Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-01-01
WIPED OFF THE ROSTER.
Better Die In the Ditch Than Re Called a


 CrU;tTt,.
 It happened that way snmctimes-a mis- understanding of or,icrs-mceting with unlocked for o5structions-the officer in command losing his head just at the crit ical moment. We lad charged mp the highway to find most of the blanks re- mCVCl from a bridge crossing run. Two or three army wagons had broken down and been turned across the road. There were dead men and dead horses, and before we reached the hill our formation was broken, and we were driven back like mob There was no fighting on our part, and yet we lost 15 men of our 100. Later on in the war some one would have been court Elartialcd for ordering such move mcnt, but as we came galloping back to reform behind the regiment the colonel rode furiously down upon US and shouted:
 ''Iou towards! You skulks! You have disgraccd the regiment, and I'll have you drummed out of it! Where is Captain Staris?"
 The captains cheek had been grazed by q bullet, and there was blood on his face. A second bullet had entered his shoulder, and his left arm hung helpless His first lieutenant lay dead back there, and his second fell from his saddle with the pain of the wound ill the hip ;ls we came back.
 "They were too strong for us!'' reported Captain StarE8 as he saluted the colonel, who rode close up to him with white face and blazing eyes.
 ''T0o strong for you!" thundered the officer. "It was no charge, sir! Your men wero not properly led! Retire your com pany and consider yourself under arrestn'
 The charge of cowardice against a pri- vato soldier meant ridicule, insult, con tempt. Only another coward would share his blanket or eat of his rations. Against a commissioned officer it meant such os- tracism and degradation that he had bet ter have been found out to be an escaped convict. We had been driven back. We had been called towards. Our captain was under arrest. No one gave the order. We formed by fours, the wounded captain rode to the head of the line, and with the colo nel shouting and storming and the regi ment cheering and applauding we moved forward.
 The enemy has been reinforced. More blanks have been removed from the bridge fence rails piled across the road-dead horses rolled up to make breastwork. A regiment of infantry could not break through now. -gallOp-charge! Some keep to the road-some take to the ditches. The fences on either side are lined with the cnamy's infantry, who show no pity, and from the turn in the road ahead two pieces of artillery are belching grape and canister. There are no orders. We have been called towards, and we are pushing forward to death. Men shriek and curse as they throw up their arms and fall from the saddle. Horses scream out in pain and terror as iron CT lead enters their flesh.
 Over the bridge-over the barricades- over the dead and wounded we follow our captain, who has no bridle arm and waves his saber around his head as his horse car ries him forward. Now we lose sight of him in the smoke-now we catch sight of him as puff of wind creates rift. How far is it to the guns? How long is this wild rush to last? No one asks himself these questions. If it were thousand smiles, and if it would take us year, we would reach those guns! Forward--for- ward-and now we see the gunners-now 6 sheet of flame leaps into our faces-now we have reached the goal, and the guns are ours!
 A hundred men rode in the first charge, and the dead were 5. Eighty-five rode in the second, and five returned. The others were dead or prisorers-more than half dead-every prisoner wounded. They were left at the bridge-in the ditches-at the barricades. Across one of the guns, just as he had fallen from his horse when half dozen bullets pierced him at once, was the body of our captain, and in the dust beneath three of his followers-crippled for life with their wounds. It were better Co be wiped off the roster of the regiment than to bear the stigma of cowardice.
 Nj. QUAD.