Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-10-28
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eaIiass naiss ssys Ordered iE.s Ne iass
Of Oeath.

the jaas of death, when no one thoosnt
they wo,.H ever come out alive. We copy
from our Bath exchange and feel sure the
story sill be rs..d with isteresf by all old
veterans:
Colonel Irwin Of the 49sh Penn eoiH-
rnxn,ied aur brigade at .antietanD. he
vas a sol iirr Of the Mexican War, and had
been wounded - Rrsaca de IL Palma he
was = gallant man but drank TOO much. OF
which Was then unaware.
Between fosr and FIVE o'clock. a Mary
land battery vas brought mp on our iine'
anJ ipton. Sioeam's chief 81 artillery,
cane 80 TO lock after II, AMI Colonel irFin
followed hun. A.. Col. Trivia passed the
battery. its commander. who WAS Dutch,
complsined bitterly that shsrpsaoo'ers were
picking off his men AMI pointed oGs where
they we've near some hay stacks by Fiper
barns. These we're not far from the
Hagerstown pike. a shrrt distance from
the main street of Sharpsburg. and behind
the center OF tie rebel position Colonel
Irwin rode 10 y here | a. lying on the
ground ami sail. Major Hyde, take your
regiment and drive the enemy away from
those trees ard bull lings." saluted, and
said colonel | have seen large force
OF rebels 20 in there, ! should think
two hrigades What | had seen must
nave been r.inforrements going 10 re-
Dtlss Burnsi ie. Are YOU afraid to 20.
SIR said he, ad repeated the order EN-
Dharieaifv. Give the order 40 the regi
ment can hear il and We are ready sir, said
t. which he ~ l. and Attention brought
every man - lis feet. We had two yonng
bows carrying the marking guh.ons ami
told them TO 90 10 the rear, but they pre-
tended 10 do so and afterwards came along.
One of them. Johnny Begg, soon after lost
his arm anil the other, George Williams,
was buried on the field. Color corporal,
Harry Campbell, had the colors and started
10 give them to Sergeant Perry Greenleaf,
but Campbell felt 30 badly let him keep
them | gave the order to left face and
forward and we marched over in front OF
the Vermonters as the ground immediately
before Us was too rough, and was also more
exposed to the batteries by bunker Church.
Then. facing to the front. we crossed the
sunken road which vas so filed with the dead
and wounded of the enemy that my horse
had to step on them to get over We stopped
in the trampled corn on the other side to
straighten our line, and then | gave the
order 10 charge, directing the regiment on
a point To the right of Piper's barns. We
were moving at the double down into cup
shaped valley. fifteen skirmishers under
Lieutenant Butler in front, Haskell, adju-
tant, on Colonel Connor's big white horse
on the left and to the right on my Vir-
ginia thoroughbred. My feeling was first
of great exhiliaration which was quickly
dashed BY that wretched Maryl land battery,
h, lty,kt 70 nur he
took four men out of my right company at
their first shot Seeing Haskell had fall
len, and old Whitney too, rode round in
front of the regiment just in time to
see long line of rebels rise from behind
the stone wall of the Hagerstown pike
which was to our right and front, and pour
i, volley into us which did not do so much
damage rs was to be expected, we were
going so fast At this, gave the order
left oblique," bringing us behind a rise
of ground which protected us some from
he fire of the stone wall, and then forward
10 a hill just to the right of and beyond
Pipers barns As we breasted this hill
being some twenty feet in front of the
| regiment. saw over its top before they
did, and | saw several times our number
waiting for us at the ready so | gave
the Oruer 10 lett iidUk DtlUtt ANY VI
| line appeared over the bill or came in sight
of our opponents, and then directed the
| column, still at the double quick. by
piper's barns from which the rebels had
| departed, and straight to elump of trees
where there was fence and coward,
and on to the orchard beyond Piper's
house, as | had seen force running in
that direction to head us off. The men
got through the fence easily, and as Ser
!,eant Benson was wrenching it apart to
let my horse through shot struck his
hayersack, and we had to laugh at the fly
| ing hard tack. As we went up a rise of
ground into the orchard we came in sight
of the Confcderates who hal been waiting
| for US beyond the hill, and they fired sew
eral yolleys, and then charged after us.
Here we met our heaviest loss. My horse
was twice wounded, and as he was rearing
and plunging, | slipped Oft over his tail
and can remember in the instant | was on
the ground how the twigs an branches
of the apple trees were being cut of by
musket balls. and were dropping in a
shower. Finding he had only lost his
back teeth, and had charge of buck AMI
ball in his hip, | mounted quickly. saw
the regiment had got into line, and while
their numerous rursuers were coming
through the fence we had passed. had
given them a terrible fire ~ the pile Of
dead found there after the battle attcsted
Our survivors had no ammunition left.
While we were charging down the valley,
Harry Campbell, carrying the colors, was
struck in the arm. He held it up to me all
bloody, waving the flag. Take the other
hand, Harry said |. When half way
through the orchard, heard hun call out As
if in pain behind me, and went back to save
the colors if possible. The apple trees
were short and / could not see much, but
soon saw the pursuing enemy were between
me and the regiment, and | read "Manas-
sas" on one of their flags, so | turned about
and as quickly a. possible gained the corner
of the orchard and found the regiment hal
got through the tall picket fence. While
uncertain how to get out, | was surrounded
nv Il dozen or more rebels, but with cry of
Rally. boys to save the major back
surged the regiment, the muzzies of their
Wnchesters were pushed between the
pickets, and few of my would be captors
got away. Sergeant Hill with his sabre bayon-
ct cut through the rails and was soon extri-
Gated Our batteries had been for some
minutes throwing grape into the orchard
" hich aided us much, though We were more
afraid of the grape than of the enemy. |
then formed the regiment on the colors,
sixtv-five men and three officers and slow ly
we marched back toward our place in line
The batteries by bunker Church opened on
us at first. and guess they thought we had
pounIing enough for they stopped after a
few shots But our main line rose up and
waved their hats, and when we came in
front of our dear comrade, the Vermont
ers their cheers made the welkin ring.
General Brooks had told their colonies when
they begged to follow our charge, You
will never see that regiment again In
nv Judgment, we only needed the Vermont
ers behind us to have cut through to the
river, aud few more brigades in support
would have ended the business, as at that
| moment Lees much enduring army was
| fought out.
| We did not take large space on the line
! as we Law down in the falling darkness. and
VIII, \ Claiming, Webbcr, Nickerson and |
got together under one blanket for the night,
we were womanish enough to shed tears
for our dead and crippled comrades. Fiji
teen officers and two hundred and twenty
five men in the morning. and this little
party at night We had the consolation of
know ing that we hal gone further into the
rebel lines thaa any Union regiment that
dav, that we had fought three or four times
our numbers, and inflicted more damage
than we received, but as the French officer
al Balaklava said. 1T ia magnificent, but il
is not war" When we knew our efforts
were resultant from no plan or design at
Headquarters, but were from an inspiration