Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-05-18
eoopeY 10 HE GUNS.
How a Soldier Becomes Attached to Hi
 Death Dealing instrument.

starting for home to doff our uniforms of war Yes, you can understand it, even
 though you were not old enough to read
 of war during those dark days. Whilo
 each musket was like another, every in
 fantryman wanted his own and would
 have no other While each horse was in
 most things like another, every cavalry
 man had his own, felt a sense of proprie-
 tOrship came to understand and feel a friendship for the stccd who shared his hardships and dangers and often his ra-
 tions. The guns had belonged to us of
 Battery NJ for two years and half
 Our horses were killed off and replaced so
 often that but few ties were formed, but tho guns were comrades with Us. 1 could tell you the story of every ono of the six, for all had n story to Dc told or written We went among them and pattcd their
 muzzlcs as if they had been dogs looking
 up at us, and when we found littlc rust
 hero and there we lamcntcd and sorrowcd
 to think they would never again have such
 carc as we had given them.
 How memories and rcCollectionS came crowding up as We wandered through the
 battery The wheel of this gun was chip ped by bullets at Trcvilian Station, and when we limbcred up to sock a stronger
 position in rear we left ten dead men be- hind us. For an hour in that fight the gallant Custer depended on our six guns
 to save his command, and we did not fail him. Twice the cncmy's cavalry was | among Us, shooting, cutting and slaShing,
 and twice the battery was silcnccd for five minutes. On this same gun arc tho marks
 of three wild cuts of the saber, and there are three bullets in the trail we never
 would dig out.
 was behind No. 9 at second Manassas. When the lines of gray infantry began to
 advance, wo changed from shell to grape | and from grape to canister. The breeze
 was strong enough 10 lift the smoke and whirl it away, and I had a fair sight of what was taking place. At every discharge | a lane 10 feet wide appeared in the solid | ranks but each time lane appeared it
 was plotted out after few seconds as the
 men closed up, Solid shot, shell and grape | fell around Us, men went down, horses
 wcro killed, bullets cut the air in every | direction but WIG were still flinging tho
 murdcrous canister into the faces of the | foe as we got the order to retire Some of | tho guns had to be dragged off by hand, | but we saved them.
 At Winchester our battery Crcpt forward
 under cover of the morning mist with tho | first of tho infantry, findings path through 1 thiCkCt and forest and across the stream l and coming into action almost as soon as | the skirnishCrs had opened fire. We got ] round shot and shell in reply. \ gun was ! diSmuuntcd, wheels shattered loadCrs
 struck down as they used spongcs and | rammcrS. In 20 minutes We were deci
 mated; at the end uf 80 wr had only two
 guns which could be advanced Now and | then W" got Erw men and new horses, and | now and then there was talk of new guns We wrlcnrIrd men and horses, but wo l clung tO the old guns and had n stronger ] friendship than ever
 | At Cedar Creek every gun was captured
 in tha sudden rush of the enemy aS we lay
 sleeping, and for the first and last time
 they were turned on their friends. We
 who knew them could detect their rc- | ports a. we were hurled down the val | ley. and we felt a tirrrr cXuliatiun as we
 were led hack to fight for and reclaim | them There were dents of bullets, Splin- l tered spukCs and stains of blood, and | we were proud to point them out to infan- l try and cavalry At ChaurVll0r>villr | when StunrN>Hll Juc%>,n came bursting | through li: fr:y.-t Wi!h the last r;IyS uf sun | set s,!i>truin.; n" sword and gun barrel he | gut half uu" Ivg~,%-, but none of our guns l FN..n the in:untrv, who had thrown away l th".r mu~k,t~ and We're running away, | h:.l!rd tn sriyV Us a pull at the guns until l th,y Wvr,' ~i.V Then We went into action | without a captain and without orders, and
 We swept the old cotton field with such [. l storm of gr:p,' and canister that no rnriny | lived tu Cru~~ i! We were the nurlruS
 around which other batteries rallied until | Jackson wi> stopped and the army saved frun d mad panic When ihr retreat came,
 We were ordered tnahandun our guns. The 1 order NH~ di~u''ryrd and every gun was
 .afc;J lantlr:I on tlc other side nf the river, We were, w ith Meade d; Crttysburg. with
 Grant in tl" Wilderness, with Custer at | sailors Creek. Five Forks and Appumat 1 toX New men. new Ml.cCl>, new Cai>sOnS, | new furer~. new horses. but always the
 same guns One hy one the old mon had | been Wlprd out until only three or four
 wore left but U wHS always Battery M l Ii Was only when We marrhrd into Wash
 ington with the h'llS of America ringing their notes of peace that W" would deliver
 up the guns We did il gruQgingly-al- ] mos, refused to obey orders, We had | fought them, saved them, saved regiments
 and hr gidcs from ranic and defeat hy use of them, and we Lad come t0 feel that they
 were our, And >r We went from gun tO
 Cai~-nn, and from caiseon to forge. and | lonkc! at tir CT, for the last time. Peace | had come No man would ever handle | thO~r .Uu- in War again Our dead lay on 1 q dozen hntt iClirld,--Our horses had been
 turned out to hr sold tu the highest bidder "Goodhy to you, and you, and you" We said a> we touched each gun in rutation, and with uncovered heads we walked 1 away and left thcruri0u> sparrows pcrring
 into tho black nuzzl,'s from which death
 had issued so often and in such terrible form M QUAD