The National tribune., 1884-05-08
EAR OAKs AGAIN,
And the Part Taken By the 57th Pennsylvania il
That Battle.

4
That Battle
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
Permit me TO supplement- Comrade w. J.
Writings description published in your issue
! of March - OF the part taken by the 9th
PENNSYLVANIA volunteers at the battle OF Falr
I Oaks with the following narrative, embracing
my personal TecOiecti0ns OF the event. we
crossed the Chickahominy River at Bottoms
4 bridge on Friday afternoon, May 80, 1852,
4 having left knapsaclzs and all surplus baggage
I on the east side of the river. 1t was then put
! a small stream. but the next day it had become
a large river, there having been a heavy rain
during the night The regiment encamped
4 that night Friday on the first high ground
4 across the river ] think it was about ] o'clock
p IA. on Saturday that we heard the first crash
OF arms in front, and as usual the men were
promptly IN line, and, with their brave Colonel
! Campbell at Its head, marched forward IN the
I direction of the firing. Before we got to the
railroad we met the wounded and some strag-
! glers coming back. The regiment moved on a
fast gait, most Of the time on a double-qnick
and the men suffered for the want Of good
water, the only supply being the muddy RAIN
I water in the bitches along the railroad. Alter
striking the railroad We followed it up to near
! Fair Oaks The first line Of battle we formed
was on the right Of the railroad in an open
field. The colonel soon after this ordered the
reg iment to left face, and to forward march
across the railroad While crossing the rail
road we were fired into, and Colonel Campbell
1 order ed one or two companies to IRE up along
the raj lroad IN the direction Of the cut, near
the log house. The ground passed over on the
south Of the railroad was q field with heavy
woods sklrtIng It on our right, and IN that
woods the battle was then raging. We passed
on parallel with the line where this heavy fir
ing was going on until We came nearly 70 the
Williamsburg road Here there was W GODS on
both sides Of Us. That on our left was sort OF
a grove or detached piece Of woods, and just as
the head OF the regiment was crossing the VIII
li2msburg road we were fired into by the Con-
federates, who were concealed from our view in
the woods on our right the general line OF bat
tie on our side evidently having terminated
short of that place, thus leaving gap. AS the
regiment was marching by the flank and
left in front, Major Culp was in his proper
place then, at the head of the column, when he
was killed. The regiment did not then fall
back, but continued straight ahead along the
open field with the woods on our right. but
they were not near as dense as the woods on
the right Of the public road. As the regiment
got across the road the colonel halted 1t and
fronted. leaving the right resting on this Will
liamsburg road. We remained in this position
for some time.
THAT BOGUS UNION OFFICER
II was here that an officer with a white
handkerchief on his head rode along our line,
cautioning our men not TO fire any troops
we might see in front Of US, as we had troops
out there. We did not suspect that this officer
might be a Confederate, yet the fact of our
having been fired into close by there led the
! men to be wary. The position we now occupied
was little 70 the right and front of General
COUGHS line OF earthwerks, where there were
some guns mounted, which were not then firing.
That also impressed rs with the idea that there
must be a force Of cur men IN the woods in
I front Of those batteries. Finally we were or
IN IN q from
: piece Of woods the right of the regiment bein 2
: on the public road. The advance was slow and
: cautious. The men, carrying their guns at q
: trail, crossed little stream before getting tc
the open field, where we halted Colonel Camp.
bell was on the right Of the regiment-that is. on
this Williamsburg road. The heavy woods III
front Of US were closer to the left of the regi,
ment, there being a larger space Of clearing in
front Of the right. Captain Chase {who was
here mortally wounded) then advanced his
company on the left, on account Of the shape
s OF tho ground and the fact that the woods
were further TO the front than on the rest of the
. Tegimental lines. 1t was not long after thi:
that NC saw troops emerging from the woods
Z Ia our front, carrying their guns at a right
: sh0uIder-shift, and their formation TO me
= looked Ike close column by one or two com
c p2ny fronts. Their direction rather pointed
: towards orr right or away from US. 1t was
q aboat this time, think, that General Keyec
and one Of his staff came to our line where
{ was and asked me: +" What troops are those IL
froat2" Mark you, these troops had on over
{ coats, &c, like our men, but l could see al
{ irrcgularity IN their caps-sone wearing sloucf
q hats. j told the general that ! believed they
! were rebels and that he had better get out O
there. He was dismounted, having left the
: horses out il the field where we started from
: and II seemed but a second after this wheI
:, every gun IN our regiment was discharged
J both ranks firing at once The men fred o
z their own aecord-at least I gave no order L
. fire, but did tell them 10 hurry up and reload
2 and fire again. Having discharged the pieces
a in both ranks, it seemed good while befor,
they got TO firing again, but when they did i
was a continuous sheet Of fame along the line
The day being cloudy and dark it showed yer,
plain. From the way the enemy returned tn
}, FIRE II seemed as though none of them had beer
T hurt, but we held them until they brok
= through the right Of our regiment and ] thinl
a the left Of the cd Pennsylvania, who joines
= as the right. II was then nearly dark.
WHERE COLONEL CAMPBELL WAS WOUNDED
After VIC had been hanked our men suffered
seyegely-in fact, from a fire both in front AM
= rear-and there it was that Colonel Charles T
4 Campbell was SO terribly wounded Yet th
: men fell back fighting and disputing ever,
: inch, and finally at dark held the ground nea
a the edge of the woods where we started from
= During this time aids or officers came alonj
"A the line encouraging the mon 10 hold out anc
telling them that endorsements were coming
4 That night we were posted on the right Of tn
- Williamsburg road, TO the right of Genera
COUGHS works. ] think General Kearne,
or ,our division eommander) had his headquarter
81 that night on cur left, near the williamsburg
:, road.
4 Sunday morning we were not in action. be
AZ ing held Ia reserve. From the position w
q occupied We had good view Of the troops a
~ they deployed into line Of battle in front of
~ carly in the morning and opened the battle
ed i think they were part Of General Sumner
~ cerps.l In front Of MS that morning our troop
= captured an omnibus filed with citizen
~ from Richmond, who presume, came out {
- see tho Union army surrender. We were nc
a .iani-ed on our left IL Saturdays action OWNS
4, perhaps, 10 the fact that the guns IN Couch
- works covered that part of the line Tha
~ roung man who was killed while assistin
- Colonel Campbell Of the field was Bradfor
- county boy named Gillett. The ball that kiile
him passed through Colonel Campbell's wri:
or arm. We supposed the reason why tn
Confederates wore our overcoats that day Wa
that they had captured them from the troor
= in the advance lines when the first attack wa
" made on them.
1t should always be borne in mind that onI
81, two corps Of the Army Of the Potomac-Ge ners
Ivy Reyes and General Heintzomans, aided b
np the gallant General Summers corps porto
sd OF whom appeared on the field OF action abou
mt dusk on Saturday evening and the balanc