The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-02-14
FIFTH NEW HAMPSHIRE,
And the Part that 1t TOok in the Battle of Fair
Gals

And the Part that Ii T0ek IN the Battle OF Fair |
Oaks.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
As member of one of the famous quartette |
Of fighting regiments that composed General |
Towards brigade, am deeply interested IN /
his Personal "reminiscences of the War;" but |
/ do not feel satisfied with the vague man |
ner IN which he disposes of the 9Th New Hamp- |
shire, and the part it took in that bloody con- /
fiict Ct Fair Oaks. Cross and his regiment"
says Gen. Howard had strange bed-fellows
that night" Aye, indeed, we had strange bed
fellows! We relieved the 7th Michigan IN the
dark, and come within jiify of having a ter
rife encounter with them through mistake. The
left wing of the 5th faced the railroad, the right
wing faced road that crosses the railroad at
Fair Oaks Station, thus forming a right-angled
triangle, with the apex pointing to the station
aud about twenty or thirty yards from 1t. Just
over the railroad were two Texas regiments
and Mississippi regiment, and all the first part
OF the night the rebels were busy with lanterns
around the station taking care of their wounded.
Captain Sturdevant, of company A, went to the
! front 10 see what they were doing not know
| ing that they were rebels, and ran up plump
against strong guard before being seen. lie
gave them q severe reprimand for not being
more vigilant. and asked what regiment they be-
longed to. Judge OF his surprise when the reply
came the 5th Texas" Bidding them to be
careful N the future, he at once withdrew from
such unpleasant company. /, myself, feeling
| thirsty IN the night wandered a few yards to
the front IN search Of water, and, having found
puddle, shared it with others.
A SHOCKING SIGHT.
/ 4tdayhreak went to refill my canteen, when
I discovered that the puddle was about ten feet
wide, and that IN it lay two dead Confederate
soldiers. When the three Confederate regiments
| gers withdrawn from our front in the night,
the movement was detected, and every man in
| the regiment was aroused from sleep by firm
grjpon the shoulder, and whisper that we ex-
peeted the movement TO be an attack instead of
retreat. Finally daylight came, with weather
/ thick and cloudy and showers of rain. Shortly
| an aid Of Gen. Pryor's rode out of the woods in
our front, around our right, up to Col Cross,
and asked for Gen. Anderson's headquarters.
| The look of blank Amusement and chagrin
| that came over him when he saw that he had
! walked right into a Federal regiment in broad
| daylight was comica, and brought roars of
| laughter from the whole regiment. do not
think We were. as Gen. Howard says, held in
reserve IN any sense OF the word, Is we occu-
pied precisely the same ground we did all night.
with this exception: We were most Of the time
on the railroad, and wesiraightened the line and
gained ground TO the LETT and made close con-
nection With Fgench's regiment. The 57th New
York was posted Oh the railroad, and one ofSedg-
wick s regiments WAS sent into the gap caused by
the railroad, in line with the left. There was no
Union regiment in our front, as suppose would
have been the case had we been in reserve, but
we formed the prolsDgstion of ETencb's line
to the right, to Gil inteatsand PURPOSES. When
the storm burst on biEa we we're twenty or
thirty yards back from the railroad, and he
would probably have been IN the same line as
we bEt for the fact that where he was posted
there was thick woods on both sides of the
railroad, while We stood on open ground. The
rebel left that struck French did not extend
far enough 10 confront the 5th New Hamp-
shire, and SO We were simply spectators Of
Frenchs fight on the railroad and scarcely
heard the whistle of 2 bullet. When French
went into the swamp sitter the retreating rebels
we wero ordered 70 take position on the rail-
road and await further orders-whether from
Howard, Richardson, or Sumner, / do not
know. Thus We remained until an aid of Gen.
eral Howards-a lieutenant ia the 6lst New
Yorh-came to Colonel Cross and told him that
, Howard had been wounded and borne from the
; field and that the command Of the brigade had
deyolved on him. We learned that the 6lst
: and 64th New York had lost heavily, were
nearly out Of cartridges, and the 9Th New
. Hampshire was wanted
! THE FIGHTING NOT OVER.
: General Howard says that Barlow. to whom
: he turned over the demi brigade when he
was carried away, stood his ground, and soon
: Brooks aud other portions Of the line came NJ
1 TO his advanced position and after little fur
ther conflict the fight was over on our division
Q front. As 20 that, beg leave 10 differ with the
general; but the error is excnsable, as he was
! then in the hospital. Not that Barlow did not
I stand his ground,-for every one who knows
the man knows that he would do that as long
i as flesh and blood couid,-but / propose K
: show that the 9th New Hampshire not only
: fred the first shot aud lost the first man In
the early morning skirnish, but that it alsc
. fired the last shot aud lost the last man on oul
= division front in the Sunday battle. Indeed
9 the most terrific fighting and the largest regi
9 mental loss of the Sunday battle occurred
after General Howard says the fight wa!
q over on our division front. When Howardi
; aid came to Cross with the information tina
, he was to command the brigade he Gross
! asked the location of BaTlows position witl
= the half brigade, and where would be the
Z best place for him TO 80 IN, and after getting
= the desired information, he sent the aid 1,
q Barlow to clear his front. He then double
y qGlcked the 9Th down the railroad directly il
"a rear OF where Barlow was fighting. And now
Y while waiting for Barlow TO clear the front, lie
e Us take look at the 5th regiment. 1t was
I very large regiment,-that Is able at all time
= 10 turn out more men than the ayerage,-an'
. the men were very hard y--almost all were iron
e country districts, used TO the privations of tn
> logging swamps and accustomed from boyhoo
"a TO securing tie hills and mountains in search
J. game. They were superb shots as rule, an
o. were or that account usually selected to do til
II diminishing for the entire division.
.s THE 5TH 10 THE FRONT.
The regiment was now placed ON the railroa
4. where French first caught it, its left connect
ing with troops that extended down the raj
road as far az we could see the track, all frin
as fast as they could at the rebels, across
open field, in the middle Of which was pom
of water that neither party could cross w
Us mustered nearly 500 men that morning, Will
u the 6lst and Gath New York combined, abou
Us 700. Cross, knowing from the account he ha
n received of their heavy losses, that he nearly