The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-01-17
0. 0. HOWARD'S "REMINISCENCES


thought he swung around his lines parallel TO
the railroad. and gave back steadily for half
mile toward the grapevine bridge. 1t was
, Summers upper bridge. Here in the edge of
the timber. he defcd every hostile advance.
AS thunder cloud in summer often ap
proaches ven bat suddenly stops at river or
ridge OF land and passes barmlessly away, CIV
ing Won but gentle sprinkling, so did this
clond Of insurgents approach Abercrenoie ana
Couch touch the railway and pass on. They,
roact and Ahcrcrombie, were, however. hope
lesssy cut OF from the remainder Of the corps
Bal where is Kearney? j cannot account for
II tia. be had not heard the cannen from the
front. not more fhan Eve miles FROM him; bat
the weather was unusual, the cannon few, and
Judging from the firing Of The previous days,
neither HGintzelmaa nor kearney then heard
enough to arpFehend danger or believe that
8 great battle Was IN progress.
KEAENEY 10 THE FRONT
Ats p. M. he gets his first order: Send Biz
ney's brigade" 1t welt ~ once, but by Biz
ney's misunderstanding, not tic letter but the
spirit of his instructions. kls brigade was Kept
FAR hacl, on tbs railway, out OF danger and out
Of RulpUg Kaarney then learning TIE distress
of Oases- and beholding the thr0ng ot IagtIves,
stood al the head OF tie first regiment, OF the
Foss, Of his only brigade. Berry s: the other,
Jameson s, ne sent for, FAR back 10 Bottom
BRIDGE He waited no longer Behold him,
with his one ariH, sIraiehteT and more resolilte
thar usual rs be rides up to Aeyes and Casey,
where ile quickly takes Ia the situaiion-the
Eiezse rae-pits sbotering crowds of men, the
enemy iriag from The slashing and timber III
Their lr0nt Where's your greatest need, Ca
Seyy
the day viii he ours!
Kearne4 savs: ~ had but the Sd Michigan
ND but they moved forward with alacrIty,
dashed into the felled timber and commenced
a desperate but determined combat, needless OF
the shell and BAH that rained upon them
Berry came with the remainder OF his bri-
gade the 9th Michigan and thc37th New York;
soon after, in a wonderfully short time, jane
son appeared with his. Two regiments were
taken ard sent away-one to Birney and one
TO Peck THE l95th and 6Sd Pennsylvania
only We're left So keaTney, after all his
pronlf,illess. could not do much. lie recovered
some ground, fought hard, backed of south
ward toward White Oak Swamp. disputlng the
ay foot by foot. lie wrote: " This was. per-
haps, 6 O'Clock, when our center and right de-
Tended bv the troops Of the other divisions,
with all their willingness could no longer re-
sist Once broken our troops fed
incontincntly, and a dense body CT the enemy
pursuing rapidly, YET iB order, occupied the
Williamsburg road, the entire open ground,
and penetrating deep into the woods on either
side. soon interaosea between ny division and
my Sine OF retreat
Keamley neTer broke Up, kept the enemy back.
and knowing the way, took his division 10 the
rear bv the SawInill road around TO the lines
OF improbable defcnses that lie had left few
hours before.
The position which General Kearney calls an
impregnable one was abont three-fourths Of a
mile I'M advance OF Savage's Station. To this
Ill 4l,of 81
man, except Couch with his semi-division cut
of: al tie artillery, kearney's division COM
plete. CaseF's rea-raaized. Peck and DeveBs,
with portions of their hrigades; and Hooker,
TOO, with his division, was near al hand. Here
they were brought together and put in shape
under the eye o. the s0idierlv Hcintzsinan.
Checked here and there by cur brave frag-
mcnts, forced back By kearaeya and Peck united,
and themselves exhausted by fierce assaults.
BY death and wounds and six hours fighting
she enemy without rc-cnf0rceMents along this
line, could get 10 further.
THE LAST STAND.
But heavy re-enioreeinents 10 the attacking
column were at hand. Hood, Whiting. Petit
grew, Hampton aud Harton, with five fresh
brigades, with O. ". Smith, q man OF c9nsnfn-
mate nerve and skin, 10 command them, uildel
the very eye OF the now triumphant leader
General Johnston now debouch into ia.
At3EH44l- 34All Ai24lc i7tdNASft~ kitt'
brssades had gotten across the railway. mov
ing nj q rapid pace, Fastening to have the ad
vantage u the remaining daylight. wbea,
Eays Smith, q Ere from TWO batteries 81 artii
lery opened uq1n tie advance brigadcs from
position Oh tAeIr lett and rear. These bat
teries becoming troublesome, il was determined
70 take them. at the same time not giving M
the forward m0vsinsat in favor OF Lonsstreet.
But Smith was loicd this time. Two brigade
were pat in 70 the lest, then the others tarles
back and feed to TIC lelt. Smith 0ecame fear
fully inpatient that SO small a thing shonld b
allowed to check him lie Instantly went oye
60 tie railroad 10 see What was the matter
FIRE and b.azes indeed No sach stubbar.
LEhtiD- IS tEfs could be expected FROM tia
quarter let ~ see ii we can account for il.
Quite carly IA the morniDg Of The 3lst 0
Nay. Rhen TIE furious storm WAS raging ans
the ram pouring. Summers al. utaaf-genera
visited Lisa a Ais ts2t Ize was alarmed 10
the safety 0i isis bridges altG expressed anXiet,
f0r Eeiarzelilss.Il's men. - We y u De stgppei
aud that Ning wil be overwhelmed
Dcfas 9na.iy during lse tnorHilg was heard
IN Ailul souass. le booming Of cannon sun
ner aalkad mp and dswn much Ike a cages
lion. About ] O'Clock Mctgriian, near Nes
Bri1ee, teiegrsgbed iisa 70 i5e ready. inel
DE sent Sedgwck's division, with three bat
tories Of artillery. to his upper bridge, an
Richardson dsvssias 10 tic lower The lowe
bIEdee. clrcful.y constructed, 81 FIRST appeare
b be tbs best; but Frenca's brigade. whie
first attempted the crossing. foand great din
Gully Ia getting over: 50 thai mg brigade fol
lowed ~ sIeasbrr :, had II coanteruareb an
tl-en make cur way 70 The grapevine bridge 1
follow scagnils.
sUa.sER zfogEs.
Abont 2.35 O'Clock sumner received his o.
dcrs 10 cross 0ycr and give suecor 70 Heintze
man. Is lie approached the bridge the cordl
roy approaches were breaking up and getiin
oEt Of place. iFllise parts rose 10 the surface
the rising water ard loaied or The bride
Itself made Of green legs. was $40 longer aboE
the swift current. ard was hardly held ID plag
lygopes and Hlfhes: rs ore log would sink
the step the next one would rise, and gre
cracks quickly appeared. An engineer officer
Colonel BARTON MISUNDERSTANDING just r.
turned from the other bank. met samner, an
had a sT4ef isiis with him, ia substance as 10
lows
Why General sumner, you cannot Gro
1ser this BRIDGE"
~caAt cross over this bridge. can. sir
vii. SIR
No. General. Don't yoa see the approach
ere breaking mp and the logs already displaee
Il is impossib.e,"
hnpnssibie!7 Then adds with vehemenre
Eith passionate exp.etive; Sir, tell you
an cross / ana ordered
Tic orders were the cad Of the matter wi
SIMMER
When the men and horses had pressed Il
karg down they remained fairly IN rlae. "a