Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-04-06
HERBERT LESLIE HELD HIS GROUND.

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 HERBERT LESLIE HELD HIS GROUND. coln." The soldier replied: s'Pass on to your tents," and the danger was over.
 What conversation occurred between the youths when they had lain down again can only be conjectured, but that the lesson was not lost upon Fred, nor his friends inestimable services unap- preciated, after events proved.
 On May 8, 1864, the army of the Pc tomac commenced a forward movement, and from the 9th to the 7th, inclusive, occurred the bloody battles of the Wilderness, entai1ing to the union arms loss of nearly twenty thousand men in killed, wounded and missing.
 Hardly a shot had been fired during the first two days of the advance, but on Thursday, May 5, some very heavy lighting took place, resulting in no de- cisive advantage to either side, though the confederates claimed the greater number of prisoners.
 Very early on the morning of the 9th the enemy attempted to turn the right flank of the federal army, held by the divisions of Gems. Wright and Seymour, and here our young friends first came under a hot fire. As they stood together in the front rank of the line of battle, while the gray battalions rushed fierce ,1y on, Herbert glanced anxiously at Fred and saw, to his dismay, that his teeth were chattering and knees shak- ing in deadly terror.
 Steady, steady, old fellow," he cried. Brace up; you're not going to get hurt" and the next moment storm of bullets hurled about their ears. This | attack, however, was successfully re- pulsed as were also two others, made in the course of the forenoon, and Sey- mour's brigade then gained good posi- tion.
 By this time, Fred, finding that he and Leslie were still untouched, had got pretty well over his nervousness and, t.
 the latter's delight, fought steadily as himself.
 ! When evening came, it was supposed that the days fighting was over, and
 the boys in blue were about preparing
 supper, but just at nightfall the confed- | crate Gen. Gordon made another dash
 at the right flank, surprising and rout-
 ing Seymour's and Shaler's brigades
 and taking three thousand prisoners,
 including Gen. Seymour himself.
 In this sudden assault, before which
 even old veterans quailed, Herbert Les
 lie fought like a lion and held his
 ground, through the gathering gloom,
 with dauntless courage, until left stand
 ing nearly alone in a little patch of
 scrub, with the yelling, exultant hordes almost upon him. Even then he must not fly, but threw in another cartridge and fired once more right in the face of
 his foes. Then, alas! as final scatter
 ing volley flashed along their breath
 less ranks, the gallant boy fell. Fred
 had been early swept away in the tor
 rent of fugitives and some time elapsed before the remnants of Seymour's brig ! ade were again brought into something like order by Gen. Sedgwick. More
 than one-half of Company c had either
 fallen or been made prisoners, yet SC
 soon as the shattered fragments were got together, and it could be ascer . tained who were missing, Fred began
 to inquire for his friend. But, in the confused and darkling fight, none of tht ! men, now present, had seen Private ' Leslie make his last stand, and hence i , was hoped that he might be among tht unhurt prisoners. Fred, however, wa
 not satisfied, and at his own reques was detailed on one of the fatigue par ties, sent out to look up and bring il the wounded.
 ? It may be that many who read thes
 pages have taken part in this most sa' ,, of all soldiers duties, and to such s need not attempt the hopeless task c
 describing the young recruits feelings n as he turned over one lifeless body afte t another, fearing that the next might b 1. that of his beloved comrade.
 F At this time, the wild, uncultivate ,- tract of country known as the "Wildel
 ness'' was, for the most part, covere F by 8 dense growth of dwarfed tree' 70 shrubs and bushes, and was, moreovel H. cut up by numerous ravines and gullie among which dead, dying and wounde 10 men now lay in every conceivable pos D. tion, many of the latter having, in the et agony, crawled into cover so thick ths Id it was exceedingly difficult to find, to the prevailing darkness, those of thel IS who had become unconscious, or werv V from any reason, unable to call out. ss For more than an hour Fred pursue 10 his melancholy quest In vain and ha = Aaat saad to ane A4 tha pa.Fa-s 's1 ta.A''