St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-01-03

exultlng enemy ana ACTUALLY uripl
blank shots at his own regiment. Onc'
he was challenged by a Confederate OF
icer, to whom he answered that he be
longed to the Fourth Georgia.
"At the next stand Of the brigade Hi
rushed into the Union line, although
exposed to the fire Of his friends as vel
as his foes, and continued fighting I'M
til he again sank to the ground from
loss Of blood. Once more he fell into
the enemy's hands, hut was rescued that
hight.
1.-THE fight for the colors continued.
A Confederate discharged his rife with,
in a foot of Corporal Bemis of the color
guard and wounded him, but was, in
turn, shot dead by n Of our men. A
little later Sergeant Shores and Lemuel
Simpson were standing together by the
flags, when three Confederates attacked
them and ordered them to surrender.
As the assailants had just discharged
their pieces Simpson Immediately fired
and shot one, and Sergeant Shores bayo-
neted the other. Sergeant Moran, whose
devotion to the flag had been intensified
by the regiments A days heroic action
before Port Hudson, marvelously es-
capped. He was in the hottest Of the
fight, however, and held the United
States flag all the while, assisting sever
al times in protecting the regimental
colors.
but as the enemy crowded on 100
men in gray took the place Of the dozen
grasping for the flags. Sergeant Lamb,
q noble, generous fellow, was shot
through the lungs and taken prisoner,
but later fell into our hands again and
died in great agony. Captain Howard
was twice wounded while within a few
feet Of the flags and almost in the CEN
ter Of the savage melee, but he managed
to hobble away when the regiment was
swept back, Captain Hall, honest and
fearless, gave his last order as he yield
ed under a deadly wound. Captain Ford
was shot through both legs by bullets
coming from opposite directions and fell
fiat on his face. Refusing to surrender,
he struggled to his feet and escaped in
the excitement. Captain Smith, who SO
coolly led the skirmish line, swelled the
bloody list. Major Mead, the leader,
while fearlessly facing the enemy, was
severely wounded in the side.
Later on the brigade flag was in
danger of being captured, when Captain
Franklin, with half a dozen Of his COM
pany, furiously attacked the Confeder-
ates struggling for it and rescued it
from their clutch. Moving back, he vas
wounded, but CALAMITY remained with
the regiment. Lieutenant Cheney was
mortally wounded, and Lieutenant
Bruce, while beating back the foe with
his sword, vas severely wounded. Lieu
tenant Welsh, who had CALAMITY led the
skirmishers at daybreak and was then
fighting like a tiger, was shot in the
thigh, but stood his ground till the
regiment went back. Private Austin
received a terrible blow from a musket,
killing him instantly. Captain Shat
tuck, after receiving a bad wound, brave
ly continued with his men, and Lieu
enants Sergeant and Carpenter joined
the ranks of heroes who shed their blood
around the flags, while scores Of brave
fellows in the ranks were torn and shat
tered in a shocking manner.
1.-THE fearful carnage had swept
through the entire command, and over
one-half the regiment was killed or
wounded when the third color bearer,
Corporal Blanchard, was also killed,
and the silken colors, their soft folds
pierced with bullets and their third
bearer weltering in his blood, bowed
low to the earth amid triumphant yells
of our enemies. But, to their chagriu,
in a few seconds it was again Haunting
in their faces. Bleeding and stunned
and being literally cut to pieces, but re-
fusing to surrender colors or men; fall
ing back only to prevent being COM
pletely encircled, the noble regiment
had accomplished its mission.
General Thomas, with his brave
brigade, had blocked the advance Of the
Confederate divisions and actually held
an army at arms length until the Union
commander could form the lines upon
ground of his own choice. In this terri
BILE struggle the Eighth Vermont, the
Twelfth Connecticut and the One Hun