The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1892-05-06
Tenting on The Old Camp Ground
Or Co. G. 10th VT. Vols. to the Front.
BIZ Lieut.. Z. II. WHITE.
NO. LIB

A large detail was made for the
skirmish line on the morning OF the
18th. There were only a few left IL
camp and they were unfit for duty
The two skirmlsh lines were wedged
In between the two hills and uncom-
fortably close together When night
came it was cloudy and rainy at times
and very dark. 1t had been decided
during The day to advance our picket
line under cover of the darkness that
/ was sure to be ours, on cloudy night
in the dark of the moon.
When the time came and the order
gwen to advance the enemy's line stood
fast. and our line was within very
few feet of theirs before the order to
halt was given. Perry Hopkins one OF
the recruits went clear to their line,
When he discovered his mistake 1T was
to late to retreat so he faced about and
commenced firing at his own Company
taking good care to elevate his musket
so as to do no harm. 1t was not long
until one of the rebs wanted water and
asked who would 60 and I'LL the can
teens. Hopkins says 81 will, pass IN
vonr canteens " He soon had six rebel
canteens on his neck and with them he
crawled back to our lines. The direc-
tion he had taken was not noticed until
he was more than half way home. The
rebs commenced firing at him as soon
as they discovered the trick, but he
escaped with nothing worse than
flesh wound.
When rel we'd from picket duty the
following day the regiment was moved
short distance to the left and occupied
open ground This position was an
exposed one without cover. 1t was
we'll toward night when this position
was reached, and darkness soon put an
end to all but skirmish firing and that
was brisk during the entire night. The
next morning | did not wake up until
the sun was an hour high. When |
opened nv ewes | found Otis Tiffany
bending over me and | soon discovered
that a vigorous shaking by him had
been the cause of my awakening. lie
saws "Come wake up Sergt. and hear
the Kille- Ien-birds sing" which meant
the whistling bullets, and they were
flying like hail at that time.
Otis Tiffany was character In his
way. He had name of his own for
everything he saw or heard. The dish
the BOYS would fix up by putting small
bits of fresh meat in a dish OF soaked
hard tack and then cooking over slow
fire, making what others would call by
the dionified name of ga stew" he
would call "slop maguliOn His name
for the same ingredients when cooked
dry by irving in pan was "woolen
hash" The shell when screechlng
A II, ALo ~, xunc Hold nv him ga
agory" Tiffany was tall, slim and
6p shouldered, and when standing
line with knapsack on his back his
d had the appearance OF being TOO
forward. On one of the campai G Is
lame across a knapsack that had
Zen thrown away by some one, and
conceived the idea of carrying two
knapsacks and dispense with the haver
sack. He packed his Spare clothes and
nother necessities in one and his rations
h the other. When the order to "fall
r came he appeared with one kuap
his back and the other in front both
)Eeing fastened together at the top. lie
was the worst looking man in that or
any other regiment. We had not
marched more than an hour when we
were halted. A soldier who belonged
to another brigade that happened at
that time to be passing saw Tiffany and
called the attention of his comrade to
the show. Some che from this brigade
asked what he charged apiece for carry
ing knapsacks. His answer was
TWENTY-FIVE cents" "All right" says
the first speaker ''We want you to
carry the knpasacks for our brigade"
For moment the laugh was on Tiffany
and our regiment but Tiffany reversed
it when he said Il don't carry KNAPP
sacks for Jackasses." The poor fellow
was afterward taken prisoner and died
in rebel prison.
We occupied this last position when
the fight began that resulted in the
angle as it is more generally known.
The twenty-five siege guns that kept
up continual fire on the angle were
posted on hill to our right and rear.
Those guns were worked to their fullest
capacity for twenty-four hours before
the attack began. This attack was
made by the first and second division
of our corps, the Sd Division being
held in reserve. The inspiring strains
of the Massachusetts band that went
into the front line and played the
"Star Spangled Banrer" during the
last charge rings in my ears to this day.
We were moved into the angle i'm
mediately after the capture. The kill
ed and wounded had been removed
from the front of the works when we
crossed over, but it is safe 10 say that
every square yard contained pool of
blood. When once inside of the
slaughter pen what sight met our
ewes. The killed and wounded lay
from three to six deep. l saw one
rebel |, ing on the ground with one leg
in sight and | counted nineteen bullets
hole. in that one leg below the knee.
He was not dead and five others were
piled on top of him. The stretcher
bearers were soon there and COM
menced removing the wounded while
the Pioneer Corps began the work of
digging the long trenches that were to
be filled with the dead. History re-
cords NOT another such q field