The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-08-21

must have been fifty. That's the picket
guard we captured" some one said.
hadn't known we had captured any one.
At daylight we were stopped, though
there had been no formal orders that any
heard. Men ahead were sitting on the
| ground and fences and rocks eating. We
all fell to eating, too. Then there was
forward movement, and all the army
it looked like 5000 men-was marching
rapidly. Lookout Mountain lowered up
there on the left. Rebel works reached
clear down to the valley. The sun was
very hot. Some of the men wanted
water. Ny canteen was quite empty. 1
wondered why had not filled it at the
river.
"All of sudden the air seemed to
burst, to shatter, with volley of artil-
cry. A hill on our left, half way to the
mountain, was occupied by rebel bat
terry. They were firing right into our
column. The soldiers just ahead of us
were running out of the road up toward
the cannon. Our company ran out of
the road, too. The ground sloped up
easily. The guns were about quarter
of mile away. They kept on firing.
Now, for the first time, I saw some one
was hit here and there in our troops. 1
could tell by the little diversion it would
cause. Men would look to a common
center, where all behind would part and
hurry around, looking at the ground in
that center. Just before us stretched a
thick piece of low, stunted timber.
could not see the battery, but heard it
constantly. The shots were tearing
through the trees. Some one said they
had another battery in the woods. We
were painting from the run. Now and
then soldier would loosen his blanket
or his knapsack and let it roll away.
1--WE were in the timber. A man was
| killed right in front of me. He fell,
struggling and trying to rise, but max
ing no cry. A soldier lifted his canteen
strap from his neck and ran on, taking a
drink from the full supply. 1 thought
it was horrid and brutal thing to do,
but the soldier ran on, slipping his own
head and arm through the canteen strap.
'Out on the other side of the woods.
There was no battery there. But the
one up on thehill seemed terribly near.
1t was firing with dreadful regularity.
Soldiers from three sides were running
up that hill. Some were shouting. 1t
occurred to me that we were in great
danger. wondered more of us were
not hit. We were in range of muskets,
The first volley fairly swept the advanced
runners from the ground. AS we ran on
we passed dead and wounded men every
few steps. 1 was terribly tired. My
lungs seemed bleeding. The breath
came in painful gasps.
The shouting now increased to roar,
and the sound of musketry changed
from a volley to ragged, continual dis
charge. Part of it was from our own
men. Several soldiers near me took aim
and fired at the guns, just pausing an
instant in the run. Others jerked up
| their guns and fired at random, without
even taking aim. For the first time l
saw my captain. He was away ahead.
1t occurred to me we ought to be near
him, AVID tried to overtake him. The
ground was level. The cannons were
silent The shouting fell away. A good
many of our men were clambering over
the earthworks betwe en- the guns lost
the captain and got over the parapet.
Our men were mixed with Johnny rebs.
One could tell them apart by the cloth
ing. But neither side was fighting.
Some of the rebels were gathering up
bits of personal belongings. Most of
our fellows were sitting down on the
ground or anything else and painting.
Pretty soon the rebels brought their
arms and stacked them up without much
order, and then they gathered in a rather
compact group on one side. Our fellows
kept coming over the earthworks or
around through the openings in the
rear. I learned presently that had been
one of the first twenty Union soldiers in
the fort.
THAT was my first battle. The official
report says our side lost $50 men. They
also say we buried 140 rebels that night
"a thing remember and wish 1 could
forget. We are credited with more than
hundred rebels captured. The affair
is spoken of as gallant fight and one of
the most important to General Grant in
his maneuvres for the defeat of Bragg.
have been in good many battles since,
of course, and while in many of them
the dead and wounded were in sight
more thickly, yet saw very little more
of the battle.
1.-THE fact is, no man sees battle. A
combining of reports after it is all over
gives the world the story, but the fell
lows who are deepest in are in the poor
est position to tell about it,"
SB-During the coming week, Mr., Al.
McGuirk who has had charge of the cen