The National tribune., 1885-03-05
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What Orr Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
THE WESTERN FLOTILLA.


Vice Admiral Wake, in his account OF
the opcrau yIi> Of the Western tiOulIa, pub
hsheu III the january nuHiber oi The Century
uIagaziI.e, hI,ihcS no mention OF a little epL-
suue of tue Iate Representatives,, an account
OF which may not prove uGInterestlng TO
your readers The New York tOrid pub
Ilsned q short account of II, a5 an item of
news, at the tine OfITs occurrence. Pollard.
In his Lust Cause" aliuUcs 10 II as an
affair" From The point o. view vi tue
average historian Ii may have been no more
than all affair but to tuuse WhO look part III
IL Il M;is au ;iifar OF a good deal OF Import
ance. immediately atler the SURRENDER OF
Fort Dono.sOn tic wooden gunb0atS Taylor
and LeAlngton, Tie former III charge oil
LIEUT. umInabder WIiilam Gwin, ana the
latter commanded by All officer whose name
Tie MuteT has forgotten, We're Ordered from
Fort Henry 10 move up the tennessee RlVer
on TccUnnUlIerlng expedition, WITH H.
siructIons to seize and capture such OF the
sneinys supplies as they could, and accon-
plIsh any o,iier injury lo the TeneIs that Was
possible. Cos. and II OF The Sd Ill, Then
Stationed al Fort Henry, were ordered 10 ac-
company the expedition, Co & Oh board the
Taylor and 20. IL on boad the Lexington.
Sleamng IeisuTeiy up the nvcr, and landing
at various points along the banks, the boys
were having d sort OF dOiCG JUT aieate time 81
II, after rather tough experience at Fort
Hcury. No incident worthy OF mole Oe-
cured for several days, when the officer
commanding, having learned from friendly
cluzeuS that theIe Were TWO spies Oh The
enemy at a house in the woods some mics
back from the river, resolved 10 attempt
their capture. Accordingly, one dark aud
stormy night % men were selected from Co.
{ 10 go out and take the spies. This was
successfully accomplished without loss or
Incident worthy OF mention. The writer
distinctly remembers the fright and screams
OF the women at the house where tie cap
ture was effected, they fully believing that
the PRISONERS would be executed on the spot.
He also remembers the awful biackness of
that stormy night and the fear he telt, which
was shared III by all the other boys of the
party, that our guide would prove treach-
erouS and deliver US up To The enemy. The
prisoners were safely delivered on board the
boat, but we never learned what became OF
them. The expedition moved on up to
Clifton; no enemy was TO be seen. After
taking quantity OF army stores at The latter
place and at Savannah, it was learned that
the rehs had established themselves at Pitts
burg Landing, some eight or nine miles
above Savannah, on the west bank of the
river. On Sunday, the I'd of March, 1862, a
little more than month before the great
battle of Shiloh was fought we steamed
slowly up from Savannah, the Taylor IN the
advance. 1t was a beautiful day, and in
that fair Southern cline the early birds were
already filling the woods on the banks of the
river with their music
At about 2 p. IN. we discovered battery
of two field guns right in our front. At the
point where the battery was planted the
river makes sharp turn TO the left, so that
the battery which was on the left bank
pointed straight down stream, and could
rake US from point down the river as far
IS their guns would carry till we could get
beyond and above it. We had come within
about half mile of them, when
. BOOM WENT THEIR FIRST GUN.
The shot fell short, but directly in line
showing that their aim was fairly true.
Their next shot went straight over us, max
ing music which our boys heard for the
first time, as Co. A was the only one of our
regiment which took part in the frolic at
DOnelsOn. Well we steamed steadily on upthe
river, never slackening our speed. At about
the third shot from the rebels, 64-pounder
In our port bow opened for the first time,
but without any particular result; but at
the thnd or fourth shot their battery was
kitOCkTO out, ana we COulu see Inc JOnnnleS
taking to the woods in their rear as if Satan
were after them. There were some ] 500
infantry besides the battery, said to have
been Louisiana troops. When We saw them
moving with so much celebrity for the big
white-oaks, we felt proud and happy in
short, 1T was the proudest moment of our
lives. We firmly believed we had licked
the whole Con!ederacy. We moved on up
the river 10 point opposite the camp of the
rebels, and III front OF the Landing where we
stopped in midstream. The guns Oh the
boat were now no longer available against
the enemy, as they could not be sufficiently
elevated. The commanding officer now
directed Capt. Philips, of Co. G, to take %
volunteers from his company, and Capt
Rider, of Co. K, to take an equal number
from that company on the other boat, to 90
ashore and reconnoiter
The volunteers promptly took their places
IN the yawls lowered for the purpose, and
manned by about - men each, one from
each gunboat We reached the bank in a
short time Sergt Barker, of our company
&C., was the first TO step ashore The
writer was the second. We quickly disem-
baTked. formed, and marched up the hill in
hne style, suppOsing that the rebels whom
we had seen short time before so beauti-
fully retreating were still on the go Alas,
the best laid schemes, etc. We had hardly
reached the crest of the hill when zip
spang-ping came the mimic balls in alto
geIher too
CLOSE PROXIMITY
TO our ears. Now this operetta was not on
our program, and the boys were not quite
prepared for it. They appreciated it, how
ever, at Its full value,-so much so that they
all, with the exception of the Captain and
four or five others, dropped back below the
crest of the hill. Soon, however Co. K and
the marines who had manned the yawIs
came up, and then, with a yell, we rushed
past the rebel camp, leaving it off to our
right, when the JOhnnies again retreated. |
and took position behind double log house |
which stood some hundred yards or so in |
our front. Oar Captain was slightly wounded |
at the first FIRE, and we had hardly taken |
our new position when our Orderly Sergeant |
Dan Messick, as brave boy as ever fired |
gun for the Union, was shot through the |
head and Instantly killed. The insignifi- |
canoe of oUr force now become plainly |
apparent to the enemy, and he was not slow |
TO improve his opportunity. The rebs came |
on, lodging from tree to tree There being |
trees enough for the privates as well as the |
officers, till we were exposed TO their cross |
fire. Our Captains held hasty consulta- |
ton, and ordered us TO git. We required no |