Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1896-01-09

tlef1ags flashed up from the ground to
greet him. That occurred after the Incl
dent which is here given from the descrip-
ton of Colonel H. Z. Hill, a participant.
The flags fought over were among those
that greeted Little Phil. Says Colonel
Hill: 'In the morning fight the colors OF
the Eighth Vermont passed through ter
rible ordeal and received bloody baptism.
But for the heroic and loyal souls in that
little band, who stood up nobly against
fearful odds on the memorable morning
Of Oct 10, 1864, the regimental standard
would never have come out of the battle
triumphant. The thrilling story of the
fight over the standards is no myth. 1t
was a horrid, desperate hand to hand en-
counter for possession of the flags; a fierce,
excited and daring foe on one side, loyal
and equally brave mon on the other. Gen
eral Crook S corps, located ON our left
(Emory's Nineteenth corps), and partially
in our 'front.' had been surprised over
borne and swept away General Thomas,
after furious ride hotly pursued and
barely escaping with his life had arrived
from the picket line and by direct verbal
order of General Emory had led his bril-
gade across the pike, a mere handful OF
men, to resist whole divisions made up OF
the flower of the southern army.
by the fortune of war the Eighth Yer
mont, under Major Mead occupied the
most exposed position of the brigade as the
enemy, with deafening yells, were moving
in swiftly from front and flank. AS the
great drops of rain precede the hurricane,
SO now the leaden hail filled the air, SEEM
ingly from all directions while burstin.
shells from the enemy's cannon on the OPP
posite hill created havoc on our only flank
n 70 ho r. fl a~afn in.
fantry Regiment after regiment of the
Eighth corps had crumbled away and gone
past to the rear; our two companion regi
ments, the Twelfth Connecticut and One
Hundred and Sixtieth New York, terribly
smitten. chung tenaciously to us. Yet the
sudden rush of the enemy from every di.
rection, in their yellowish suits breaking
through the short intervals between the
commands, forced each regiment to fight
its own battle, and so the Eighth Vermont
was practically alone for a time. And
who can count such moments, as the
swarming ConfederatcS broke upon it with
resistless fury?
Suddenly a mass of enemies confronted
the flags and with hoarse shouts demand
ed their surrender. Defiant shouts went
back: Never! Never! And then, amid
tremendous excitement, commenced one
OF the most desperate ana ugly nanu 10
hand conflicts over the flags that has ever
been recorded Men seemed more like de-
mons than human beings as they struck
fercely at each other with dubbed mus
kets and bayonets A Confederate of pow
erful build attempted to bayonet Corporal
Worden of the color guard. Worden,
tall, sinewy man, who had no bayonet on
his musket, parted his enemy's thrusts
until some one-I think Sergeant Brown
shot the assailant dead. Another Con-
federate then leveled his musket and shot
Corporal Petre, who held the colors, in the
thigh, terrible wound, from which he
died that night. Petre held the regi-
mental flag. He cried out: Boys, leave
mel Take care of yourselves and the
fag!' But in that vortex of hell men did
not forget the colors, and as Petre crawled
away to die they were instantly seized and
borne aloft by Corporal Perham and were
as instantly demanded again by an assail
ant who attempted to grasp them. Ser
geant Shores of the guard placed his mus
ket at the man S breast and fired, instantly
killing him. But now another rifle flash,
and a bullet from the dead southerners
companion killed Corporal Perham, and
the colors fell to the earth. Once more,
amid terrific yells, the colors went M, this
time held by Corporal blanchard, and the
carnage went on.
Lieutenant Cooper was seen to raise
his arm in the air, and while shouting,
give 1t to them, boys!' he, too was
>IIN