The Portland daily press., 1890-01-21

thing would happen to me, that my friends
should know of it. Thus became temper
arily attached to Company B, of the Ninth
Illinois regiment, McArthur's brigade Sew
eral other men from other regiments who
had been touched by this young officers
patriotic appeals also took places in our
ranks.
Rather a strange situation that for boy
enlisting on the battlefield in a command
where there was not face that be had ever
seen before Only one face, indeed, that had
the least touch Of sympathy in it, and that
belonging to the young officer who had must
cred him. su
MUSIC ON THE FIELD.
We waited here for three-quarters of an
hour before receiving the command to move.
During that time one of the regimental bands
played "Hail Columbia" 1t was the first and
only time that heard music on a battlefield,
and soon after l saw that heroic band play
ing 'Over the Hills and Far Away That
is to say, they would have gone over the hills
if there had been any in that neighborhood.
Finally the order came to move to the front.
BY this time the stream of fugitives on the
road rendered it almost impossible, but we
forced our way through them and in due
time reached the point where our men were
being severely driven. At first we were sent
to strengthen the line from point to point
and twice that morning our brigade was
moved up to support fired batteries, which
service, must say from my brief experience,
is the most annoying in modern warfare
These batteries drew not only the artillery
fire of the enemy, but they furnished point
for the concentrated fire of all the infantry
In front. To be in supporting position was
to receive all the bullets that were aimed at
the battery, and which of course, usually vex
the rear. The shells intended for the battery
in your front have habit always of flying
toe high or bursting Just high enough in air
to make it pleasant for the troops vino are
held in comparative inactivity. Under these
conditions we Rugged the ground very closely
and fallen timber of every kind was most
gratefully and thankfully recognized.
1t is amazing how rasAidly time flies under
these circumstances. | am sure there were
occasions that morning when twenty min
utes' exposure to fire behind these field bat.
teries seemed to me an entire week Every
thing looked weird and unnatural. The very
leaves on the trees, though scarcely out of
the bud, seemed greener than had ever seen
leaves, and larger. The faces of the men
about me looked like no faces that had ever
seen on earth. Actions took on the grotesque
forms of nightmares. The roar and din of
the battle in all its terror outstripped my
most fanciful dreams of pandemonium The
wounded and butchered men who came up
out of the blue smoke in front of us and were
dragged or sent hobbling to the rear seemed
like bleeding messengers come to tell us of
the fate that awaited us.
1t was with the greatest sense of relief that
orders came for us to move to the left to face
again that awful wave Of fire which seemed
to be all the morning moving toward our
left. The Confederate divisions came into
action at Shiloh church by the right, with a
view to penetrating to the Tennessee river
and taking us in flank and rear. 1t wasalong
in the afternoon sometime that we were push
ed over to the extreme left of the for
ward line. had no watch, and could have
no idea of the hour of the day, except as
saw the shadows formed by the sun. Up to
this time our command had suffered but lit
tie, but dreadful baptism of fire was await
ing us. For moment I realized that we
were on the extreme left of our army; that
my regiment was the left of the brigade; that
was temporarily attached to Company B of
the regiment, which practically placed me on
the left flank of that heroic army. / know
all this because there was no firing in our
front and no sound of battle to our left. but
steady, steady, steady from the right of us
rolled the volleys which told us that the en-
envy was working around to our vicinity.
THE CRITICAL MOMENT
saw Gen. Macarthur, our commander, at
this point, and as remember, his hand was
wrapped with handkerchief as though he
had been wounded. By his orders we pushed
across deep ravine which ran parallel with
our front, and in five minutes we had taken
up position on the bank of this ravine fac
ing the enemy. Everybody felt that the
critical moment had come. The terrible
nervous strain ~ that day nothing COM
pared with the feeling that now the time had
come for us to show our mettle. The faces
of that regiment were worth studying at that
moment. Not one that was not pale; not o
lip that was not close smut; not an eye that
WAS not wild: NOT a hand that did not trem-
BILE in this awful, anxious moment. Pres.
entity the messenger came-pattering shots
from out the dense growth in our front, tell
Ing Of the advance of the skirmish line On
our part no response. No enemy could be
seen, but the purple wreaths of smoke here
and there told Of the men who were feeling
their way toward our lines. A nervous man
unable to stand the strain let of his musket In
our lines. This revealed our presence.
With suddenness that was almost appall-
ing there came from all along our front
crash Of musketry, and the bullets shrieked
over our heads and through our ranks. Then
we delivered our fire. In an instant the en-
gagement was general at this point There
were no breech leaders in that command, and
the process of loading and firing was tedious
As hvered my second shot musket ball
struck small bush in my front, threw the
splinters in my face and whistled over my
shoulder. Imay say that was startled, but
l kept loading and firing without any idea
whatever as to what was firing at. Soon
the dry leaves, which covered the ground
about us were on fire, and the smoke from
them added to the general obscurity. Two or
three men had fallen in my vicinity. At this
moment the young lieutenant who had my
descriptive list in his coat bosom, and who
was calamity waving his sword in the front
was struck by bullet and fell instantly dead
almost at my feet Then it was that real
lied my utter desolation, and shuddered at the
thought of the fate impended-"Dead and
unknown
our front-it was the division of Gen. Hardee
wa Aih6 uaC Adilh VI tuo ptQtI8l UOSlulQn-
became so terrible that we were driven back
into the ravne. Here we were comparative
~ safe. We could load our pieces, crawl up
the bank OF the ravine and fire and fall back
as 1T were But many poor fellows who
crawled up this friendly embankment fell
back dead or wounded, and in one instance,
as was crouched down loading my piece,
man who had been struck above me fell on
top of me and died by my side. 1t was here
IN this terrible moment that !, boy like,
thought of the peaceful Ohio home where
loving, anxious mother was doubtless think
ing OF me, and with the thought that perhaps
my father had been killed came natural
desire to be we'll out of the scrape. Notwith-
standing, kept firing as long as my cart
ridges lasted. These gone, a fierce sergeant
with revolver in his hand placed its muzzle
close to my ear and fercely demanded why
was not firing. I told him that had no
cartridges.
THE FACE OF THE ENEMY.
Take cartridges from the box of the man
there" he said, pointing to the dead man who
had just fallen upon me. Mine was an Enfield
rife, and my deceased neighbours cartridges
were for Springfield rife. had chung to
this beautiful Enfield, with its maple stock,
which my father had selected as his own, and
was determined that it should not leave my
hands. While this scene was passing the enc
my came upon us in full charge, and looking
up through the smoke of the burning leaves
and beyond washout which connected with
our ravine, saw the gray, dirty uniforms of
the enemy. heard their fierce yells, saw
their flag Tapping sullenly in the grimy at
mosphere. That was a sight which have
never forpottan. can COO fba fioar farrr;tu