Middletown transcript., 1897-07-03


asm of poet, yet he was surpassed
fervor by the commaniant of Fol
Wagner, General w. B. TaliaferrC
says General Taliaferro: "The Confed
crates, with the tenacity of bulldog
and a fierce courage which was arouse
to madness, poured from the rampant
and embrasure sheets of flame and
tempest of lead and iron, yet the intre
pid assailants rushed on like tn
waves of the sea by whose shores the
fought. They fell by hundreds, bu
they pushed on, reeling under th
frightful blasts that almost blew then
to pieces, up to the confederate bayo
nets"
Describing the Union defense Of tn
conquered basticn from counter as
sa ult, the general says: "The part!
which had gained access could not es
cape. II was certain death 10 attemp
to pass tile line Of concentrated fir'
which swept the face of the work, -bu
they would not surrender, and in. des
pair kept up a constant fire upon th'
main body of the fort" The Cohfeder
ate leader called for volunteers to dis
lodge the assaiiaDts, and the cracE
company Of Captain w. Fl. Ryan re-
sponded among others. "Ryan's com
pany was selected, and the gallant
Irishman at tie head of his command
dashed at the reckless and insane men,
who seemed bent upon immolation,
The tables had sipgularIy turned. The
assai ants had become the asssiled, and
they held fort within fort. Ryan
rushed at them, but he fell, killed out
light, with several of his men, and the
rest recoiled."
The Sixth Connecticut and Forty
eighth New York belonged to General
Strong's brigade. Strong followed up
the attack of the. black regiment. 1t
was O'Clock and fully dark when the
men, to the number of about 700, en-
tered the bastion. Soon after that Col
orel FL. S. Putnam charged in the
wake of Strong, and in the confusion
and darkness, not know ing friend from
foe, actually assaulted the very point
held by Strong's men. The bastion Was
held until nearly midnight, or about
three hours. Continuing his animated
description. Mr.. Hayne says: 1.-The
history of the war, rife with desperate
conflicts, can show no more terrific
strife than this. 1t Was in more than
one particular a battle of giants. l
have conversed with old Cohfederates
in regard to the night succet ding this
great assault and have remark how
seasoned veterans Shudder when they
recalled its horrors. Fur thousand of
the enemy bad been dashed against
our impregnable eaIthwork, and, when
reformed within their own lines, how
many, think you, answtIed 10 their
names2 Only COOL Their leader, Gen-
eral George G. Strong, wa wounded
unto death. Colonels ChaIfield, Put
nam and Shaw lay dead within our
lines.
''Wearily The daIk hours passed, and
a Sabbath morning damned over the
sand hills, and every detail Of the sctre
was brought out and emphasized in
bold relief men lying III every p 'ssi-
bie. attitude, with tv+lJ c. pet iFaOle ex-
preston on their cuGi tehaGces, ;heiT
limbs bent Tito unatuIal shapes by The
fall If 30 feet, the figures rigid, fingers
rigid, UulstIetchtd, as il they had
ellie ehed at the earth To save them-
selves; pale. beseeclilg faces, louking
out from among The ghasily cOrpses,
with means and cries for help and
water, and dying gasps aid death
struggles.
"In the salient, rn the ramparts,
they lay heaped up. often three deer.
Conspicuous among them was y tall,
superbly formed man, All tfficer whose
calm features, only he more clearly
cut by the chisel of death, gszed to-
ward the cloudless sky. A breathless
Apollol This was Colonel Putnam of
the Seventh New Hampshire. AL
though, horrible to relate, the entire
back of his head had been blown off,
the wonderful beauty Of his face re-
manned unshadoaed, eVoking from
his foes sigh Of pity. On the crest,
surrounded by few, u very few, of his
sable troops, at the foot Of the flag LIE
mad yainly planted, Was the body of
Colonel Sl.aw. One would have thought
at a cursory glance that it was the
corpse of mere boy"
AT the time Of the surrender in the
captured bastion there we're l40 assail-
ants alive. They represented nearly
every regiment Of Strong's brigade,
but the most of them were from the
Sixth Connecticut and Forty-eighth
New York. The last regiment entered
the fight with SIG officers and men. It's
death roll was So; wounded, 112, and
prisoners taken in the bastion, 73. The
losssin tie Sixth Connecticut was is
killed, N wounded and 46 captured.
Colonel ShaW's colored regiment suf-
fsred loss of 1870 killed aud wounded
out of about 1000 borne on the rolls.
GEORGE L. KILMER.
wr.-rA1.r r1~,..s.t.,,