The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-29

-..henaiaa. and NJ until we saw the charge
ablod turned about and ran for the rear. A
number Of my men were slightly wounded, but
counted among tho casunities. Il was so
throughout the regiment, After i arrived back
Chaplin with tears running down his cheeks.
would take us 70 tho rear and get. us s%tTaipht-
that had stood still in their tracks behind
ns ~nmG We were charging, and began
Pointins to the romnSnts Of our bsttaiions he
exclaimed: There are tho men you have Tor the
last Las, ave ave y, week. fnI'ol ben making fun q. You did
regiment he yies" again i will shoot hin on
that he Colonel rode IN to our division com.
mpsndsr; . Cen, Gersh9n' Mott, and. offering
s ~ SwSro 10 nm: '9id! I have no further use
there on that field " w. "'
A short time before that CHI ,rge Gen. Mott
go e hell Il I order il 10Y Was The answer.
Ing column was fixed by Gen, Mott. The point
70 DO attacked was a famous salient named for
Us n eas' aeGn t ! So late Gen. Golqq,,t Of q H;i 7 on
sttsrw.rt stood. The ground up to that point
and failures to take II H,r Sgi'i hi ii and the salient
o %Sss m SS%' With " Zen Ri. Mott @Sols sh Sivi sissrnGSSS Mott 70 p aTs
tested against it, telling his superior, Gen.
hirney; who Commanded Tho Second Corps. that
slaughter at Cold Harbor. my orders TO you
are 70 assault was Birney's curt reply.
Moi s siR:''n n En ,h,' , to me; H wss i Useless S"sj 10 Se on:
poet suicide en- n.asse from my old troops, who
had seen the wolf, had felt his teeth, and bore
artillery regiment. the First Maine, Innocent OF
the danger Y would incur, would lead OF With q
was my duty to take care that old. steady regi.
ments we're on hand ready TO support, press, and
tRo sS1S y hope anf from aay tSe woods wo Of tR Rs P snS sse5sH'
But the order 10 Oh ,rge came from higher
sulhority than Gen. Birnoy. learned this
time Adlutant-G General Of the second Army
Corps, He said that the order came from Gen:
the Second Corps. and added, that Gen.
Meade received information that the Confeter-
ate works At Colquitt,s salient were very thinly
wrote AN order Tor tho charge. and. said Gen.
Walker, while he was writing the order Confed-
making them so strong that no opposing force
could have gone through them.
As soon as darkness closed in continued
MAJOR Low-"tt whs about four hours after tho
olt4rge-we turned our attention to the rescue
Of inc wounded and the recovery OF our colors.
night getting or the wounded, anI the enemy's
eharpsho9,ers hired at us continually. About
~ t~s nn rs1 9tnSeds IAN, ana men, Y too too s ssr o I'M injured RED
cellar OF the Hare house, which was standing
at that time. There ] found ono OF my men.
pi,al. and wrote on the roll opposite his name
MORALLY worndel.' This was Corporal vii.
i'n% Ii i, i s iiSsaI. III His T Sody sSs,%p MIN mine ! o exer
ings, made by the cncm''s missiles.
codrer or our battaiICn, was shot uown, Mason
fell with bullets through the head. ohes, and
OF the nine sergeants and corporals. with the
oolors, He lay whore he fell until he was found
s %ss se s,mf ln thu The n iisla f by G tSs e SG%plinss S wao
clasped about the flagstaff. AS no was supposed
then. but the next night, whom we tried to re.
s s,sspDss sna o Ny b .ns r bodies; Mason e"nso,d had
ness and crnwled off the field during
the day. and at night some Of the men took him
into the cellar OF The Hare House. where l found
him. He. OF course. did not return to duty, and
never knew tho particulars OF his rescue until
twenty six years afterwart. when ] explained
posed that he was UNCONSCIOUS only a short inc
and that ne was brought on The Held tue after.
t tnes same Ef Inc hour Ga ONE N WI Istes, 1t happened about
We could do nothing for our wounded in tho
daytime. At about IL o'clock on the second
night l heard a Confederate officer ask our men.
who were looking about among the dead for
wounded comrades. hat are you doing thorcr
the inquiry. and still our men made no spsWer.
yog two minutes TO got on the leld, and at the
>hs -, VS." go" op'h az ihtg U q
"A member Of the ilIln New York Regiment
the men while looking over the rarapets Of Inc
redouht, built on the si;e Of tho Hare House,
saw one OF our wounded me" lying on The field.
and beCkoning for some one to come to his re-
lief. Two strstcher bearers from the Nth vol
unteered to 10 and bring him In. They were
and then both were shot down. Five months
after The charge | looked over the parapets OF
Fort Stedman u the risk OF my life. and saw ali
three bO.leS with tho 0treirleF living neai6e
charge was made all covered with the blue Jack.
cts OF our men, ana they we're not buried until
aftor March 25, 1865, when the Confelerates
Sh tTsed from Colauitt's salient across to Fort
slaughter upon that very ground. There was a
truce th"n 10 gather the dead OF both sides from
between the lines. and tho Held was ut last
The First Maine fought as infantry until the
end Of the war, Our total loss Of 1888 men
the 800 men We took 70 the front from Wash
lnRtou. We lost 423 ofic RS aud men killed In
battle and 25s from other causes. making q
death loss in the line OF duty OF 6sl men. Over
90 per cent. of our casualties in battle occurred
In the two engagements OF MAy 10 and June IS.
days intervening wo had occasional skirnishes
with the enemy, and our total loss lor the month
could DO mustered for battle in three infantry
Regiments as they averaged at that period.
IL passed through both of those great charges
with barely a scratch. only 10 be wounded in a
little sklrmish at DeAtonsvlile. near Appomat-
toE, -''st two, days before Lees surrender"
Major 10 Sc original company was tho elite
band or this marvellous regiment. IT, loss in
Killed In ,btt,le reached forty.nine in u total
roster, inclAding hon-oombatants OF 1893 officers
and men. This was "a per cent; the average
In the regiment was 1879 per cent.
Among the 200 veterans of the regiment pres-
emf to-day at Blcksport only sixty were sur
Vlrors or the Petersburg charge. Thirty OF them
carry scars from that battle. Major Frci G.
Low wss the highest officer present. Col. Char
IN was Killed In battle about two months after
Inc memorable charge.
Inc co,or bearer, Mason. IL now living at
Shhrieston. about twenty miles up the valley
from this point. He was physically unable TO
travel TO bucksport and meet his comrades, but
a large number OF veterans went out OF their
way 70 call upon him. He gave the reporter his
nrst interview for the press. He said:
! was hit by seven bullets on June 10. The
most serious wound was in the head. tho next in
the chest, and the neSt in tho left thigh. Tho
mead wound doubtless made me unconscious. All
the wounds were received about tho same time. l
was taken from the Hare House cellar during
Ihe hlght OF June 10, so my Captain, now Major
Low, teils me, and We carried to City Point In
an army baggage wagon. There were four OF us
In the wagon. and II was driven with the mules
on the jump all the way. At City Point at
sooMa 70 a. N. on tho Goth my wounds were
oressou Tor the first time."
AIonQlLa U..al GAu G..x.