The Portland daily press., 1896-04-11


yade-A True Story of the War OF the
States.
failwaukee, Wis, JournaL)
i.wben John Gibbon received his oom-
mission as Brigadier General and was
assigned to the command OF the Iron
Brigade in May, 1892 said Gen. L. >.
Bragg. she brought with him his for
mer command, Battery B, Fourth Ar
tillery, and it bocame part OF the bril-
eade organization. The battery had its
officers. commissioned and non-commis-
stoned. but no enlisted men, the latter
being taken from the infantry regiments
of tire brigade This tended to bring
the battery nearer to the rest OF the COM
mand, and great pride was taken in the
guns. During all the time the battery
was with US it never lost gun nor
harness, though the battery was many
times in great peril. The guns we're
safe because they were part of the brigade
and the bows would never forsake them.
The battery had six ten-pound Napoleon
guns, and they did magnificent service
eve came the nearest to losing the
guns at Antietam. when the enemy came
SO CLOSE that they killed the gunners at
their posts In hand hand light. Inc
battery was posted in the cornf1eld which
was SO stubbornly contested by the con
tending forces. Just at the moment
was about to fall from the effect OF a
shot detected movement of the rebels
directed at the battery, which was doing
heroic service. Gen. Gibbon saw me reel
and rushed up, asking: odd, man are
you hit?'
"Neyer mind me now,' I answered,
they are f1anking the brigade and oharg-
ing the battery
"Gibbon took in the situation in an
instant, and with his accustomed prompt
action he disposed his force to resist the
charge. The guns were set in sections
some distance apart, SO thet when they
opened on the charging force, which
came on in column, they struck its head
with convergins fire, the effect OF
which was to literally raise tho head of
the column right up into the air. But
they did not stop: on they came, while
the guns CT the battery belched fire into
their ranks, Gibbon shouting for double
canister. which shows that the enemy
was within very short distance. And
on they came, right up to and in among
the guns, where the most terrific fighting
ensued. There Capt. Jim Campbell of
the battery was stricken down by a shot
in the shoulder and taken off the field,
fully believing that his pet guns had
been taken from him. He came back to
our improvised field hospital crying like
a child, and could not understand it.
=" Why, Jim,' said I as he came in,
fare you making that fuss over a little
hurt like that?
~ TITS not the hurt, Colonel, said the
brave fellow; 4 have lost my guns, and
did not even have time to spike them.'
s'And the brave fellow reached into
his breast pocket with his available hand
and drew out package of files moaning
ell the time over the loss of his guns. He
would have laid down his life most cheer
fully to save them. / ted him that it
could not be possible that the guns were
lost for I knew too we'll the affection of
the brigade for them to doubt their safe
ty for moment unless the brigade was
annihilated. I assured him that he
would find the guns all right and such
proved to be the fact but it was narrow
escape they had.
every time get to thinking over one
of those days some new recollection comes
upon me. Incidents that may not call
to mind today would present themselves
tomorrow if I were speaking of the same
event. 1t is not that any of them are
forgotten but the mind gets into certain
channels at one time and into others the
next time. Antietam was our bloodiest
day and we have good reason to remem-
Der even it's slightest incidents.
"Antietam oiosed period of forty five
days during which We had fought or
been under fire eleven days and had been
engaged in four pitched battles. At An
t1etam the brigade lost about 400 men at
South Mountain 317 and In the battles OF
Gainesville and second Bull Run s73 but
the percentage of loss to the number en-
gagged was much higher at Antietam than
In any other engagement OF the series.
The brigade was almost obliterated but
it was built up again and kept it's repu-
tatlon in succeeding campaigns.
The value of having trained artille-
r1sts in the brigade was seen on one oc-
oaslon in the campaign of 1864 on the
Weldon Railroad in front of Petersburg.
In this campaign Battery B was gone
from US, all the batteries being consoh'
dated into an artillery brigade under one
command though detailed to such po-
sltions as would make them of the most
service. Harris New York battery was
with us in the Weldon road battles and
on one occasion the rebel charge upon the
battery was SO fierce that the guns were
ieft without gunners and in danger of
falling into the hands of the enemy.
6eeing the need of the battery I walked
down the line of the brigade calling for
Battery boys Up they sprang from
every side and sent them up to take
NTr RI