United States Sena-
tors Lost His Leg at Brandy Station.

OHM, onG CT IL MOST DtStln.
guished of the United States Sena-
tors Lost His Leg at Brandy Station.
DIR. i. e. Bessellien, of the confeder-
ate service during the war, writes to the
Philadelphia Times an account of the
battle of Brandy Station in Virginia,
where Senator Butler of South Carolina
lost a leg. He says the enemy had adj
vanced in such heavy force as to cause
the detached squadrons of our single
regiments to abandon the woods and
take up position in the open, level fields,
where cavalry could and we
could keep our communication open
with General Stuart, then fighting at
Brandy Station, and cover the move
'nents of a heavy infantry force then in
Che nejghborhood of C%ulpepper court
house. Along the margin of a
pond, then, the regiment was posted,
when the enemy appeared on the hull
in u front before mentioneda and placed
their artillery near the brick church and
opened ire upon us. We had no artille-
ry to respond and the distance was too
great for small arms. so we waited for
developments. Colonel Butlerand Cap
tain Farley, of General Staurt's staff,
were or the road Il fewrods distant from
us, when the discharge of a field piece
IN II rear drew the attention of all in
that direction. We saw that it was u
Confederate gun, but too far from the
enemy to be of any service, as the shells
it discharged We're exploding fully one
hundred yards short of the enemy's
position.
The Colonel told me to ride up the
hill and tell the officer commanding
that gun to bring it down to where we
were, as his firing was doing no good.
The enemy's batteries were now firing
very fast, and l narrowly escaped being
struck while galloping up the hill. l
rode up to the lieutenant in charge of
the gun, which l think belonged to a
Virginia battery, and told him "Colonel
Butler says bring your gun down to
where the troops are stationed, as you
position" He asked: "Who in the
h is Colonel Butler" J told him he
was the colonel of the Second South
Carolina Cavalry, in command of the
troops the in view engaged with the
enemy. He ordered the CUNT be lin
bered up and started to descend the hill.
| turned to ride back to my command
when, what was my surprise to find on.
artillery friend had again put his piece
zen battery and had opened on the
enemy's artillery. ] returned to him
again and repeated my order.
Colonel Butler says bring your ar
tillery down to the pond"
Odd if | am going to carry my
men there to be killed" said he.
Every well, sir,"I said, "I shall in.
fN~p, HN1r,r1 n,&1D~- Id ,N,,~ ~or.--l. -
and galloped towards the spot where /
left Colonel Butler and Captain Farley
standing.
I rode parallel to the main road and
within fifty yards of it for some little
distance, and just before reached the
Colonel saw quite a dust in the road
onel Buffers horse trotted by me with
what l took to be the saddle hanging
underhim. l fastened up to the road
to get q better view and saw that the
poor animals intestines were hanging
out from a fearful wound in the lower
portion of tn g stomach. I knew then
that some terrible disaster had occurred,
SO l leaped the fence into the road and
quickly arrived at the scene. There
lay both Colonel Butler and Captain Ear
ley in the road, the former trying
to tie a silk handkerchief around his
leg to stop the blood. The shell, which
was a small, conical-pointed Parrot, first
struck Captain Farley just above the
horse, then striking Colonel Butler an
inch above the ankle, leaving the foot
suspended by q piece of skin only and
disemboweling his horse.
Almost the same moment that I ar
rived DR.. Watt Taylor, "a regimental
surgeon, and Captain John Chestnut
reached the scene, and the doctor asked
nee to try and procure some stimulants
Immediately suggesting that if I could
find DIR. Moore, u assistant surgeon,
to bring him with me, as he had a can
teen Of whisky and Captain Farley was
in need of his services Immediately.
Fortunately DR.. Moore was not far of,
and we returned to the scene of the dis
aster without delay. Myattention being
given to assisting DR.. Taylor with Col
Frustrated from loss of blood, 1 lost
sight of Captain Farley, who was taken
in charge by Mr.. Moore and conveyed
towards Culpeper Court House, but died
from exhaustion before reaching that
place, as from the nature of his wound
the hemorrhage could not be stemmed
in time to a his life. After cutting
away the boot from the Colonel's foot
and applying q tourniquet at tie knee to
stop the bleeding, we kept the foot in
position by splints made of bark from
the rail fence by us, with bandages to
keep them in place.
No ambulance could be found. and the
enemy, seeing from the excitement that
some n of consequence had been
killed or wounded, concentrated all their
fire upon u immediate locality, so it
became necessary to remove Colonel
Butler out of reach of this storm OF
shells. Four Of us took him on a blanket
and started. No one knows until they
have tried it the fearful task Of carrying
q man in that way, on q hot June day,
in the terrible dust of the battlefield,
with the tramping of five hundred
horses around-for almost at the mo-
ment we started a force of the enemy
were reported to be crossing the road
between us and Brandy Station, and
threatening our flank and rear, and our
whole force was got together to repel
the danger. All was excitement and
anxiety, and our chances o getting safe
ly off with our burden seemed very slim
Colonel Butler said to us: "Don't
let them take me, boys" and we all
vowed we would die first.
Having traversed the whole length OF
the field with our burden we reached a
piece of wood where the First South