The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-26
DE, WAS IN THE AIR.
COHSMAN CUMMINGS RE-
IS SOME WAR STORIES.

IS SOME WAR STORIES.
The 1tenant ColonePs Singular
Cond-"Would You Leave the
Grsergeant Major Cumming s
decomposition on an Unlucky
Cosrate.
From the NeU York Star.
WaGToN, Jan. III never shall
forg fight on Monday, May 4, 1868.
fredericksburg. It was on the day
FoIIe the capture of the Heights. Sedg>
vfclrps, on Sunday afternoon, had left
Fre6sburg and marched toward Chan
celIele, to effect a junction with Hooker
ndnain army. That night he struck
the sderates in force at Salem church.
The had been clear and sunny. With
ont loping the position Of the confeder-
ate taries IN his front Uncle John
dro,to the woods, in an effort to carry
svaing before him. The New Jersey
hri, suffered terribly. The fight lasted
tjIlz after 9 O'Clock.
emorning Sedgwick drew back lit
Tale learned that the confederates had
swaround his left flank and rscaptured
Frricksburg. 1t contained the soldiers
w,ied the day before. Monday was still
brs and sunny. The Sixth corps lay
uIthe ridge along the Rappahannock,
AZ fredericksburg. About an hour be-
foundown we could see that the confed-
ers in our front had been reinforced
socoup at Charlottesville had enabled
Mto spare them. They were mass
In for charge. They came
do upon us five lines deep. The Twenty
81; New Jersey, of which l was sergeant
mr.. lay in a little depression along a
III which had been dug by some farmer.
to.aiu his land. A Vermont regiment
win the woods at our left. A New York
renent, | think, was posted on our right.
Aguar battery occupied slight eleva-
tif in our rear. AS the confederates ad-
weed could hear the officer in charge of
tbbattery giving his commands.
4 second and half" ne shouted.
3liml blim |" reared the guns.
A second aud quarter" he cried.
Blim blim!n was the response.
A full second" he roared.
Blim! bliml blimn answered the guns.
Three-quarUers of second" came next.
'Blim blim blimW
syance Of the enemy, so that the shells
Hght do the greatest execution.
Suddenly, in the roar of artillery and the
reaming of the shells, there was fash
d along the line. The confederates had
sachet our front. They were within forty
ards of US. Half our men were on their
iet and the other half on their knees.
Without orders they kept up an incessant
ire. The Johnnies were yelling at the top of
heir voices, aud at least half of them W ere
welling the refrain with their muskets.
At this instant. our lieutenant colonel, a
Irother of Gen. Martindale, who sat on his
lorse in the rear Of the regiment, shouted:
"Ten-t-i-o-nW
In an instant the regiment was upon its
.eet, in line under fire. The colonel again
Right about face"
The regiment obeyed the order like
command ever heard on battlefield. The
lieutenant colonel roared: Regiment, left
half wheelm
The left wing of the New York regiment
on the right had swung back, leaving gap
Of about 100 feet between its left and our
right. 1t had done this to take ad vantage
Of the natural depression of the field. Our
lieutenant colonel, with queer military
saw that by left half-wheeling
he could again cement the line. But
when the regiment made the attempt the
result was ludicrous. Each man looked at
his neighbor in the smoke of the battle, and
then all made q break from the line. Hell
they went. The brave men
among them stood firm for minute, and
then began to swear and coolly walk after
the fugitives can see the lieutenant of
the United States battery yet, standing as
frrt.N
His horses dashed away with several of his
guns. They went at full gallop. never
Jaw such an expression of astonishmeut
Upon any mans face. A second before the
regiment had been acting like veterans.
Now they were running over him like
frightened deer. His oaths were terrific.
de called the frightened men all the names
IN the catalogue of defamation.
. Would You leave my guns~ he shouted
your only protection? Would you let
Them have my petsp
l could bear the deep voice of Capt.
Peter Fl. Rogers of Company II reproach-
fully crying. "Oh, what a shame. Why
was ever born JerSeyman2 Is this a
loot race or a fightl Come back! Come
back" Then, waving his sword, he again
screamed at the top Of his voice, Come
back, come backn
There was ]. Lacey Pierson, another cap
tain, and Maj. William w. Morris and
other officers doing their best to stem the
current. The sharp "ping" of the bullets
was beard every second. All the guns OF
The battery were drawn off but one. Pier
son, Rogers and others grabbed the gun by
she trunnions and tried to drag her from
the field.
VI course, the air was thick with smoke.
ne rear of the regiment had moved leis-
oreiy. The JohEnies had come through the
gap, ana we we're all mixed up. As we be-
gan 70 drag the cannon off the Johnnies
srapoed the piece by the muzzle and tried
70 mold It, Then muskets were dubbed and
ooayonets used. II all those engaged in the
ngnt had been personal enemies for years the
cdrslng and reviling could not have been
more bitter. The wounded fell to the ground
wan oaths and imprecations upon their lips
ana without groan. Enough of our men
Il, to enable us to hold on to the gun.
lne Vermont regiment in the woods on
tne left had stood firm, and the Johnnies
Mao mad swept through the gep were
ehHladed. After the fight to secure the gun
was over we discovered that she was loaded,
t tlaC the lanyard was hanging from her
SSreech, and no one had thought to pull ii
u9rlng the fight.
Inc regiment rallied behind a brush
aeuce. George Drake of the color guard
sosang over it and planted the colors at the
80 sue OF the gun. He swore that Lees men
S 9ro have them If the regiment did not
protect them.
-, firobably 800 men lined themselves on the
o oolors In three minutes, each man in his
TTTIulpany and each company in its order.
tHhuey moved forward at the command OF
o One colonel and restored the main line,
D. pying the same ground they had left.
This time the sun had gone down and