Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-28
INCIDENTS OF THE WAR.
Union Soldiers Stories That Historian
Generally Overlooked.

Generally Overlooked.
rwRITTEN FOR THR DIsPArCH.i
At the battle of Chancellorsvllle the hair
raising order was threatened to form the TWO
batteries, Hampton's and Knapp's, OF Pills
burg. in q hollow square. that is, make square
of the two batteries, composed or SIX guns
each, and put the men inside this square anu
keep them there to fight but the order was not
issued. Had it come 1t would have been
promptly obeyed, for there never were two bat
teries in the service that possessed any superior
qualities as fighters to these two from Pitts.
burg. 1t was in this battle that the brave, KIND
and generous Captain X. b. Hampton Com
mander of Hampton's Pittsburg battery, lost
his life. A cannon ball took of one of his legs.
His remains were taken to Pittsburg and in
TERED in the Allegheny Cemetery. lmmedi-
ately back of the hearse was the captain
horse, noble perfectly black animal, which on
all occasions excepting in this battle carried his
brave commander.
AS general rule, the private soldier can
give a more accurate description of battle
than General for the private, il he is good
soldier. is right in the midst of the conflict
and, il observant, can see more than the
General whose duty it Is to issue orders upon
information given him. In the case OF the
battle Of Charlottesville, had the privates who
retreat had authority TO use their artillery on
the enemy retreat would not have occurred.
THE battle at Charlottesville on Saturday
night. May 8, was one of the grandest sights
that could be witnessed. While the shells
with their long fiery tails went on their death
dealing errands and bombs burst in air there
started up such mighty shout of song in the
woods that had Pittsburg beeL nearer the neld
the whole city would have joined In the
familiar airs of "Star Spangled Banner" and
Red, White and Blue" which drowned the
cannon's boom.
How frequent the error is committed by
writer's and speakers in alluding to charging
under'grape and canister ire." Such an article
as grape was not used upon any battlefield
during the war. 1t is distinctively naval, and
has no connection with field service.
SPIES or sympa.hizers often became too
reckless for their necks' welfare. At the
battle of Antietam an individual emerged from
a cluster of trees opposite the Union army and
with slow and measured tread passed through
the lines. In attempting to return by differ.
ent route he was captured, tried at General
McClellan's headquarters via drumhead court
martial and sentenced to be hanged. Before
the sentence was put into execution, he told
the court that he was measuring the distance
between their line and ours, and it is supposed
the enemy had counted the number of steps
taken by him, for in a very brief time their
artillery opened on us, and with such accurate
aim that to stay and reply was impossible.
THE Twenty-eighth Pennsylvania Regiment.
Colonel J. w. Geary commanding, was in the
corn field at Antietam. position not at all
enviable. 1t was due to their staying qualities
that the enemy was foiled in an undertaking
which, If it had been successfully executed,
would have prolonged the contest. But the
Twenty-eighth was there to stay. and 1t did
stay.
In the wheat field at Gettysburg Pittsburg
General, now deceased. General ]. B. Sweitzer,
and his command, did more downright fighting
than any other set of men in that battle. To
quote General Slocum, who commanded the
Twelfth Corps in this fight; Fright down
there" pointing to the wheat field, was the
hardest and most stubbornly contested engage
ment in the whole battle, and General from
Pittsburg by the name of SweitZer was in CON-
mand. ANY Of the survivors of this brigade
will appreciate the estimate thus publicly
placed upon them by their Corps General. The
Pittsburg General was told what General Slo-
cum said. His modest reply was: ut was
pretty hot there"
IT may be held by some to be discourteous to
speak of the Confederate Commanding Gen.
eral as taking undue advantages, but he did
nevertheless. General Lee went to the top Of
the Seminary building. which was used as
hospital, and established signal corps. and he
was seen there while the yellow hospital flag
was floating below him. A battery was trained
on him, but the order to fire was not given.
UNION SOLDIER.