The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-03-19

He WAS STRUCK ON THE HEAD.
to guard them. That was the last we saw
OF those knapsacks. The Johnnies had
them all that night; at least, we never knew
what became OF them. The guards. / sup.
pose. took the best of them and then skinned
| Tor the rear.
ButRr6eld's Brigade took the extreme
left, Marsnsale the right, and Griffin and
Sykess Regulars the center. We moved
| forward TO the edge Of thick wood, the
ground sloping for some distance to a
stream, along the banks of which seemed
qliite swampy and much underbrush, with
a few large oaks and Other hardwood tim
Der, made it look quite dense few rods
away.
The battle opened soon after noon. re-
member the rattle of muskelry from the ed
Pa. 1t seemed dowz in the swamp on our
right and in eur immediate front line Of
skirmishers of Bsrdar's Shnrpsbco,tss were
exchanging she's with the vanguard of the
enemy. i wonder that any of those green
coassd riflemen ever got out alive. i was
afraid TO shoot, lest it might be one of them
instead of our gEay-coated enemy, and The
smoke made livery difficult to determine
which it was. Alter awhile they came
craw45ng back, and we felt very much re-
leved. / lave no doubt that some OF them
were hit by our men.
About 2 o'clock p. m. Grifin's Brigade,
composed of the 14th n. Y, 9TH Mich, 9Th
Mass, and 62d Pa, brought on the first i'm
portaDt opening OF the battle, and in a shert
time Sykess Regulars. Martindale's and
Batterfeid's Brigades were at il hot and
heavy. A few of my company had found
some bales of hay near our line-of-battle,
and we quickly utilized them. 80
suggested that we put dirt on them, 80
as to prevent any possibility of their taking
fire from our guns. These bales of hay, no
doubt, saved many poor boys life that
day, for they made a most excellent breast
work.
Back of our line was log house with the
usual number Of lean-to's, and into this
house were taken our wounded. Stonewall
Jackson's column had Joined Lee and was
making vigorous attack en- Porter's right,
but they were often repulsed and hurled
back under the CALLING fire OF our artillery
Sykes's Regulars were fighting as only
Regulars do, but they did not surpass the
desperate fighting of our volunteers Grifin's
Brigade was suffering badly, the old 4th
was losing heavily, and so were the 14;h, the
bloody 9Th Mass, as We called them, as
brave regiment as ever the State of Massa-
chusetls sent out, and CID Pa, the largest
regiment in the division. They were being
gradually pushed back by overwhelming
numbers.
hartindales right was heavily pressed,
and Gen. Mtles's old regiment, the 22d Mass,
was ga3lahty bearing the brunt.
1t was about this time that the 4th Mich.
lost some of its brarest and best. Can't. Du
Puy and Lieut. Jones were killed. CAPT.
George Spsulding (now our honered Repre-
sentative in Congess) wounded, Lieuts.
Smith and Preston badly wounded, Adit
Earl and Lieut.. Beers wounded, and a score
of the rank and file lying dead upon the
field.
The roar of artillery was tremendous, and
the sharp rattle of musketry made it seem
as though pandemonium was let loose. 1t
always has seemed more like a huge dream
than reality. That night, after the army
had fallen back across the Chick ahominy
Creek, wandered around in a halfdazea
wondering if / was awake
The Union troops fought well, but the odds
were against them. Each day their ranks
became thinner and thinner. Each day they
piedded aleng, foetsore and weary, fighting
Cbickah ominy to the banks of the James.
Each day we left some loved comrade to the |
mercy Of our foe.
The Peninsular Campaign was no picnic. |
The soldier who got through those seven |
days Of fighting has doubly earned the PEN |
sion that great Government like ours |
would give him, and when we are asked |
where are these men who came out of the |
has become of them. we |
can only answer that we know moi. They |
are scattered like the leaves of the forest. |
Many of my own company and regiment / |
have not seen since the close of the war.
we hear that they are alive in some |
distant part OF the country. OF my own |
company there are four living in this city |
who took part in the Peninsular Campaign. |
and when i see these old veterans, half-clad |
and poor in flesh, gcing about our streets. | |
can point 10 them and say of truth they |
know what war is. And where is the one |
that begrudges the small pittance that is |
paid 10 them four times a year for the work |
they did at the front? These are the men |
that ought TO have the service pension. |
There are few of the GROWERS that would |
have taken their places at any price
was near Corpl Dupont when be was |
shot, and / might say saw the ball strike /
him. To me it seemed to strike him |
squarely in the forehead We had lust |
rallied on the colors, aud Col. Woodbury., | |
think, gave the order TO lie down. bri- |
gade Of Alabamians was coming up the slope |
some 40 roGs away. We did the best we |
could against fearful odds, but they bore |
down on US until we were obliged to retreat |
or be taken prisoners. Dupent lay upon the |
field apparently as dead as ever person |
could be. The ball must have taken course |
around the skull. 1t was as great surprise |
to me as it was 10 Comrade Barlow TO learn |
Of his escape from death.-A. H. BoIEs, 4th |
Mich, Hudson, Mich.
Love lightens labor Hoods sarsanariIla light.
ems Spring cleaning trials Enough saidt