The National tribune., 1897-02-25
LIKED GEN. GRANTS STORY.
" One Who Was There" Tells How He was
Taken In by the ,lohnnfes.

!" One Who Was There" Tells How He was
Taken In by the Johnnies.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I read with
thrilling interest Gen. L. A. Grants article
upon the Battle of the Wilderness. had
been in all the fights in which the 14th Ind.
had been engaged, and must confess that
went into that fight with feelings of super
stitious awe had, though always at the
front, never got my clothing cut, and, like
the old railway man, thought my turn would
come some time.
The 14th Ind. got to the intersection of
the Brock and Orange Plank road near sum
down with the 4th and 9Th Ohio and 7th
W. Va. We threw our knapsacks as we ran
into line, the 14th right at the crossroads.
Grant and Hancock were sitting on their
horses directly in the crossroads, as though
there was nothing particular the matter.
There were no troops in front of them; the
line had just been broken. Ifthe smoke had
not been so dense they would undoubtedly
have been slain, for a number of my COM
pany and few of other companies were
wounded getting those two pieces of artillery
back.
The Acting Orderly Sergeant of our
company, George Faucet, was MORALLY
wounded just to the right of this artillery.
took his place next morning, and where
history states that Hancock drove Hills
Corps for a mile l was captured, near the
little field fringed with pines, where the
enemy had masked battery. So, my fears
were turned into gladness.
As passed this masked battery, some Of
the rebs were standing up on top Of the guns,
looking over the little pines toward the
front. l hallood and asked, Which is the
direct route to Richmond, boys?" They
laughed, and pointed toward the rear.
That ended my fighting went to An
Jacksonville and Florence, escaped into the
swamps, twice left for dead with typhoid
pneumonia, picked up by Sherman's Bum
mers. sent from Goldsboro to Newbern,
thence to Fort Monroe. City Point, arriving
at my regiment Goth Ind then at Apo
mattox, seven days after the surrender of Lee.
They had promoted Sergeants to Lieuten-
ants and Captains, but thank the Lord,
was still Serg't Ragamuff. had to be trans
a vacancy.
like the spirit in which Gen. L. A. Grant
writes, but he must see that we are &C
quainted with the Crossroads" as we call
it in the West. On the morning of the 9th,
to the left of the Plank road, we passed over
where his troops fought, and we can give
evidence to the tremendous struggle the
evening of the 5th in that weird thicket and
tangled railroad. The leaves were covered
with white splinters and despatched with
blood. 1t makes me shudder yet to think
of it.
There was tremendous musketry off to
our left until some time after dark, when it
ceased as suddenly as if every man on each
side was slain. Both sides set up the most
tremendous yelling and cheering of defiance
we ever heard. Grant and Lee were both
correct when, on the evening of the 9th Of
May, they sent dispatches to their respect
i've Governments" We have repulsed every
charge of the enemy"
When our lines, in advancing through the
tangled brush, would become disorganized,
and we met solid line-of-battle, would
have to give way; then the rebel lines in
advancing, would become disorgaDized, meet
solid line-of-battle, and give way and thus
it was for two days-repulsing every charge
of the enemy.-OwEN T.WRIGHT, Sergeant,
Cos. d and A, 18th and Goth Ind, Fort
Dodge, Kan.