The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-11-17

Crawtortl's Brigade, OF the welfth corps, WAS
moved before sunrise to support Hooker corps
and the most of us were posted aoont NAN
mile north of the East Woods, aud lay there
for an hour. Shortly after a. m. Gen. Mans
4iald who had been watching Rockers light
rode toyard us aud piloted the 10Th Me- across
fhe Smoketown road and nearly to the place
Jieut Dumegan describes, VIZ. over lhe ieiice
that ski: the north edge of East W oods' ana
inst left of the SmokctOwn road 1here ana
s.bara nlnue the 10th Me. fought, separated by
fbe thin wands from the famous great corn
field Behind us 100 yards, hut on the right
of the road A fence ran oil due west ne io'n
Me fence inclined a little north OF west'l
Fast Woods was south of these fences. plO%eo
field and ravine were behind the loth NC
and 10 acre patch OF corn behiho Tue ie"'o
on the west side OF the road.
Behind tnorth) of this little corn-patch was
an omen field, where Lieut.. Dunegan says Inc
I25:b Pa. lay.
Immediately after our advance the 10th Pa,
about 80 muskets, and the l2oth Ia ABOUT
zoo musketS. advanced through this niue corh-
match to a prominent knoll on the edge "f the
woods. and there the Colonel of the l2oth was
killed and the Lieutenat-Coonel wounded
forthwith. and the regiment was leit IN doupIe
columu at the mercy of the enemy.
We had been firing only few minutes be-
fore / noticed Gems Mansfield and Crawford,
with the I2Sth Pa, on the knoll to our r1Ght
sight of us and came ga!loping down NH into
our right company, an Orderly following. lie
ordered Us to cease firing" AND rode along
from riuht to left through our scattered men,
and compelled us to Go SO, saying, You're fir
ing into our own men. Those are Hookef
troops" etc. Eight and One-half only OF our
compauies had gone over the fence. Capt. Val
liam p. Jordan, ''our bsntam-cock, VERY small
but full of fight had noticed that we were the
extreme left of the CORPS. and had very wisely
held hack his division and placed the men under
cover of the limestone ledge which is SO proml-
nent there As Mansfield approached our lett,
swinging his hat at the boys and plainly
greatly disturbed. Jordan ran forward ana
mounted projecting spur OF the limestone ana
sang ont TO The General, Look and see! They
are aiming their rifles at you!" etc. The Cen
eral stopped made a reply to the effect that
"You are rip hit" then turned his horse, which
has been So well described by Lieut. Dunegan,
and rode toward 2 gap in the fence near our
colors The horse would not Jump over the
trap-like pile of rails and litter; therefore the
General dismounted TO lead him. His coat
blew omen. and we who were near saw blood
streaming down his vest. / had just lett Col.
Beal. who was having some trouble with ms
horse and 1 met Gen. Mansfield at the gap III
the fence He yielded TO our suggestion that
we should take him TO a Surgeon. Sergt
Joseph :. Merrill helped me first, then young
later we got Two soldiers. do not remember
who these two were, but Storer S. Knight,
lately Register of Deeds OF Cumberland County,
and James Sheridan, an old English soldier,
proved TO me before they died that they were
the men.
Smoketown road had apparently been full of
ambDlances and Surgeons half hour before,
but not one could We I'm until we reached
Sam Poffenberger's woods, 600 yards in the
rear Here ! found Gen. George ii. Gordon
deploying the 10th \. Y. told him the sad
news. ana begged him TO send an Orderly for
sid. here also ] turned over my charge to
Lieut.. Edward i. Whitman, 46th Pa, of
Gen. Crawford's staff, who had been sent by
that Gelci- i to care for Gen. Mansfield. saw
the wounded hero aboard the ambulance and
then returned 10 NY regiment; but the fight had
"eone west" before got back. When Gen.
Mansfield gas swinging his hat Ut our left COM
panies. his hat cord came of. 1t was picked
up aud Maj. Jordan has it now in his posses
sion here in Portland. The Generals hat fell
of at the fence. and Gen. George II. Nye, of
South NaiIck, Mass. then Captain Of Co K,l
occurred that. In 1904 after Maj. knowlton, of
our regiment (29th Me. them was killed at the
battle Of Opequan (Winchester). pair of fine
gauntlots with stains of blood on them were
found among his effects at home, marked " Gen.
Mansfeld's." His son George, now living in
Boston has them.
Col Beai's report to the Adjutant- General of
Maine Vet Vols. for 1862, and in our regimental
history in 1870. / wrote this all in detail in
NV diaIy the day of the battle. 1t WAS copied
in orr local newspapers, and / have the diary
still.
/ also furnished Mr. Benz. Douglas. promi-
nent citizen of MiddletowB Conn.-the home
of MansGcld-with the facts. and be in return
aided Us Ia our history by furnishing the por-
traits of the General. But, somehow, the world
cannot be made to know it. aud / have read
strange versions of this event in print and re-
ceiyed stranger letters from comrades In the
First and Twelfth Corps with whom / have
been in correspondence these many years dur
ing my study OF the battle. Nothing, how
ever, has annoyed me moro than the official re-
port OF Col. Jacob Higgins. OF the l25th, which
is much like Lieut. Dunegan's story. tSee
Vol. XIX, Part ]. Official Records, War Of Re
bellion / finally wrote to Col. Higgins the
truth. AID asked for an explanation. His an
gwer is j model of frankness and honesty, and
1t at once set him Alright in my estimation.
he wrote that he did not witness the Incl.
dent but reported it, because he believed the
officers who told him. He invited me to the
regimemtal Reunion OF Sept. IL, 1881. Core
spondence with Gen. McCamant Iieutenant
of Co. 81 also showed confidence in the Co. K
version. ut no personal knowledge. he and
Secretary Hicks also sent an invitation TO the
Reunion. Consequently, Mai. Jordan and
went TO antietam We got there the 10th
Rnd as soon as we had learned from old Mr.
Sam Pofienberger that our fence had beeI
moved - feet north. we found the rock wheri
Jordan stood. and so easily determined
where Con. Mansfield sat when shot aud Their,
we placed our marker, Mansfield Mortally
Wounded here in Front of the 10th Main.
Regiment" and well knowing that i should
have to defend it j measured and photographed
aud took compass bearings and did eVerythin,
Case coaid think of TO make ii clear and sur,
TO ali d"uhters that we had got the right place
IL is mot 800 yards out of the way, as claimed b,
Lieut.. Dunegan, nor %. nor even five Tn
only element of uncertainty is the possibilit,
that We do not know exactly when the Genera
was hit; whether before after he remarks
60 Jordan, Yes you're right"
] must also state that / had been there II
15S9 with my own regimentsl excursion, a
which time we all agreed that there could be n
doubt we were upon our old battle-line Rifle
of Philadelphia, photographed us then. o.
the Sept. j, 1891. we met with the 125th an
hsd such delightful and cordial greeting fror
them all that il grieyes me lest i may nol
write anything the least unpleasant TO any
them. Maj. Jordan staid near his rock and th
marker nearly all day and told the plain fact
and showed tie hst-cord ] went with Lien
DnDegan and his Captain and some other
away of 10 the right aud rear and listened I
them and SAW their place.
The readers of The NATIONAL TRIBUN
should understand that the I25th was a ne
pnrat shara -nn