The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1892-07-20

-xltain place in
- - Tsss@,' the survivors dur
ing all the after years of their lives.
The battle-ground, the valley or ravine
in front, the rise, the timber TO the
right and rear, the fight over the guns,
the Ranking on our right and rear, are
all brought before me again. Not
wlthstanding this was so many years
ago, seem to have better rccolec-
tion of the doings of that afternoon
than of other afternoons since then.
The battery was Capt. Bundy's 18th
N. Y. Independent l.. A. The full
battery of six guns was present. Some
of the infantry preceded the battery
in locating line of battle and putting
up slight breastworks, in case Hood
should take the offensive.
After crossing Peach Tree Creek in
the morning, we were waiting in col
umn all the forenoon. An ominous
silecce reigned. About noon an Or
derly came dashing up to tbs Captain,
and gave him directions TO 60 into bat
terry on the line.of battle on a distant
hill, and to move with all haste.
Immediately comes the order; cat
tention Drivers. mount Cannoneers,
mount! Forward, march - Trot =
Gallopv'
Then the drivers yell and lash their
horses and they break into fall run;
the wheels bound along over bitches,
logs, stumps and stones that would
tear farm wagon all to pieces. The
cannoncers are bounding up six inches
from their seats, and hanging on for
dear life; for a fall under the wheels
would be worse than rebel bullet.
Up the long hill we go, down another
one, across II ravine, then up again to
another elevation, the horses never
Stacking their speed until we arrive at
the ground where we are to 90 into
battery in utter confusion,
but we are on the ground in five
minutes after starting. In one minute
more the guns are unlimbered and run
forward, the limbers turned round.
the guns loaded and run into the en-
brasures, each gun, each timber, and
each casson in its proper place. In
five minutes more our pickets are
driven in and the battle is on.
! was cannoneer of the left gun of
the left section. The section was com
mandcd by Lieut.. McGurrin. The
guns that were captured and re-,
captured were the right section. The
guns that turned the cross. fire on the
rebs were the middle section. Our
gunner, Corp'l Lynch, was killed at
| . la 20 ~ nd Mnr
his place. All the appearances in
dicated that we had business on our
hands. In fact, we had been warned
for two or three days that Hood had
superseded Johnston, and to look out
for him, as he was likely to strike
hard at some unexpected point, and it
so happened that the Second Division
of the Twentieth Corps was the place
selected to make the assault.
They flankcd us on the right; they
killed OF our men and captured two
of our guns; but it was repetition of
the experiment of the fellow who bit
off more than he could chew. They
did not hold the ground nor the guns.
After the action commenced my per-
sonal observation extended but little
beyond our own gun. The smoke en-
veloped us so that we could neither
see to the right nor to the left. Be-
sides, we were pretty busily occupied
with sour own knitting" without TAX
ing observations. The fire of our sec
tion was to the front, and if anybody
escaped the stream of fire from the
guns think they would be scared to
death by the noise we made. My own
ears achtd as if they would burst from
the continual roar of the guns. They
drowned every other sound. / heard no
infantry-iiring at all, though thoy were
firing rapidly like ourselves. We
fired our guns just as rapidly as five
men, drilled to move as machinery and
commanded by an expert, could do it.
Three shots minute from each gun,
rolling out in one continuous roar.
which made the ground shake and
tremble, and this without any cessa-
ton for two hours. The range was
point-blank, and we kept the guns all
the time depressed, firing alternately
double canister and short-fuse shell.
The canister would sweep the ground,
moving swaths through the advancing
columns like a tornado of fire. The
shell would cut down trees, take off
bark and limbs, then burst in front of
the rebel ranks, hurting death and de-
struction around. We would occasion
ally fire solid shot, which would cut
down trees, ricochet over the heads OF
one line and plow through the ground,
throwing dirt over the next line, then
bound and roll along, diminishing in
velocity, until it would kill two or
three soldiers mile to the rear, when
its force was almost spent. And what
is most remarkable, that in all this
two hours of musketry and srtillery
some escaped unscathed,
IL was hot afternoon, being the
goth Of July, 1864, and after the battle
was over our pantaloons and shirts
were dripping with perspiration. and