The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-04-12

aud men, with q pieces of artillery
All was under the command of Major
General Mccall. That constituted the
Pennsylvania Reserve Division.
With the Penna. Bucktail rifles, Col.
Cane commanding Bucktails, we adj
vanced further to the front to Camp
Pierpont, where we continued doing
protecting the Capital Of our glorious
United States, and on the 10th of De.
cernber 1851, our brigade commander,
Brigadier General E. o. Q. Ord, receiv.
ed orders to take his brigade consisting
of the 9th regiment, I forget what col.
onel commanding, the 9th regiment
Colonel Jackson, 10th regiment Colon
ell Mann, 18th regiment Col. Laggart,
and the 18th egiment-Bucksa Rifles
Colonel Cain and one squadron of
cavalry, and one battery consisting OF
four "yellow pieces" "a pound howitz-
ers, smooth bore, and one hundred
wagons for foraging. This constituted
our foraging expedition.
We went out into the enemy's cOun-
try twenty or thirty miles across Difi.
cult creek to what was called Dranes-
vile House on the GAINESVILLE pike.
Here we found the rebels with one
battery, one regiment of cavalry aud
five regiments of infantry-the End
Kentucky Rangers, one Texas regi-
ment and three North Carolina regi-
ments. Here I did my first fighting
for Uncle Sam, and helped i'm whip
ing the pesky rebels. l think this was
the first victory won by the Army of
the Potomac. The battle was fought
on the Goth of December, 1861.
After the battle we filled our wag-
ons with corn. hay, oats and other edi-
bles, and If / would mention chickens,
or General Meade's Christmas goose,
John Walters or Dmeltzer, or Tim
Slower. Eckley, Capt. Thrasher and
Bill Mcclure would say, SIT looks like
Corporal John Reimert commenced
stealing chickens in the beginning of
the war;" But If they do say so they
can't prove it.
In this fight the first Reb ever saw
was sitting by fence wounded in the
thigh, and the first thing he said to me
was, "Look a-here Yank, we whipped
you id Yanks at the first Bull
Run"
In this fight we killed one hundred
and forty confederates, including one
colonel, and captured one piece of ar
tillery, and blew up one of their
cassions.
We went home to Camp Pierpont
after this fight, and we were all feeling
pretty good. The next day. December
q, 1881, I was promoted to corporal.
From Camp Pierpont we marched
out to Hunters Mill, when Mcclellan
advanced on Manassas Junction. From
Manassas Junction we went to Aqua
Creek Landing, and boarded the
steamers for White Ho1se Landing.
Here we joined McClellan's army on
the right at Mecbanicsville, four and
one-half miles from Richmond, in the
Chickahominy Swamps. And on the
Goth day of June, 1862, at 3 o'clock p.
m. the Seven Days Fight at Mechan-
icsville. One hour before shutdown I
tak"n prisoner, with eighty-four Others
among whom were three commission
ed officers and our Major Gen. Mccall,
commander of Pennsylvania Reserve
Division. We were taken to Libby
and Belle Isle prisons.
/ was a prisoner 81 days and was
then exchanged and came back to Nc.
Clellan at Harrison's Landing and was
with him at the second battle of Bull
Run.
I will tell the readers of the REGIS.
TER the battles was in, not counting
the skirmishes:
Dranesville, Va. December 20, 1861
Mechanicsville, June 26, 1862.
Gaines Mill, June q, 1862.
Peach Orchard, Va, June 90, 1862.
Savage Station. June %, 1882.
Turkey Bend. Va, June 80, 1862.
White Oak Swamp. June 30, 1862.
Manassas, August %, 1862.
Second Bull Run. August 80, 1852.
Chantilly Va. Sept. 1, 1862.
J. R.