The National tribune., 1895-02-28
THE UNDERBRUsH WAS VERY DENSE.

THE UNDERBRUsH WAS VERY DENSE.
We will now leave them there, and
follow the fortunes of the Sd Wis. for a
time. When Col Ruger received the
order TO assemble his regiment and
join Crawford, the regiment was de-
ployed on line 500 yards long. The
order was passed along to assemble on
the third company, and when assembled
we moved little to the right; here
Col Rugcr told the men that there was
battery to be taken, that the honor of
the regiment was in their hands, and
they were not to cheer or yell until the
rebels broke, and then to go in and do
their best The command was then
given Forward +" and in a minute
Double-quick !"
We quickly reached the edge of the
woods, where there was high rail fence,
the ranks much disordered from march
ing double-quick through the woods, still
more broken by climbing the fence; but
with the instructive habit of drilled SOL
diers reformed before going many wards.
The right of our regiment got into
thicket Of blackberry briers in the woods,
which hindered them somewhat, so that
the left was the
FIRST OVER THE FENCE.
As ] stepped upon the fence to get
over it, | looked for the battery which
we were to take, and could plainly see
1t not 500 yards distant in the direction
of Cedar Mountain, which was perhaps
three-fourths of mile distant.
Between us and the battery was
long line of Confederate troops, which
we now know were the 9th, I'd, and 4th
Va regiments, whose movements we
have heretofore sketched. The little
busby field where we then were is 125
yards across it, and the Confederates
were entering it at almost the same mo-
ment that we were, so that it seemed to
ms as though they arose from out of the
ground.
The right of the 9th Va extended
into the wheatfeld which Crawford's
Brigade had just crossed, and were at
that instant Of time actually between us
and the remnant of Crawford's Brigade,
which was then fighting with the 9th
and 33d Va Their left extended into
the old bushy field where we were. The
I'd Va. was wholly in the field, and part
of the 4th Va. was in the bushes on our
right.
As we were advancing in southerly
direction and they in a more easterly
one, the 4th Va. was close upon the
right flank Of our regiment, but were
screened from us by the trees and bushes
i well remember seeing the puffs of
smoke as they fired from the woods, not
20 yards from the right of Capt. Haw-
ley's company. Capt. Moore, I'd Va,
says that we wheeled to the right after
we came into the field, but this move
ment was only an apparent one, for no
such orders were given, but the right of
the regiment was held back by the OBJ
structions, and did not advance SO far
INTO the field as the left.
The Confederate officers say that We
fired first but ] am very sure that no man
near me fired a shot until after we had
received volley from them, which was
the most destructive fire that / expert
enced in the whole course Of the war.
Col. Ruger reported that we went into
this action with 267 men, and confront
ing US were three regiments We know
that the 9th Va had 519 muskets In
line, and Capt Moore, of the I'd Va,
SAYS he had go men in his company; SO
there is no doubt that we had at least
1900 men opposed TO U.s. Mai. Vii
Gams speaks of our regiment as being a
strong skirmish-line which they drove
back.
A fight of this kind could be but of
short duration, and thoseof us who did not
get back into the woods without orders
were very soon ordered there. Capt.
Hawley, of Co. X, was one of the first
men wounded, and | saw him limping
of the field. Capt. Bentley, of L, was
crawling back on bis hands and knees,
but ] think he was not wounded. Col
Ruger was mounted on
NERVOUS Roam HORSE
that kept him busy trying TO stay on its
back; at the same time he rode from
the left to the right of the regiment and
back again in his efforts to hold the line
steady.
il hardly seemed minute before all
of Co X and nearly ali of Z were back
sgain in the woods, when Capt. 0'Brian,
of Co /, told me that the Colonel said
we were 10 go back into the woods.