The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-10-27
FREDERICKSBURG.
STORY OF THE BATTLE BY A
PARTICIPANT.
Moving Toward the Front-Fight Be-
tween thc..FederaIsa and North
Carolina Brigade - Re-
treat Across the River.


A writer in the New York Commercial
Adrcrtiser who was Federal soldier at
Fredericksburg gives the following &C.
count of that battle:
Our corps, the First, under General
John F. Re ynolds. who was destined to
a glorious death at Gettysburg, and the
Sixth corps, under General "Baldy"
Smith, formed the left grand division,
commanded by General Franklin, and
We held the left of our line. 1t was
dark when we bivouackcd in the fields
below the city. A mile in front of us
we could see the dim outlines of the
woods, sparkling with countless camp
fires. We We're not allowed to light our
fires, because they would haze served as
targets for the enemy. SO we rolled up
in our blankets and slept as tired men
only can. In the early dawn some bat
tcries to our left favored us with vigor-
Gus shell;ng, but I slept through it all,
and was only convinced that 1t had oc-
Cured when I saw its effects in the
shape of dead and wounded men and
horses.
About Q A. NJ. our brigade moved
further to the left, and toward the front.
In my company were about thirty re-
cruits-country lads, who had never been
under fire. AS our column reached the
crest of a little hill, over which the road
passed, sudden sputter broke from a
Confederate battery near us, and storm
of canister whistled high over our heads.
We were on vary muddy ground at the
moment, but those recruits dropped Hat
IN the mire, like SO many ninepins, A
roar of laughter from the older soldiers
probably convinced them that they had
not been killed, and they fought gal
lantly to a man before the day ended.
A few moments later one of our light
batteries, the horses at the gallop and
the guns and cais'ons jumping and
plunging, dashed across the head of our
column and came into battery close by
us. AS we looked at them COntcder-
ate shell, fatally we'll med, struck one
of the caissons and exploded it. There
was IN awful roar, and as the smoke
lifted q confused mass of mangled bod
les of men and horses was all that re-
mained of the caisson.
We were posted in sunken road, run
ming parallel to the railroad. Here we
were perfectly sheltered from the cne-
mics fire, and here we remained for some
time, listening to the noise Of battle on
our right. After time 1t ltsesmed nearer,
and there was sharp musketry firing in
our front. TheI stall officer galloped
up to our colonel, who commanded the
brigade, and we were called to attention.
Nv company was on the extreme right,
and as I was tall, lathy youngster,
I was in one OF the files on tho right. |
remember looking down our line and
noticing the different expressions on the
faces. Here and there were the born
soldicrs-eager, excited, but fearless;
others, seasoned veterans they, prepar-
ing for the charge, in q cool, busin ess-
like manner, many of them biting OF q
fresh chew of tobacco. There were pale
faces and stupid faces, but I saw none
that looked like coward faces.
At the word We climbed the embank-
mcnt and emerged into the open ground.
In front of us was level field that had
been covered with corn, but it was en-
tirely bare, except for occasional heaps Of
corn stalks piled up for fodder. A few
hundred yard; before us was brigade
of Massachusetts men, just closing its
ranks to retire, and we moved rapidly up
to take their place, and then were ordered
to lie down while they uncovered our
front. From the front sharp musketry
fire was kept up, and as the brigade be.
fore us moved off by tie flank l could
see the men drop off here and there, and I
could hear theit ficers as they closed up
the broken files. Very proudly they
marched by u, keeping step and dressing
their sets of four as if marching to
parade, and apparently indifferent to the
bullets singing about their cars. They
were ordered forward again.
In front of us, and parallel to our
charging line, was the railroad track,
and from the ditch on the further side
q brigade of North Carolina troops kept
up lively fire, but did not chick our
advance. Breaking into a run, VIC
reached the first ditch and sprang over
it to the track. A large part of the
North Carolina bri"adc had already
started toward the wood in their rear,
but as I looked up and down l saw
hundreds of the gray-coated fellows,
crouched in the bottom of the ditch,
Offering no resistance. Many of them
displayed white handkcrchiefs on sword
or bayonet point* in token of surrender.
but in the excitement of the moment I
saw some of our men fire their rifles
along the line of the captured enemy,
an | such a shot could hardly fail of a
human target.
The open space between the railroad
and the wood was dotted with the
broken fragments of this brigade, and
though our line halted and opened fire,
q number of our men rushed forward,
and as q result we took many prisoners.
1t was only necessary, as a rule, to run
up close to one of the stampcded gray
coats and call out: $50 to the rear,
Johnnym to induce the man to drop his
rifle and turn back to our line. But this
was not always the case. I ran up near
a handsome young officer, who was trot-
ting leisurely toward the woods, and
gave him the usual hail. He turned his
head toward me, and with bright,
good-naturcd smile, replied: "Oh,n 10"
Ihalted and covered him with my rifle,
and called to him again: go to the
rear, or I'll shootm Again he looked
around, fearless and smiling, and shook
his head. My duty was plain-he was
not thirty feet from me, and ought to
shoot him--but Icouldn't do it. 1 fired
1 ] J. I. i