Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-12-04


loading. Men were falling to be sure,
Dut those who were able got away to the
rear while those who were not, lay quietly
along the line and the survivors were too
much engaged with their work to notice
much about them until the enemy retired
and the firing ceased. l spoke of our be-
ing in an open field; so we were, but not
all. We made so long a line that one or
two companies on either flank extended
into the woods and were more or less pro-
tected in fact the loss in Co. d, amounted
only to one killed, and he on the color
guard out in the field and three slightly
wounded, while on the other hand, CO.
n, which was in the field and fully ex-
posed, had 23 killed or mortally wounded
and ~ others wounded. a total of 20 out
OF l3o who went into action. The loss
in the regiment was 155 killed or mortally
wounded and 369 wounded. a total of 524.
This was an enormous loss amounting to
nearly one-third of the number engaged.
In fact, up to this time since the war
began, no regiment had suffered such a
numerical loss in any one battle, but the
end was not yet There were two things
which largely contributed to our loss. The
1rst and most important was the position
in which we were halted ON the field. Had
we remained at the edge of the woods on
the hill or even advanced across the brook
we should have been partially covered
from the enemy's fire. Then had we
thrown ourselves flat on the ground a less
number of men would have been hit.
After this the regiment never fought the
enemy while standing except in making
an advance. As soon as the firing slack
ened Co. 4, of which l was member, was
deplOyed as skirmishers and advanced
against the enemy so close that two of our
men in the woods on the left of the COM
pany were taken prisoners, one of whom
went to Ande, sonville, but the other not
liking to take the chances of prison life
tried his hand at making his escape. He
was a willy fellow, fertile in resources and
as cool as he was brave. He not only sue
ceeded in making his escape back to our
lines but brought in a prisoner with him.
1t was not all smooth sailing for him for
he was obliged to shoot down two of the
enemy who stood in the way of his escape.
Near midnight the company was relieved
and ordered in to point on the hill in
rear of where we had fought in the after
noon. The men came in through the dark
assertion that no more cordial greetings
were ever accorded than We're extended to
each new conner by those who had pre-
ceded HIM We had been in service 81
months and had learned to trust and love
each other as brothers, and is it any won
der that tears came unbidden, tears of
sorrow that so many had fallen and of JOY
that SO many had escaped.
r 7 s,,I 4 6
who We're going on to the field to bring off
the body of Lieut.. John +. Knowles of
our company who had been killed. As
we neared the point where we had stood
in line noticed eight or ten of our men
laid out side by side, the beams of the
moon struggling through the flcecy clouds
lighting their upturned faces all smeared
with the smoke of battle, some showing
gaping wounds and all CHASTITY and life
less. Looking to the right where the color
guard and Co. NJ had stood was similar
lot of dead carefully laid out, beyond this
another and another until the woods were
reached, and the same thing away to the
left. 1t was q solemn moment as gazed
on the scene at that midnight hour, my
first look upon deserted battle field, and
how forcibly those rows of dead men re-
minded me of the gavels of reaped grain
among which l had worked on my native
hills, but here the reaper was the angel OF
death picked up II canteen to replace
my own which had been pierced by two
bullets and hurried from the field. One
look was enough. .~..
Erwin Chamberlain went into action on
my left This was his only battle and the
impressions made on his mind were last
ing. He told me few years ago that the
man on my right and the one on his left
ms well as the two who covered us III the
rear rank were all killed or mortally
wounded, and that he was hit seven times
before being disabled, and could count
the marks of nine bullets which had made
n close call on me. At II O'Clock the
night of the Goth, the regiment was ON the
march w hich was kept up at a rapid pace
for IL hours with less than five minutes
rest during the time. Passing through
Rowling Green we were halted near MIL
ford station. where the regiment went into
line and threw up breast works while 20.
d, under Lieut. Henry +. Sellers was adj
yanced as line Of pickets but were at
tackled by the enemy losing one man
killed. one wounded and one prisoner
x On the 23d of May, we reached a point
near the North Anna river and near nlght
were subjected to a severe shell fire losing
tyyc Or three men We were kept in re-
serve until the afternoon of the 24th,
when we crossed over the river on bridge
upon the run under one of the liveliest
shell fires we ever got into. Probably 20
shells exploded over our heads while max
mo the run but one man only was hit.
getting slight scalp wound by IA sinail
silver of iron. We labored most OF the
night building breast works and remained
here until the night of the Goth, when the
army was withdrawn to the north sue OF
the river and proceeded on another iiank
movement The loss of the regiment was
two Lilled or mortally wounded and five
wounded. The 2Sth and goth. we were
near Hanovertown, where we hao one
man killed. The 30th we moved out near
the Totopotomy Greek and the morning
az the 3lst moved across the creek ana as
sisted in driving the enemy from .neir
onter line of works. Getting into position
We Law under broiling sun and mos.
uncomfortable shell fire the rest OF the
dav In this action we had three men
L,ile,, and ten wounded mostly by expiod-
a. Owe shell exploded Immediate