The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-09-12
A GALLANT Achievement.
Daring Exploit Of a Young Lieutenant
of the twentieth.
How Seventeen Maine Men Broke I
Rebel Battle Line.
An Interesting Paper from the Ar
chives OF the Loyal Legion.

Division of the Fifth Corps. In the absence
of Col. Chamberlain on court-martial duty.
the regiment was commanded by Lieut. Col.
Ellis Spear. About two weeks before the
opening Of that eventful campaign, Lieu
tenant Holman S. Melcher was assigned to
the command of Company f. the company in
which he held the commission of First Lieut.,
but from which he had been detached as
acting Adjutant of the Regiment since the
battle Of Gettysburg. Capt. S. T. Keene
had been assigned to the duty of acting
Major, and on account of his rank, company
+. held the left Of the regimental line.
At midnight, May "a, 1864. the regiment
crossed the Rapidian on a pontoon bridge at
Germanna Ford, and plunged into the Will
derness, Pushing forward with all possible
haste, the regiment reached ths Old Wilder
ness Tavern about two o'clock in the after
noon of May 4th, and moved westward along
the Orange Pike, biyouacing about mile
out toward Orange Court House, the troops
OF the Filth Corps being posted ON both sides
OF tine road. The night was quiet and rest
Iul after the long forced march, but the bugles
sounded an early reveille for the forward
movement. The troops had finished break
iast and were about ready to draw out into
the Pike to resume the march, when some
cavalry scouts that had been out at the front
during the night came galloping down the
road with the word that the enemy was ad-
yancing along the Pike from Orange Court
House. and was already this side Roberfson's
Tavern, only two miles away.
Affairs changed very suddenly. Arms
were stacked, shovels and picks brought up
and every man was set at work with right
good Will along the line where the regiment
mad biv0uacked during the night-a slightly
wooded crest Of ridge running across the
road. The pioneers cut down the trees in
front OF the works to give range for the guns,
and shaTpened their limbs to make q tenn
porary abbatis. A battery of Napoleon guns
came up and took position on the left of the
regiment, and by ten O'Clock a goodly line of
works had been thrown up, and the troops
behind them were well supported by bat
teries. 1t was expected and hoped that the
enemy would attack, but they failed to put
In an appearance, and about twelve O'Clock
tack in force. Climbing over the works
which the troops had erected with so much
interest, they pushed through the thick
woods in their front-the right Of the 10Th
Maine resting on the Pike-till they came
near an open field where the lines were care
fully formed, the Goth Maine being in the
second line of battle.
The bugles soon sounded the charge"
and advancing to the edge Of the field those
In the second line of battle saw the first line
half way across receiving terribly fatal fire
from the enemy in the woods ON the further
SIDE. Thls field was about a quarter Of a
mile across, and had been planted with corn
the year before. 1t was now dry and dusty,
and the bullets of the enemy, as they spat-
tered on 1t like the big drops of a show er
threw up spurts of dust, and many a COM
rade from the charging line as 1t rushed
rible storm of leaden hail AS the second
line emerged from the woods and en- tered
this field, Gen. j. j. Bartlett, the brigade com
mander. came galloping down the line from
the right, waving his sword and shouting,
Come on boys; leg us go in and help them
And go In they did. Rushine ACROSS the
held and overtaklng those OF their comrades
VINO had survived the enemy's fire, just as
they were breaking over the enemy's lines
they Joined them there in that deadly en-
encounter, and amid the groans of the dy ing
the shrieks of the wounded, the terrible roar
Of musketry, the shouts of command, and
cheers OF encouragement, the Union line
ike a wnlriwlnd swept away and scattered
part Of Johnson's and Rhodes division OF
Ewells corps, viz, Jones brigade of John
sons, and Dole's and Battles of Rhodes
divisions, and pursued them like hunted
hares, killing or capturing them as they
came upon them.
