St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-30
RED FLANNEL BADGES.
A Correspondent Who Indorses MIR.
Stcadman5s Views.

Steadman's Views.
To the Editor of the Globe.
The communication of Mr.. B. F. Steadman,
Of Mankato, in the | o b e of the 9th inst,
did me good. l is statement of facts and
plainly suggests he was there. 1 well rec
collect seeing the red flannel badges, but did
not know that those emblems were the first,
but l presume it is correct. l was familiar
with the voice, features and makeup of all
those old warriors that led us up the
Peninsula; yes, I'VE worked our way UP in the
Chfckahominy swamp through rain, mud and
water, everything wet, guns and ALL l was
on Caseys front, member of WetZeIs
brigade, and Maher's brigade to our left.
The Johnnies, forty thousand strong, in the
morning Gin fog) charged on the pickets,
drove them in and caught us unprepared,
as they were on us about quick our
pickets. We were eight thousand strong, as
against the forty thousand Johnnies. AS Mr..
Steadman says we were cooking our break
fast, and MANY of us were loading our guns.
When the Johnnies rushed US. we fell through
Couch's line Of battle. The boys stood them
off as long as they could, and I saw the
Johnnies blown from in front of our battery
(Ricker's) l think. They were not coffee
coolers, can tell you, they meant business,
Through the night we reorganized and were
ready for the coming day OF battle, expect
ing many more would die for Old Glory.
recollect Summer rode up and cheered us
! by saying that we were going for them on
flank and front, and that we should have
our dinner In Richmond. We cheered' and
yelled and threw our caps in the air. The
boys dashed On their flank with cheers and
yeils, and We shortly after pushed them on
their front, which was soon made their rear.
l would say here that the .Johnnies captured
all our stores, whisky. medicine, provisions
and all. Well we pushed them, recovered our
cid camping ground that they got the day be-
FORE and still we pushed them, and their
duds were getting to- be pretty thickly scat
tered ON the way back to Richmond. We
meant TO getoour dinner there, with plenty OF
apple jack and tobacco, but while so en-
thused. Il horseman, an aid de camp Of little
Macs (Neglie think, his horse on the Jump
himself bare-headed, dashed to the front
with orders to fall back again to our old
ground on Casey's front. OF course we obeyed
orders and got back, and found everything
scooped except there stood large bottle of
castor oil alone in the center of the ground
that the tent formerly covered; the Johnnies
kindly left that fer future use. am not q
Mcclellan man, Lean tell you that for in his
report he stated that Casey's division unac-
countably fell back Just as IL he thought
eight thousand half-drowned men could stand
the push Of forty thousand, and I saw many
OF our sick men shot down along with the
well men; but this was no fault of the
Johnnies because they got in between two fires
in rushing out of buildings that were used
as hospitals. I always set pretty heavy on
my stomach Macs insnuations on Maher's
and WetZePs brigades, because I know that
they were good men,. In engagements after
this, when we captured prisoners 1 took
great pains TO find out why the Johnnies did
not hold on better, and invariably was in
formed that our dash and push unnamed
them, and they fgot panic-stricken and push
ed pellmeli back to Richmond, also that
Davis and his cabinet retired to Raleigh,
N. Co.. and every one that could was leaving
Richmond but Ias we did not get there for
dinner as We expected. and they also ex-
Dected us, they mustered up courage to come
back We fell back and we waited and
waited and waited, expecting Stonewall Jack
son on our flank. And when he did get there.
then we commenced the memorable retreat
to Malvern Hill. licking them ali the way.
just like lot of cornered rats would fight,
we fought and fought and marched. and
went hungry and tired for Old Glory You
must not think sthat insinuate that we up
here were any braver than our Southern
foes mot much). They were as brave as
lions. We did not have a panic we were
not all cefee-coolers, somebody was there
and fought, they were not all hospital bum
mers. There were reports that we were going
to be surrendered I'D to the Johnnies. and I
was told by one high in authority that good
Abe Lincoln sent word to Mac not to dis
grace the country by so doing, but get under
the protection of the gunboats. which we did:
and l saw little Mac and the two French
officers go aboard of the Galena Respect
fully, IT. w. Richards
Ninety-Secopd New York Infantry.
Richmond