The National tribune., 1888-03-01
ON THE sA1KAHATcH1E.
The Part the 61st Ill. Took at the StOrminE Of
the Fort


EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: saw in THE
NATIONAL TRIBUNE of late date an account of
the storming of the fort at Salkahatchie, S. c.,
by a comrade of the 43d Ohio; and, now, will
YOU allow me to tell my story as ! saw it. The
comrade says it was the Second Brigade, First
Division, Seventeenth Corps, that did the work,
and that Col. Swayne was wounded IN the
water and he helped him on the pike. saw the
Colonel when he fell, just as we filed off the
pike into the water to make a crossing above,
and / am sure he was standing on the pike when
he fell. A shell took his leg off below the knee,
! don't remember which leg, but am positive he
was on the pike Ourregiment-64thI Ill. Yates
Sarpshooters), of the First Brigade, First Di-
vision, Seventeenth Corps-advanced through
mud, water and cypress about p. m. till we
came to the main channel, where we could not
cross, the water being over our heads, for two or
three men stripped and tested it. We held our
position till about p. M, when we were relieved,
and went TO the rear and dried ourselves, which
ended the first day. The next day about p. m.
we went in again and crossed the channel on
two large trees that the pioneers had teiled
across We were having lots of fun listening to
the scream of shell and minies and brushing
the leaves off from each other where the bullets
were flying, for the rebels kept up tremend-
Gus fire, but no one hurt, as | remember. But
imagine our surprise when we had to jump into
the water, waist deep, as we came to the end Of
the pioneers bridge, and had to wade for mile
or more before we got on terra-frma Our regi-
ment was mostly armed with Henry rifles or
16-shooters, and we were the first across. We
went into position and advanced short dis
lance and waited for the rest of our brigade
9th and 39th Ohio and 18th Mo-, First Brigade,
First Division, Seventeenth Corps What
others came through / know not, for then we
advanced a short distance until we ran onto
the rebel cavalry pickets, who were so much
] IL. - IF
the water that they skedadled. We halted a
few moments, and as the other troops came up
we advanced till we came to an open field, then
halted again. Other regiments formed on our
right and left, and we
STARTED ON CHARGE.
We had not gone more than so yards when we
could see the line for so or 100 rods each way,
and the rebs running for dear life; but think
how We felt to see Old Fighting Joe Mower
come rushing up the bank with his long-legged
boots full of water and yelling at the top
of his voice to halt and fall back to the
woods, and send skirmshers across the field
ahead meantime the rebs got reinforcements
from the fort below and held our skirmishers
back till they slipped out of the loop-hole be-
tween US and the Fifteenth Corps, which was
coming on a d0uble-quick, but about 30 mo-
ments behind the appointed time on account
of having a harder place to cross than we did.
| i was the most lucky thing that ever hap
! pened our brigade that Gen. Mower stopped
US, for the rebs had 1900 in Hardies command
while our brigade would not muster over 2,00t
at that time. As our skirmishers were fighting
/ with the rebs darkness came on, and as we adj
| yanced IN few moments to the woods on the
opposite side of the open field, where we lay on
| our arms all night, expecting the enemy tC
charge US and retake their lost ground, the Other
fellows came across the pike and took the fort
after we drove the rebs out by our flank move
ment through the swamp. T. HARTLEY
Co. A, Gath I'll. yates Sharpshooters), Bayard
/ Iowa