This pursuit Lieut.. Melcher, with those
about him, continued for half a mile, until
there were no rebels in their front to be seen
or heard, and coming to a little clearing he
thought it well to reform his line, but found
that there was not much of line to form.
With him were only fifteen men Of his own
company, with two men of the company on
his right. de was the only commissioned
officer there. His brave and trusted first
sergeant, Ammi Smith, however. was at his
side as always in time of danger, and with
him Lieut.. Melcher conferred as to what it
was best to do under the circumstances.
There was nothing in front to fight that they
could see or hear, and it seemed cowardly TO
go back, as they did not know whether their
comrades were at the rear or farther to the
front. Lieut. Melcher was then twenty-one
years of age, and Sergeant Smith twenty
two, so that their united ages hardly gave
years enough to decide a question that
seemed so important to them at that mo-
ment
While earnestly considering the matter.
one of the men approached Lieut.. Meleher
and said, Lieutenant, come this way and
way to the Orange Pike, and pointing back
down that straight, level road, he said: "See
thatp Lieut.. Melcher looked in the direc-
tion indicated and saw, half mile in their
rear, strong column of rebel infantry NOV
ing directly across the road, and between
them and the lines from which they had
come. Lieut.. Melcher quickly surmised. what
soon after he learned was true, that the first
brigade that charged with them on the right
OF the Pike had been repulsed in the advance;
that his regiment had been ordered to hat
when this was discovered, and being out
fanked on the right, had fallen back. As
his company was on the extreme left Of the
regiment he had not heard these orders nor
seen the colors halt on account of the thick
woods, and so had rushed forward far be-
yond the rest Of the regiment.
Calling his men together he stated to them
For myself, would rather die in an at
tempt to cut our way out than be captured
and rot in rebel prison; will you stand by
me in this attempt?" 1t was a moment that
tried mems souls, and boys too. But the
resolution wa, was quickly formed. and every
gladly, too. Lieut.. Melcher looked in their
faces and knew there was not one that would
fail him. They had all been tried in the
fires Of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Aide,
Gettysburg, Rappahannock Station and Mine
Run. and had never been found wanting.
Lieut.. Melcher said, Let every man load his
rifle, fix bayonets. and follow me" and with
Sergeant Smith at his side he led the way In
the effort to strike "for liberty or death"
In order to pass around the right of the rebel
line If possible, he took a course as far from
the Pike as he dared and keep direction SO
as to come out near the works that had been
thrown up In the morning, in case they sue
ceeded in getting out. The hope of getting
around the rebel right proved vain, however,
for on approaching their line they found it
eXLenueu Iartner 10 tne rlBnL Lnan tney could
see, and their only chance was to cut their
way through. Forming their line of battle
(seventeen men besides the Lieutenant) in
single rank with Sergeant Smith on the left,
while Lieut.. Melcher took the right, they
approached the rebel line quietly and unob-
served, as the "Johnnies" were all intent on
watching for the "Yanks" in their front,
without any suspicion Of an attack from the
rear, until they were within ten or fifteen
PAGES, when on the first intimation that they
were discovered every one of this little band
picked his man, fired, and with a great shout,
as if they were a thousand, they rushed at the
rebels and on to them, sword and bayonets
being their weapons. Surrender or die"
was their battle cry. The rebels were so
astonished and terrified by this sudden and
entirely unexpected attack in their rear that
some Of them promptly obeyed, threw down
their arms and sure nied. The desperately
brave among them fought their assailants
hand to hand. The larger part broke snd
fled in every direction through the woods.
Lieut.. Melcher's little company had no time
to reload their rifles. One of his men, only
a boy, called to rebel to throw down his
gun, but instead of Obeying he quickly
brought it to his shoulder and snapped il in
the face of this man. For some reason,
fortunately. the cap did not explode. Quick
as fias h this union soldier sprang forward
plunged his bayonet into the rebels breast,
and throwing him backward pinned him to
the ground. This was only one of the many
such encounters in that terrible struggle.
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