The National tribune., 1897-01-21
WAS IN THE FRONT LINE.
A nth N. T. Man Tells what His Regimen,
Did at Cedar Creek.

L
Creek from different regiments and batteries,
and someone to find fault with the statements
of the writers, thought / would give short
account of the services of the nth N. Y. In
that action.
Our regiment is not classed as a fighting
regiment by Col. Fox, though it was sent in
to the charge at Antietam, down at the Dunk
ard Church, and when Gen. Smith saw where
we had gone, said: There is regiment
gone to -" but he was mistaken, although
we found it pretty hot, and losing SO men In
! short order
On the 10th of May, 1864, it was one of the
16 regiments selected from the Sixth
Corps to make the charge under Gen. Upton
| that the Cannoneer" speaks so highly OF in
his book. With the 49th N. Y. it formed the
point of the wedge that broke the lines IN
front OF Petersburg in 1865, and was IN the
Army of the Potomac and the Sixth Corps
frem the time of their organization until they
were disbanded.
On The morning of the battle of Cedar Creek
| we We're awakened by firing on the picket
line IN front of our corps. Soon we heard
firing on our left, in the direction ofthe Eighth
and Nineteenth Corps. AS the sounds IN
creased the regiment was formed In line and
| waited for orders, realizing that there was
more than picket skirmish.
We were ordered over ON to the Winchester
pike, forming the extreme left of the infantry
Of the Second Division. We first formed IN
line south of Meadow Brook, and then moved
back across the brook and up hill and over
the crest and Law down. / was ordered on
the skirmish-line with part of two companies,
large part of our regiment being on picket
the night before and not joining us until
about noon. While on the skirmish-llne l
saw the enemy forming line at the brook
where we first formed.
went back to the regiment and informed
Col French, and suggested that If we gave
them volley when they rose the crest OF the
hill and then charged them we could drive
them like sheep.
COL French sent word to some Of the COM
manders of the other regiments that the
enemy were ready to charge. AS soon as
they came over the hill we gave them volley
| and went for them. They did not stand on
the order of their going.
They made three different attacks on us
with like results Afterwards, when we
followed them up the Valley, we found Rich
| mond papers giving an account of the battle.
They said everything was going in their
| favor until they struck the Sixth Corps be-
hind breastworks, and could not drive them.
| All the works we had were the hill! and our
own breasts After they had tried three
times to drive us they opened on us with
artillery, and for awhile they shelled US
severely.
| It was at this time that Gen. Bidwell, Of
| our brigade, was killed, and Capt. Orr, OF our
regiment, on his staff, lost an arm. We staid
| there quite awhile waiting for another attack,
and then were ordered to fall back to keep
| up connection with the rest of the army.
There was no pressure on us from their irl-
| fantry, and only an occasional shell came
| over when we fell back, and our lines were as
straight as when on parade. We were halted
and then were moved back towards the
enemy several rods and threw up few rails
as a sort of breastwork. We remained there
until we started and drove them back across
| Col French, of our regiment, took COM
| mand of the brigade after Gen. Bidwell was
killed. The left of our regiment rested on
| the pike.
When Gen. Sheridan arrived on the field,
| ours was the first regiment he struck in the
| front line ready for service. He made some
inquiries of Col. French, and then rode up
the line between the skirmish-line and line-of-
/ battle Very soon after he went up the line
word came down to make coffee. As we had
left our camps before breakfast this was en-
enlargement, for we felt we had brought the
rebs to stopping place. We knew we were
all right, but did not know how things were on
| the right.
After awhile word came from Gen. Sheridan
that we should attack at p. m. and sleep in
our old camps, which was fulfilled as far as
our regiment was concerned, save those that
were wounded or had entered upon their long
sleep.
| I see that John Brogan, list L. l., in the
issue of Dec. 10, says his regiment was the
left of the infantry Of the Sixth Corps that
day. / don't see how that could be, as he
| belonged to the First Division, and never
heard it claimed before that any other than
| the Second Division was on the left of the
| corps. If he had been at the extreme left Of
| the infantry, think he could have seen some
cavalry, for they were just across the pike
| from our regiment, and were as cool as if
formed for parade.
/, for one, don't think Marshal Ney ever
led better cavalry than Merritt and Custer
| had up the Valley. I think no private or
| line officer had much chance to see anything
occurred in their own immediate front, for
the dense fog was no particular aid to any
ones visisn.
/ do claim that the Second Division, or
that part of it to which was attached, were
net driven one foot, and that we could have
| held our position if everything had been safe
on the right Gen. Getty was confident that
he could hold the line held by the Sixth
Corps against any attack from the front.
believe at the time of Gen. Sheridan's
arrival on the field the army had fallen back
as far as it would have gone, and that Gen.
Wright did as well as any General could
under the circumstances Until about the
time Of Gen. Sheridan's arrival the fog was SO
thick nothing could be learned, except by
reports from officers, and Gen. Wright GER
tainly got the Sixth Corps in the right posi-
ton to stop the enemy, and from that position
driving them back across the river.-C. E.
STEVENS, Captain. nth N. Y, Westport,
N. Y.
THE CHARGE AT HELENA.