The National tribune., 1891-12-17


your account Of How the Flag was Captured"
IL was the most gallant charge i ever witnessed.
Your boys came up beautifully. L assisted In
buTytng your dead and remember OF burytng q
Colonel. lie was a large man. This was Col.
Seth Earl, Of the SD ILL., The affair on our side
OF the prettiest episodes in nay expe-
rience and TO the other side ID must have been one
oil the most disastrous that division oil troops
could encounter.
In the defense OF Jackson after the fall of Yieks
burg the leit OF The line assigned to Gen.
Breckenridge. The division, consisting of the Lou
isiana Brigade the Kentucky Brigade. the Florida
Brigade, Austin's Sharpshooters. Mebane's Ten
nessee battery. CObb's Kentucky battery, and Slo-
Orleans
The morning Of the l2,h showed the foe closing
In on us. Austin's SharpshOoters had their hands
full on the skirmish-line A large building TO the
right front was ordered to be burned to prevent
The enemy from making n lodgment- The 9Th
artillery boys got permission to save what they
could OF the effects, among which was piano,
which was conveyed into our redoubt. No sooner
there than experienced hands piled the keys. and
tunes aud airs and songs OF Aud Lang syne and
army ehoruses succeeded each other as fast as The
instrument could give them forth. The picture
was one never to be forgotten.
IL was while grouped around the plano thus en-
gagged that we were called TO our guns TO meet the
charge OF Lauman's Division, now plainly seen
advancing. Nearer and nearer comes the foe.
The order rings out TO man the guns The piano
notes are hushed that deeper aud more thrilling
ones may he sounded. Our Major tGravesl u on
the paTapet like some grand orchestral leader, and
when the lines are close enough commands our
fire TO OPEN and urges Us TO fire low. still on they
come, looming up through the dust our shrieking
canister has raised as IL tears its way ia Tieochets
across the field. Now they are upon almost,
but our double charges hurled in their faces. q
storm OF iron that nothing mortal can Withstand,
aud down go their lines like wheat before the
sickle, and we know the day Is ours thousand
men have lost life or limbs, or are writhins IA The
agonies Of death.
The brigade OF Col. Pugh rushed forward In
splendid array Our skiTmishers and sharpshoot-
eTs Withdrew and took refuge behind the works.
'Ibe 6LH Art fired r1utad@ during this short
engagement, part Of which were double-shotied
with grape aud canister. The rifle guns alone
fired shot aud shell. and how accurately they had
fired was shown by the large number beheaded and
torn under their fire. The Federais pressed forward
magnihcently, their standards dropping and rising
continually as the bearers fell aud were replaced
by others.
No encOmums are too great for the troops who
made that charge. They did unfiinehingly all that
inortals could do, and certainly came As near as
any troops could have come aud not suffered total
annihilation. On many fields before and after
during the war. have stood Ia admiration before
the pluck aud heroisra of Federal troops but none
excited IL more that those Western boys who
charged on on that occasion.
the flags Of the advancing columns had been
the targets at which our rifle guns directed their
shots. The flag Of the 53d Il. tax directly In
front Of our rifle pieces the color bearer having his
head shot OF 10y one 81 our shells Officers aud men
were splendid-oOkinE fellows, aud bore them
selves with spirit aud with pride under such terri
biy-adverse circumstances. They told us we had
slaughtered one Of the Gnest bTigades in Sher-
mans army, and one that bad never been beaten
before.
There was an officer brought ia whose fate in
terested us. He was moTtally wounded, and asked
that his watch and papers be taken charge Of by
some one 10 be sent 10 his family. This was Mai.
Frank M. Long. OF the 4ist III. lie died the next
day at the hospital across Pearl River. lie was a
magnificent-looking soldier, and hs requests were
attended TO by members Of the staff.
A truce was asked for the next morning. that the
wounded might be removed. but u was refused.
To the horrors Of that charge now added the
horror Of heroic soldiers left unattended under a
broiling sun TO die In tortures. We heard their
groans all night and some until the next night
4 then all was silent AlreAdy the siench OF the
| field had become unbeaTAble ia our works.
Aseeond truce asked for on the lilh to bury
the dead and Gen. Johnston granted two hours Oni
for this purpose The writer had the timing Of the
truce. and ordered the gun fired that warned the
opposing forces OF It's termination. Our impression
Al the time that fully 900 men had been killed
and wounded, and the reports from the various
writers this charge confirmed the accuracy oi
our opinions. The loss was made more terrible
10y the contrast on the Confederate side our loss
was but small In killed and wounded Gen. John
ston issued a coHgratuiatory order TO the division
as did Gen. Breckinridge, ordering that jackson
4 he inscribed on our banners.
J. A. CHALARoy,
Senior officer 5th Co. Washington Artillery, New
| Orleans. La