Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-11-20
THE GUNNERs on Tho guns Of the
-, $50, - famous Warrington

THH GUNNERs on Tho guns q the
-. q. .s,.....r, -, famous Washington
N z HILL artillery crowned
the Heights of Marye's hill PrepaEa-
tions for the grand charge had bean
watched All day, and the csnnonee1s
were, ready for the combat. Captain
William Miller Owen, adjutant Of tho
battalion, has penned vivid descriptions
Of the battle as he saw il from the
height. He says: 81 ,s@s gl
e At last the Federal line IL formed andAp.s
pears above the ridge and advances. What =
magnificent sight 1t Is! We have never VIZ
messed such battle array before, long lines
following one another OF brigade 'front.'. ~
seemed like some huge blue serpent about %
encompass and crush us In Its folds. theiE
musket barrels cleaning brightly IN the sun sun
light, their gay colors fiuttering in the breeze.
The lines advance at double quick, and the
alignments are beautifully kept. The board
fences inclosing the gardens fall like walls g
mere paper. Then the loud, full voice OF
mence frinyi' The dreadful work OF the
Washington artillery has begun. 4
The bows soon warm up to their work ana i
aim and fire coolly and deliberately. Nearer
and nearer the enemy's line advances, ana
now they are within range OF canister. ana We
NJ
the infantry in the sunken road, tho Georgians
and North Carolinians and the latter are I'M
,een by the enemy, for the smoke is beginning
to cover the field. All at once this gray line
below us rises. One moment to glance along
the rifle barrels, and volley after volley 10
poured into the enemy's ranks. Great gaps
appear. We give them canister again and
again. A few leave the ranks, more follow.
the lines halt for an instant, and, Turning, are
seen running in great disorder toward tne
town. The first assault has been met and re-
pulsed, The field before us is dotted with
patches of blue. They are the dead ana
wounded Of the Federal infantry. 5s1
After the repulse of the first attack
note from General Lee reached the bat
talon commander begging him to hold
ON at all hazards. S3
In q postscript Lee said: "We have
been looking at your practice. 1t 10 very
pretty, and congratulate you on it.
"We are fighting under the very eyes Of Lee
and Longstreet, = continues Captain Owen. (
ssNow, boys, do your level best solid
rife\cannon ball tears its way through the
redoubt. scattering dust in our very faces.
Kursheedt picks it up and says laughingly,
s.Boys, let's send it back to them again. An
instant later it is in the gun and dispatched
On its mission back to the enemy. Corporal
Ituggles, who, with sleeves rolled up, has been
ramming his gun, suddenly throws up his
hands and falls backward, with a ball in his
spine Perry seizes the sponge staff as 1t falls
from Ruggles' hands and takes his place. The
sharp ring Of bullet striking the face OF the
piece is heard, and Perry's arm, having been
shot through, drops helpless at his side. He
has been severely wounded. RCdd is holding
vent. His elbow joint is shot away Everett
steps into his place. A bullet strikes him, and
he falls AS he is laid in the corner OF the
work with Ruggles he says: "Let me do some
thing, boys Let me cut fuses. :" Falconer
passes in rear of the guns and is struck by
bullet behind the ear and falls corpse. These
casualties occur in rapid succession from the
accurate firing of the Federal sharpshooters.
In short time the gunners became
short handed from losses and called up
On the infantry for aid. At the opening
Of the battle the ground was frozen
hard, but. under the tramp Of hurrying
feet, was soon changed into soft mud.
Officers and men put their shoulders to
the wheels and forced the guns up to
the embrasures. One light piece, Dor
rowed for the emergency, was placed
outside the work to dislodgea body Of
Federals upon which the guns in ems,
brasure could not play. It was exposed
to the fire of ten Federal guns, and in I
one minute every man around it was
struck down and the piece disabled. 3;