The Portland daily press., 1894-12-01

| der Lieutenant Butter IN front, Adjutant
HasLeu on Colonel Connor's big white
borse IN the left. and l to the right on my
VIRGINIA thoroughbred. My feeling was full
of great exhilaration, which was quickly
| dashed nv that wretched Mary land battery,
| who. thinking to open over our heads, took
| four men out of my right company at their
| frst shot. Seeing Haskell had fallen, and
old Whitley too, I roue round in front of
the regiment just in time to see
ALONG LINE OF REBELS
rise from behind the stone wall of the
Hagerstown Pike. which was to our right
and front. and pour volley into us, which
did not do so much as was TO be expected.
we were going SO fast. At this, gave the
order, ssLeft oblique," bringing US behind
rise of ground which protected us some
from the fire of the stone wall, and then
forward to hill just to the right of and be-
yond Piper's barn. As we breasted this hill,
being some twenty feet in front of the reg
iment. / saw over its TOPS before they did,
and there were several times our number
waiting for us at the ready" so gave the
order TO left flank" before any of my
line appeared over the hill 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
gone straight 10 a clump of trees where
there was fence ard coward and on to
the orc hard beyond Piers house as l had
seen a fence running in that direction to
head us off.
1.-The men got through the fence easily
and as Sergeant Bunker was wrenching it
apart to let my horse through shot struck
his havensack. and e'had TO laugh at the
flying bareback. 1Ar&
LAS we went up rise of ground into the
orc hard we came in sight of the Confeder-
ates who had been waiting for us beyond
the hill and they fired several volleys and
then charged after US. Here we met our
heaviest loss My horse was twice wounded
and as he WAS rearing and plunging, |
slipped off over his tail, and can remember
in the instant was on the ground, how the
twigs and branches of the apple lees were
being cut off by musket balls, and were
dropping in a shower
.Finding he had only lost his back teeth.
and had a charge OF buck and ball in his hip
l mounted quickly. saw the regiment had
got into line and while their numerous
pursuers were coming through the fence We
919 THE PILE OF DEAD z
found there after the battle attested. Our
SUI vivers 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 saidgIk When halfway
through the orchards l heard him call but as
if in pain, behind me, and went back to
save the colors if possible, The apple-trees
were short and lcopid not see much. but
soon found the pursuing enemy were be-
tween me and thee regiment, and l read
Manassas on one Of their flags, so
turned about and as quickly as possible
gained the cover of the orchard and found
the reg ment had got through he tail pick
ct fence.
'While uncertain how to get out, | was
surrounded by dozen or more rebels, but
with a cry of ''Rally. boys. to save the ma
jor.'' back surged the regiment, the muzzles
of their Windsors were pushed between the
pickets,and few of my would be captors
got away Sergeant Hill with his sabre bay
onet cut through the rails and l was extri-
Gated.
'sOur batteries had been for some minutes
throwing grape into the orchard, which
aided us much, though we were more afraid
of the grape than of the enemy. l then
formed the regiment on the colors, sixty-hve
men and three Officers, and slowly we
marched back toward our place in line.
The batteries by bunker Church opened on
us at first, but guess they thought we had
had pounding enough, for they stopped af-
.l1+ ll,,f, LIMA ~
and waved their hats, and when we came
in front of our dear comrades, the Yer
monters. their cheers made the welkin ring.
General Brooks had told ;beir colonies
when they begged 10 follow our charge,
''You will never see that reRiment again. -
In my judgment, we only needed the YER
monlers behind US TO have cut through to
the river. and few more, brigades in sup
polt would have ended t. he business, as at
thar moment Lees much, enduring army was
fought out. as
I've did not take large space on tie
line as we lay down i'm the falling darkness,
and when Channina INV ebber, Nickerson
md got together under one blanket for
the night, we were womanish enough to
he'd tears for our dead and crippled com
rades Fifteen oEcers and two hundred
and Twenty-Five men in the morning, and
this little party at night! We had the con-
ISOLATION of knowing that We had gone far
Their into the rebel line than any Union reg
imeut tina. day, that we haG fought three
or four times our numbers, and inflicted
more damage than we received. but as the
French Ger at Balaklava said. 1t is mag
nitjcent, but it is not war"
Alter this battle Mcclellan SAINT the regi-
ment holoe to recruit with Il letter TO the
Cavern or of Maine, praising the Seventies
valor highly In Portland a glorious recep-
tion was given the regiment. Governor
Washburn made the speed in the City Hall,
and ex-speaker Reed. at home on leave
from the Navy, led the cheering.
The extracts here given by no means illus
trate the scope of General Hyde's book
His services did not end with the home
coming of the Seventh Maine. AS staff
offcer of the Sixth Corps and brigade COM
mander in the closing scenes of the war,
General HYDE had experience of as great
general. if not of the same local interest.
a Delicate zrsinuaUion.
The dude drummer from tho metropol-
itan CITY of New York was making his first
trip west, and out in Missouri he began to
HI Ind fol, oboyoo ~, n