The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-12-27

Immediately thrown across the road, which
was danked on both sides by deep swamp
We had moved forward but a few yards, when
the bugle sounded Lie down. The call was
obeyed instantly, and we fell upon our faces
and not moment too soon, for the three pieces
were discharged almost in our very faces, and the
grape and canister went flying over our heads
like hail. Mai Kimball, our gallant command
er, asked permission of Gen. Parke to charge
the works. The reply was: You are the man;
now is the time, and this the place. Charge
Zouaves, charged The bugle, in quick sue
cession, sounded the calls, Rise up-tix bayo-
net-Cbarge!' and while the 2lst Mass. and
5Ist n. Y stormed the battery upon the TANKS,
the Hawkins Zouaves charged along the road
in the face of the works. at which the panic
stricken rebels fed, and the battery was ours,
the York and Massachusetts, colors flying
from the parapet amid cheers that shook the
forest. From the time of our first entering the
field until the battery was taken did not occupy
90 minutes Lieut. De Bevoise, Mark May,
Jerry Donovan and George Snow, of Co. a,
were wounded but none mOrtally. After tax
ing the battery the 51st and 9th N Y proceed
ed along the road on the east side OF the Island
in pursuit of the enemy.
"0ut upon the sound we saw small steamer,
and soon discovered two small boats putting OIL
from shore. These were called upon to sur
render, but they only redoubled their efforts to
]
returned TO land. The boats contained several
officers who were trying to escape to Mays
Head. o. J. Wise, the commanding officer of
the Confederate forces, was mortally wounded
while in the boat, and died before morning at
the house of a Mr.. Jarvis-afterWard used by
our troops as a hospital. o. j. Wise was the
son of eX-GOY Wise of Virginia, and before the
war was Captain of the Richmond Blues"
Now, comrades, let me say l am proud of
! having belonged to the Hawkins Zouaves; that
/ was with my company in every engagement
! in which it took part and it was never
| detached from the regiment. / kept daily
/ record, and although a soldier in the ranks
| cannot possibly know what is passing out
! side of his immediate vicinity, he can learn
! from friends in neghboring regiments of the
/ route taken by them and the position occupied
! by their regiments in an assault upon bat
| terry. OF my own personal knowledge men,
! bers of the 5lst n. Y and 21st Mass, as well as
members of the Hawkins Zouaves, were inside
the battery when ! crawled through the en-
brasure over the middle gun, and Co. was
among the first to enter. If the capture OF the
masked battery is wholly due to the Hawkins
! Zouaves, why is it that in the illustration OF
our charge, printed upon our certificates OF
membership, there are two National colors and
two regimental flags, showing that to other
brave men, as well as ourselves, belongs the
credit of taking the battery?
The brave comrades of the 10th Conn. and
25th Mass, who maintained their positions
under terrible fire in the early part of the
day, do not to my knowledge lay claim to the
capture of the battery, and yet they are as
much eptitled to do as the 51st N. Y, the
21st Mass. or the Hawkins ZOuaves, for by the
combined efforts of all the troops engaged was
the victory accomplished, and to each and
every one is the credit due.-FRED S. Snow
cAntelope Fred ", Co. A, 9th n. Y. (Hawkins
Zouaves), Deep River, Conn.