The National tribune., 1889-11-21

Officer of the Guard for that day was
LIEUT.. JOE STRICKLAND, co. I.
Strickland was one of the best volunteer Off
GERS / ever met. lie was handsome, unselfsh,
the bravest of the brave, and followed the
United States Army Regulations as true
| Moslem does the Koran. Strickland, Frank
Wells, Ed Bradley and / were known among
| ourselves as cOmrades,in- arms" We had an
alliance for war purposes, as is found among
| the prospectors of the San Juan or Black Hills,
who call each other "pardner." No will was
drawn, but verbal understanding existed
with us concerning any of tho usual contingen-
| ces in the case. We had been chums in raids
of pleasure, and had passed through not a few
| baptismal fires Thus far neither of us had
| suffered scar. excepting n scratch Joe had re-
| ceived at Irish Bend on the preceding April.
About 10 o'clock that evening he saunterod up
TO headquarters. / sat on a cSacker-box con-
! templating the order ] had Under guard till
| midnight.
Barney" said Joe, 1--WE are going into Port
| Hudson tomorrow"
" said; " Lieutenant, that Is piece of good
news; where did you find it2"
Il can't say" he replied; "but / feel IL in
my bones that we destined TO have great
| battle tomorrow, and that 4 shall be killed !;
i can't get away from the foolish notion, and
| yet know it's only bugbear"
Now, with the information had, the vision
| he reported impressed me- / asked him to
join mo with a pipe and as we sat- casting n
| dim shadow from one army candle, / asked
| him where he was at 9 o'clock, and found he
was then Mt his post, aud that he saw no one
approach nor leave my headquarters. l fur
ther satisfied myself that he had no informa-
tion as to the projected movement at midnight
After talking for half an hour proposed to
him that rs l had some writing to do for an
hour or so, and would be up anyway. he lie
down to take a little rest He shortly after
became aroused, and reverted TO the same pre-
monition. At midnight j asked him to call
the Adjutant and then ordered tho regiment
to fall in line and await orders. Turning to
Joe, l showed him the order had received at
9 o'clock, which he studied, but made no com.
ment He appeared very absent-minded, but
soon rallied, and as our guide then reported,
we frequently had occasion TO meet and part
on the march before daybreak, but no further
allusion made to the subject took some
coffee with him near the bridge where the regi-
ment rested short time at sunrise. This was
on what was known as the Jackson road. We
hero learned that our division was to remain
massed, under cover, and held as the reserve.
The uttack had been progressing meanwhile,
and victims were being carried along the road
way to the hospital flag, short distance in the
rear BY 2 a.. m the firing had become some
what relaxed on both sides, and soon came the
command
FOR THE RESERVE TO FALL IN.
As we filed along and turned to the right Of the
pike, by tree sat Weitzel and some of his staff.
Strickland turned TO him, and as the General
extended his hand Joe said Good by, Gen
erali sha'n't meet you again" and In an In
slant was with his company
Everybody seemed TO feel that the day was
lost when the first charge Of Gen. Paiue's coll
umn was repelled, and by half-past six that
morning all the effective work was done Still
Gen. Paine lay wounded, as did many Of his
following, and exposed, so they could neither
retreat nor advance. A charge at some other
part of the line was perhaps q necessity. We
came TO tho opening, little TO the loft of where
tho attack occurred on the 9th Of MAY. Lines
were formed only to collapse and reform, each
time with less numbers Soon after we do
bouched from the timber, and in our earliest
effort 10 advance, Strickland fell dead from q
bullet wound in the forehead.
The balance of the day was consumed in the
struggle 10 gain one position in advance OF
another, and by one o'clock p. m. we were close
enough to observe that half dozen skeleton
regiments on our side wero within one or two
hundred feet of the works. Confronting us
were massed solid columns Of Johnnies pro-
tected by the comforting sand-bag network.
Nothing was further done, except by detaiIs of
sharpshooters, while the grateful music OF tho
artillery aided 10 pass the tedious hours under
strategy noted on exhibition. so far as could
learn, was when successfully and quietly on on
the night they buried Sir John Moore we
withdrew 10 our old quarters and tnrneh in
with what men We had left after an absence
OF "a hours. kezt day made the following
memorandum:
'.lf we had succeeded yesterday, Gen. Paine.
OF Wisconsin, wonld have been the hero Of TINT
day. In the immediate vicinity Of my com.
mand Col. Holcomb was the highest ranking
officer ] saw who distinguished himself IL
was defeat from tho first. and yet no man
about me failed 10 do his full duty. Il was battle
fought by regimental and line officers with
men who never nunked nor Jagged"
Poor Joc Strickland, or rather poor me and
his other chums
HOW ABOUT HIS PREMoNiTioS5
Perhaps some of tho boys could give more
evidence rs 10 visions, prophecies, oracles and
revelations; how many came true how many
Jailed, ana how many were colncidents etc
Rev. J. NJ. Buckley doubtless would be In
terested, as he has collected much testimony
upon such topics.
The next dawn witnessed many headaches
and heartaches The dead aud wounded were
cared for under flag Of truce.
The 10th was eyentful in consequence Of tho
distribution Of the famous Order 40" 1t was
an eloquent appeal to the brave mon Of the
army and navy 10 volunteer for d "storming
column Of n thousand men," Promotion and
medals were pledged 10 every one who offered
himself for this bold enterprise Gen, Rirpe
who was formerly our Colonel, was 10 lead
them TO victory or otherwise. We knew he
would go somewhere IL he undertook H. aud II
his preference should be consulted, he would
scale the parapet on horseback. Out Of com.
piment to him. and for other reasons 225 of
the old 18th Conn. stepped forward or nbont
hall OF the men ft for duty, aud all the com
missioned officers but or two. The column
offered itself, but TO this day no insignia have
reached us.
Much adverse comment and some garcasm
has been INDUCED in In public and private as
TO the military genius of Gen. Banks. From
Dick Taylors and Stonewall Jackson's com.
mands, 10 would appear, that he made many
Confederate happy. / wish 10 do him tho lust
Ice 10 remark that we always felt that his
printing machine was as ably conducted as any
IN the service. Tho texture of his orders WAS
all that could DO desired, aud might even he
called Oriental In their picturesqueness The
more he was reversed the brighter he glowed
" No. 49 }" was no exception, but rather affirmed
the observation that the pen is mightier than
the sword" The navy furnis volunteers az
well as the army; and, indeed. at no time in
the Department Of tho Gulf did a tar fail Ia
mix in a fight If he could reach il on time
Jack Nelson's Corps dAfrique also enrolled
2OO. The 4th OF July was fixed for the fray
but some delay arose. and on the 7th came the
Information from Vicksburg, when truce was
proposed by Gen. Gardner The fight really
ended then, although terms Of capitulation
were not agreed upon until July 3 IgR3