The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-01-15
HIS FIRST BATTLE.
A Veterans Story Of His Baptism
Under Fire.

Under Fire.
The memory Of n soldiers first bat
tie win never be forgotten by him. The
impressions were burned 50 deeply into
the brain and spirit that a century Of
peace would not efface or even dim them.
Twenty-nine years have passed since /
went through the first baptism of fire"
and yet tho scenes and events are as
fresh and as vivid in the soul vision as
is the storm of yesterday eve.
want to tell you something about it.
l shall not name the time nor the place
the living who were with me will re-
member the facfs-for the record / give
is historic, is real, not ideal or fanciful,
and l wish to have the recital so worded
that any man in the world can read it
without q feeling Of bitterness in any
known direction. The picture / give is
not for the man who wore this or that
uniform. / want a cameo that win out
last the passion that produced the bloody
struggle.
do not pretend to give a history Of
an entire battle; no one man al do this
unless he draws upon the experience and
observation Of others, for each actor in
any great battle sees the struggle differ
emily from what it appears to others. /
shall relate my own individual expert
ence and observation-what ! personally
saw and heard of one fercely fought bat
tle-one memorable in the history of the
war-my first passing into and through
its fame of fire.
A soldiers first battle in wal does not
always come ct the appointed looked for
hour. Many Of the volunteers went to
the front, expecting to whip out the
fight the next morning after arrival
either before or after breakfast-then to
return home crowned with immortal
honors. But with thousands many
weary months elapsed before the oppor-
tunity of meeting the foe came in real
earnest, and when it did come countless
thousands were not expecting it. After
my enlistment as q soldier I had not long
TO wait tbs coming of the fight.
Night had enveloped the camp, and ]
was dreaming of sunny fields, Of smiling
meadows, of a happy home-of mother,
and all that was near and dear TO a hu-
man heart. But the destroying angel
came, and all vanished into the realm Of
sweetened shadow.
Forua comrade stood beside me with
his hand on my bosom. As he leaned
over toward my ear I heard him say
tremulously-the mans heart in a fut-
ter of emotion:
Wake up, They are ~advancing!"
Was there the hue on his lips that made
me think instantaneously of the line:
whispering with White lips, .srhe foe-they come
theyaeome."
The first beams Of the full morning
were pencihng the orient sky, and the
rays fell upon a group of half a dozen
anxious faces gathered around the ad-
j~utant's tent. Two horses were there
one with dropping head and limb Al
at rest; another vas painting heavily and
reeking with smoke as the courier still
sat on him. The commanding officer
Vas reading a note, hastily scratched in
pencil, under starlight alone.
The officer was en- diehabille. Yet J
heard him speak hurriedly and a~nxiously
to the bugler just called mp:
"Sound reveille at once, and boots and
saddles Immediately afterward." Turn
ing around he added, addressing his serv
ant, Saddle mylorse at once, William
Strange it is what a magnetic infu
enc as it were, that will pervade a mas
of men In the hour Of danger and duty
Three minutes had not elapsed after the
sounds of the lastbugle blow had thrilled
thecamptin the squadrons were forming
Move the column down the road
captain" said the commanding officer
81 will gallop on and ascertain the rea.
situation"
Wepassed another and another courier
and then we came to a body of men hold
ing horses behind a clump of trees.
just then there seemed to be an awful
stiffness in the morning air. suddenly
broken by a noise that sounded strangs
to me.
What is that l asked.
"It is the rumbling OF their artillery
said Gen. S. Then he turned around
looking us al squarely in the face, and
added in q confident tone, Eyes, they are
advancing, and in force"
There was no installing the sound tina
next greeted the ears, there was Q clear
ringing report that punctuated the still
ness, then there was another and an
other and the rifle cracks died away
They were the prelude of the battle soor
to begin in earnest.
The Gathering of horses hoofs signalec
another courier who dashed up, exclaim
ing in tones of feeling:
General, our dismounted men arr
skirmishing with them" We had heard
the rife shots half a mile away.
Captain, gallop back, and hurry NJ
the infantry. Tell Capt. Hart we need
the artillery at once. He, too, is com
ing"
Then there was another and another
ring of the clear voiced rife, then a ter
rife voliey and a double shot or two,
and then the guns were hushed for a
moment. Men were seen hurrying from
the direction of the sound They were
the dismounted skirmishers who were
being driven back by the strong advance
In front. The men rallied with our col