Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-03-27
can never pay them for all that they saeri-.

can never pay them for Ill that they sacii
need. When returned to my cempan,
daylight was breaking. l had picked d
quite supply Of hard bread and sugar.
asked my brother, who was ON the left o.
the company, il he wanted anything to eat
He said that he did. While was in tn,
act Of supplying him, the enemy opened frs
on ~ from behind the stone wall. We wers
ordered to lie down. ran to the right o.
the company, which was my place, wal
acting second sergeant. I had barely lair
down when shot struck my gun and
spoiled it. There was dead man layins
near BY AMI / reached to get his gun, wher
shot struck me in the shoulder. I knew
that was badly hurt for it gave me ter.
rible shock. I got onto my feet and made
my way to the rear the best way could
Bullets struck the ground all about me. ]
could see the ground torn up where they
hit. but I luckily escaped further injury
When / went down over the hill, which
was quite sharp pitch, I found . regi-
ment lying there It was safe place 70,
the bill protected them. One Of the
officers stopped me and wanted to
know where / was going. l told him that
was hurt and was going to find doctor.
He said, 1T is warm back on the hill isn't
it, told him that he had better 60 and
see il he wanted to know. / did not feel
much like talking, and was out of patienc,
with the fellow. guess he saw it by the
way answered him for he left me and
started for the city. Before got there
my shoes were full of blood and felt very
weak. went into building that was full
of wounded men and one of the doctors
tried to extract the bullet, but gave it up.
After he had dressed my wound and gave me
some kind Of medicine to drink. l asked
him to give me pass to go over the bridge.
He sal 4 that l had good pass, that they
would not stop me. When went on
the bridge there we're two or three
doctors with guard to keep
men from going over, that had got tired.
There was big crowd trying to persuade
the doctors to let them pass. never saw
men so willing to give up a government
job as they were. When I got over on the
Falmouth side was so weak from loss of
blood that had to rest every few steps. 1
finally got to the station where I, and lot
of other wounded men, were loaded on
cattle cars and taken to Acqui creek. From
there we were taken in a steamer to WASH
ington where we were put in ambulances
and taken to the different hospitals. Sykes
men lay all day where 1 left them in the
morning under fire, without returning q
shot. Except once, when the rebs thought
they had killed every one on the field
and some Of them came through a
cape in the wall with the intention
of charging across the field, when two
regiments of regulars rose up and fred into
them. What was left scrambled back be-
hind the wall in the most lively manner.
They did not show themselves again duIiog
the day. Our men held the height, until
twelve o'clock that night when they with
drew and crossed to the Falmouth side
without being followed by the enemy.
Probably they did not want to meet Sykes
men in the open field.
II have tried to tell Just what saw upto
the time that left the field. have known
men who could tell every move(?) that was
made on battlefield where the lines ex-
tended several miles, but could not see so
far, and l always thought that had good
eye sight.
"And now while every state has been sing
ing the praises of their own troops ever
since the war, want to say word for
Uncle Ssm's regulars. They were called
upon to hold the ground q. all hazards be-
tween our defeated and retreating army. to
keep the enemy from getting possession Of
the city and the pontoon bridge, and cutting
off our retreat, and, in order to do it they
had to lie twenty flour hours on plain field
without any shelter, in front Of an in
trenched enemy, in the winter time, exposed
to CALLING fire all the time. They did
what they were ordered to do and they did
it handsomely. For cool, determined, hang
on courage, it has never been surpassed.
The nation may justly be proud OF her
standing army Of the old 18th which was
largely made up of men from Maine, Com
pany F, First Battalion"
DIG. HIT. NJ. private assembly Wednes-
day evening.