The Portland daily press., 1894-12-08


Sabre Blow-Rad Accident With a
Green Co1t-Asleep In the Saddle from
Sheer Exhaustion.
| The following interesting paper was read
before Bosworth Post by Alderman Dam re-
| Gently
enlisted in Portland, Sept. Esd, 1861. the
| first man to be enrolled as private in Co.
| f. of the First Maine Cavalry, and was
| Immediately sent to Augusta where assist
ed in building stables for the horses. We
/ passed the long. cold winter in the usual
camp duties. On March 10th 1862. the First
Battalion, Companies, A. D. E. 6 f. were
| loaded into box cars, eight men and eight
| horses to a car. and started for Washington.
| We reached Portland In the evening, a1d
| BY accident Co. F.was left on the bridge at
| Turner's Island SO that we were debarred
from the reception intended by our,
| friends, Co. E being made up mostly OF
| Portland boys.
NV father. whom l had not seen since
| leaving home was in the station all night
! hoping for an opportunity to give me his
| blessing.
We reached Washington in the morning
| and we're ordered into camp on Capitol Hill.
| My first impressions Of the city were that
| it was the muddiest place had ever seen.
| The mud where we encamped. was knee
deep, but plenty of straw was furnish ed
and we were soon comfortable. The next
day was detailed with a squad TO go to
| Upton's Hill for guard duty and my first
service il Virginia was performed. with
no arms except an iron pin, which we Wero
provided with to hitch our horses to.
| was there a week, then was recalled,
| armed with pistol and sabre and recrossed
the Potomac with the regiment for active
service, We had long three days march to
Cattetts Station, via Fairfax Court House,
Centervale and Bull Run. The last day
| cold, sleety and rainy, found us halted at
Cattetts Station,
WITHOUT RATIONS, FORAGE. TENTS.
| cooking utensils, or axes to cut woods for
I fires This continued for three days ana
somewhat dampened our spirits. until our
| teams, which had been stuck in the mud
| some miles in the rear. came up and revived
| them with the needful for a square meal
| for men and horses.
The first actual service was a night ride
| of ten miles to Worcester, where the town
| was surrounded in single tile. We waited
| two hours for the enemy to appear. 1t was
| a bright moonlight night and we could
have been seen for miles. We were ordered
| to have drawn sabres and not to speak
| above a whisper. We finally reformed and
| marched through the village without sight
| of an enemy. Our only capture was splen-
did turkey, which became SO attached to
| Co, f, that he came into camp with us.
| January 10, l was stricken with typhoid
| fever and sent to the Mansion House Cen
| eral Hospital at Alexandria. l did not re-
| ioin the regiment till September in Washing
| ton.
| In December we crossed into Virginia and
! went into winter quarters.
ACAvALRY RAID.
The next April we started on Stonmeore
Raid, crossed the Rappahannock, at Kelly s
Ford. the Rapidan, at Raccoon Ford and
were then inside the line of the Confed-
| eracy, skirmishing, foraging. tearing up
railroad tracks, burning bridges. and de-
stroying stores Of all kinds; in the saddle
day and night. no rest, no sleep except in
squads of one-half company: ham and meal
| for ratiens, but no salt no time to cook
| or eat; travelling night and day till men
| and horses were completely exhausted, so
eN-o
| saddles. until divisions, brigades and regf-
ments were completely mixed up aid 1t
took nearly day after we had recrossed
| the Rapidan to get the several commands
slaughtered out.
| On the eighth night. one sof the darkest
| ever knew, l was at the extreme front, at
division headquarters. The First Maine
hadsthe advance. A citizen was brought to
|
old colt. He was needed as guido and as
he couldn't keep up was ordered by the
general to give him my horse and take his.
| did so and soon found that the colt was
more than I could manage. l was doing
some growing when Gen. Gregg said
"DAM, WHAT'S YOUR LIFE,
compared with the lives of this div:sion?"
replied that it was worth more to me
than any individual knew. l was ordered
| to the rear. In going l rolled down an
embankment in the dark, some 20 feet Or
more and sustained injuries from which
have never recovered
regained my horse two days later. Our
next move was June 10, crossed the Rap
pahanock at Kelly's Ford at 10 a. m., heard
heavy firing to the front, were pushed for
ward some five miles ut sharp gait, when
| we came out of the woods overlooking an
! ouening or clearing about mile in area
| upon which was taking place
| THE GREATEST CAVALRY FIGHT.
| considering numbers engaged on each side.
| fought during the war.
10 the right center three-fourths Of a
| mile away, the 1st, division some 5000 in
| number, were charging an equal number of
the enemy. not as solid body but as regi-
ments, and squadrons. 1t was a grand
| sight but we were not permitted to remain
| long idle for the time had come for the LIST,
Maine to get to work. To the right center
| of this field was piece of rising ground on
which was a Virginia mansion. and sur
! rounding this shade trees, and large or
! chard. In front of the house was flying
! the flag of Gen. Stewart COM
| mander of the Confederate cavalry, ana
| about The house battery of SIX guns.
| These guns were not being used ehectlVeiy'
for the reason that both federals anu con-
| federates were so intermingied apouf the
| field charging and counter charging tina II
| was not possible to effectively use them