Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-04-08
a
War
Time
Tragedy.
A. B. Willett.

IL was on the evening Oh the. ldSt
days battle of Resaca, Ga, May 16,
1864, that Lieut.. Colonel TOrrey left for
the rear, sick Major Paine few days
before had his arm broken and went
to the hospital at Chattanooga for treat
ment. Being the ranking captain the
command Of the regiment devolved up
on me. Ten days after, May Goth, the
incident took place which / now relate.
The first Wisconsin cavalry's place
this day was in the rear of the division.
The battle of New Hope church was
commencing and we could hear the
roar Of artillery and musketry off to
the right. We were resting in a wheat
field and the men were pulling up the
wheat and feeding their horses. 1t was
toward evening when a staff officer
came and said Gen. McCoOk wished me
to bring the regiment down the road.
We bridled up, mounted and moved
forward in column Of twos on walk.
We passed regiment after regiment of
the division resting in the fields and by
the road side. | saw Gen. McCOok
surrounded by his staff a little way
from the road, but nothing was said to
what we had been ordered forward, but
supposed it was only for a change of
position. AS we rode along the lieu
tenant colonel of an Indiana regiment,
for which young Bristol Farnsworth of
ours was his day acting orderly, passed
by me- The colonel was so drunk that
he could scarcely sit his horse He
mnmbled something like an order but
which I could not understand and to
which I made not a very respectful re-
ply.
AS we continued to move on, Farms
worth fell in alongside of me and we
jOked and laughed at his promotion
from the ranks to be an orderly to a
drunken officer. When we had gone
some distance in this way, staff Off
GER whom l knew galloped up and said
that, as soon as a battery that was 60
ing into position in an open space on
our left opened fire we were to charge
down the road. Pretty soon the bat
terry opened. | then gave the order to
charge and, with drawn sabers and re-
yolvers, went ahead. We went forward
at full speed perhaps a quarter of a
mile. The road was descending and
SO narrow that only two men could
ride abreast. A thicket of small jack
pines was on each side of the road.
When we reached the bottom of the de-
scent we came to an open space about
eight rods wide upon the further side
of which stood a line of rebel infantry.
AS soon as the head of our column APP
peared in view, they poured in upon us
volley from their rifles but which
was directed too high for us in front;
but did considerable execution further
back. 1 saw in an instant that if they
got in another volley we would all be
killed, and so with the few that were
together dashed upon them. They
broke at our fierce onset and scattered
behind trees to get out Of our way as
much as possible. Sergeant Grieber,
the best swordsman in the regiment,
went at them with his saher While
Farnsworth, Goodsel, Foss, Horton,
COddington, Johnson, myself and few
others used our revolvers. We charged
up into the woods after the rebs, a
few rods, when the first we knew we
were in the midst of the rebel cavalry
They sat on th.ir horses and were as
thick as drove Of sheep. We made an
opening into them short distance but
when they saw how few we were they
charged in upon us with fearful yells
and curses. Until our revolvers were
emptied we stood them off fairly we'll
and many a saddle was vacated, but a
time came when they closed around us
upon all sides and we could do no
more. | saw FarnsWOrth a few feet
from me and rebel clinched and each
tried to throw the other from his horse,
but Farnsworth finally got in a blow
on the rebels head which rolled him
out of his saddle. AS he fell his foot
caught in his stirrup, and his head
dragged right under the feet of
my horse. The next I saw of poor
FarnsWorth three or four rebels were
pounding him over the head with their
rifles while ne was trying tn protect
himself by holding up his empty re-
volver They killed him there! Cod
dington who rode on my left was
killed Sergeant Foss shot an officer
who was without doubt a colonel, but
soon had his own arm shattered. Hor-