The record-union., 1894-03-03

was in the service from 1861 to 1860,
taking in nearly all the great battles and
q hundred skirmishes, and during all
time l met with only one soldier who ap-
peared to deserve the stigma of coward.
I say appeared to deserve, for it was
curious case. He stepped out from hH
place in line of battle and lay down in
ditch, and though his Captain beat him
with the fiat OF his sword and his brother
and comrades argued and entreated, he
continued to disgrace himself, and later
on was drummed out Of the service as
coward.
do not believe the man was lacking in
physical courage. He was red-headed,
hot-tempered man, and 1 could recall
half dozen of his fsticuff encounters.
AS matter of fact, he was ready 10 fight
at the drop ofthe hat. The explanation of
his conduct on the battlefield was that he
was suddenly seized with the feeling that
comes over man when he has received
8 blow in the pit of the stomach, ana he
was not morally responsible for his
action. After being dlsgraced he hung
around Washington for several months,
and it is a fact beyond dispute that he
gave three members of his late company,
al OF whom were handy with their fists,
q frst-class drubbing for refusing to
speak to him.
The case above cited was an aggravated
one, inasmuch as we were under fire, but
If every man who lost his nerve at times
had been drummed out of the army OF
the Potomac there wouldn't have been a
brigade lett to keep Lee out Of Washing
ton. y mans physical condition had
everything to DO with II, OF course.
Troops sent into-a fight on empty stom-
ssnsa FaE
nervous and excited, and not TO be i'm
plicitly relied on. This was conclusiyely
shown on both sides at Gettysburg.
Troops were coming up and being put
under ire during the first two days, and
dozens of regiments were lot given rest
nor time to make a cup OF coffee before
being formed in battle-line. The conse-
quence, or one Of the consequences. was
an enormous WaStage of ammunition by
too high and too low firing. Although
the loss in killed and wounded was
frighttul, it is computed that 30 bullets =!
were wasted for everyone which hit.
There were - 600 Federal and Confeder-
ate muskets gathered up after Lees re- |
treat and of that number several thou
sand had not been fired at all. The eX-
cited owners had loaded them TO the very
muZZles, but had not once pulled the
trigger. 4 tree in front of a certain East
ern regiment gave shade to three or tour
cows before the battle. The bullets from
that regiment, in a fight lasting three
hours on the second day, cut away two
thirds Of the tree-top and left so few
leaves that they could have been counted
in five minutes.
On the 3Ist OF May, 1862, when the Con-
federates were all ready to strike at Nc
Clellan at Seven Pines, we were at work
all the morning in front OF General
Casey's division IN digging ritle-pits and
throwing up breastworks. We had
picket-line out, OF course, but Confeder-
ate line of battle came sweeping through
the woods and captured half the pickets
before an alarm was given. The men who
came running to US were by no means
towards, and yet some of them leaped
into the rife-pits and covered down,
others almost burrowed into the breast
works, and others still defed all efforts
to stop them, and kept on TO the rear.
Just as we were throwing away our
working tools and grabbing for our
stacked naskets the Confederates began
firing and two or three pieces OF their
light artillery also began blazing away.
Five hundred men became panicstricken
in an instant, and each and every one of
them fell down and got up at least twice
before he got headed for the rear, and
started off like lightning express train.
About the same number rallied, and be-
lieYe | saw at least twenty OF those who
remained trying to load and fire spades !
muskets in their hands. A Pennsylvania |
regiment came rushing up to our sup
port, dashed over our works and went in /!
10 clean out the enemy, supposing they |
had only regiment or so to deal with. |
The sight of the battle-lineS and artillery |
coming up took the fight out of them in |
ten ticks Of q clock, and back they came |
like drove of sheep: Some OF the men |
were so badly ratified that they cried, and |
q big Sergeant who lay down on the |
ground at my feet repeated a portion of
the Lords Prayer.
Ten minutes later every man of the
same regiment had been rallied and was
fighting at red-hot pace. They had acted
like towards, but they we're a fighting
regiment. They had simply been knocke ed
out for the moment The big Sergeant
fought for half an hour within ten feet OF !
me, and he was as cool as ice. When we /
were forced back he carried away five |
muskets in his arms to save them from
the Confederates.
At sunset on the I'd of July, 1868, at |
Gettysburg, Green's brigade OF Geary's |
division was resting in the rear of Culp's |
Hill, with no support nearer than half a |
mile in the rear. Nearly every man in |
the brigade was eating a cold bite from
his haversack or wandering around in
search OF water. and no one had the least
idea Of an attack. The Confederate Gen
eral, Johnson, Of EwelPs corps, nassed
his division i'll the woods in front of US,
and the first We knew of their presence a !
double line OF battle broke cover within
musket-shOt. on this occasion | was one
OF the skedaddlers, though l had partici-
pated in seven previous battles and been
promoted for bravery displayed under
fire. What started me and a hundred
others was the screaming of shell over
our heads. had heard thousands of them
before, but never while l sat munching
hard-tack and figuring on long nights
sleep. The internal thing must have
shaved US close, as it blew my hat off with
many others, and the screaming of it
seemed 70 loosen every tooth In nay head.
A hundred or more OF us rose up and
tumbled over each other and made for the
supporting lines. II seemed 10 me that l
fell down about every ten feet Of the dis
fance and twice l should have dropped
into a hollow if the eligible spots had not
been already occupied by parties who had
beaten me in the race. Sixty or seventy
OF US ran in among the supports, and
would have kept on running had we not
been forcibly stopped.
When l came 10 my senses, as it were, !
was all a-trem ble and shiYering, and il
was the hardest kind of work to get a
word or two past the big lump in my
throat. There was that queer feeling at
the pit Of the stomach, which most people |
experience when swinging, and | may
add that had very little desire for TODD |
Tor the next day or SO. The brigade we
had left were fighting fiercely TO hold the /
position and supports falling in to move
Up, every man OF us, so far as l could as
certain, returned OF his own accord. fell
into his company, and wiped away the |
smirch by standing fast. | talked with
at least a score OF them afterwarC, and
every one Of them diagnosed his symp-
toms as | have mine. No one felt any
particular fear nor fully realized what he