The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-05-10

formed and advanced. HaZlItts battery
now did
GOOD EXECUTION
on them, and forced one column, that adj
yanced beyond the point of the woods,
to fall back into it. Unwilling to retire
from tie position l held, which involved
the withdrawal of this efficient battery
and the exposure of the fanks of our
retreating forces, held on, hoping that
fresh troops would be thrown forward to
meet the enemy now advancing in the
open fields; well knowing, however, that
my position was one from which could
not retreat in the face of a superior
force. x x x
"The enemy advanced with rapidity
upon my position with the evident in
tention of capturing Hazlitt's battery.
The 10th n. Y. was compelled to fall
back, scarcely arriving at the position
held by the 9TH n. Y. before the enemy,
and in such manner as to almost COM
pletely prevent the 9th from firing upon
them. While | was endeavoring to clear
them from the front the enemy, in force,
opened fire from the woods on the rear
and left flank of the 9th with most fear
full effect. | then gave the order to face
about and march down the hill, so as to
bring the enemy all on our front; but
In the roar of musketry l could only be
heard short distance.
"Capt. Boyd, near me, repeated the
command, but his men only partially
obeyed it. They were unwilling to make
backward movement He
WAS WOUNDED
while trying to execute it. Adj't Sow
ereign carried the order along the line to
Capt. Winslow, commanding the regi-
ment and to the other Captains, but was
killed in the act. Capt. Winslows horse
was shot, Capt. Lewis, acting field Off
Ger, was killed; Capt. Hager was killed
Capts Mcconnell and Montgomery were
down with wounds, and Lieuts. Ray
mond, Hoffman, Keyser, and Wright
were wounded Wright mortality. Both
color-bearers were shot down, and all
but four Of the Sergeants were killed or
wounded. Before the colors and the
remnant of the regiment could be extri-
Gated, 29S men of the 9th and 133 of
the 10th n. Y. were killed or wounded.
* x x We assisted from the field
77 wounded of the 9th and eight of the
10Th. The remainder fell into the hands
of the enemy. Among these were Capts
Boyd, Mcconnell, and Montgomery, and
Lieuts. Wright and Raymond, of the
9TH. Braver men than those who fought
and fell that day could not be found. 1t
was impossible for us to do more, and, as
is well known, all the efforts of our army
barely checked this advance"
| desire TO state here that the above
report was written six days
AFTER THE BATTLE,
and owing to our being continually On
the move from the date of the battle, it |
was impossible to arrive at a correct
statement of the losses. In the 9TH n. |
7. 1l9 were killed or mortally wounded, |
1S3 wounded, total of 302 out of 490. |
There were besides a few who were taken |
prisoners uninjured these latter were |
always looked upon thereafter by our
veterans, and probably unjustly, with [
suspicion and distrust. In the 10th n. |
\. the loss was, killed or died of wounds, |
"a; wounded, 81; missing, IS; total
Of 133. OF those who escaped in the
9th, nearly all of them had chafes or
holes through their clothing and equip
ments from one to seven.
This loss of life In the 9TH was all |
caused in about 15 minutes, seven in
line-ot-battle and eight in getting under
the cover Of our troops in rear. And it
stands On record as the greatest loss in
life that occurred in any one regiment of /
infantry or cavalry in any one engage
ment Of the war.
HE encounter was In many respects
the counterpart of the charge of the regi-
ment against Gregg's famous South |
Carolina Brigade at Gaines's Mill, in
which the loss in the 1st S. G. Rifles was
about equal to the 9th in this engage
ment; they had been avenged.
Up TO the battle of Antietam, Sept.
IL, 1862, the Texas Brigade had never
been defeated, but there they met their
Waterloo on the right in the famous
Cornfield and about the bunker Church
but they fought against tremendous odds. |
They went in 854 strong, and lost in
killed and wounded $50 (the 18th Tex. !
lost eight color-bearers); their twin bri-
gade Iaw'0
SUFFERED EQUALLY.
But TO resume my narrative. The
bullets began to fly like bail from the
woods, and the Texans were yelling like
fends They were like hounds let loose
from the leash who had scented their
prey; they were after blood and got it.
The fire directly increased into one un-
ceasing rattle, the air was full of deadly
missiles it was a continual hiss and
thud, the last telling that the bullet had
struck itsnark, a human body.
On aecount Of some of the 10th who |
were not yet cleared from the front of
the 9th, the latter returned the fire with |
difficulty, and that only by obliquing