The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-04-11

% o. 10, 1864, by the
First Maine
Heavy artillery. The numbers actually
engaged in them We're about the same,
the odds in both cases terribly against
the assailants and the losses about equal.
Both were useless, inexcusable slaugh-
tiers, of which it could we'll be said that
such is not war, but murder. The only
relieving feature, and one common to
both affairs, lies in the glorious courage
displayed by the men. They faced death
CALAMITY, and those who came out from
the jaws of death chung to their colors
until victory at last crowned our arms.
This is the story Of Colonel Lee, who
was twice wounded that day:
con July 5, 1868, just after the
Union army had captured Vicksburg,
with its $4,000 prisoners and all the
paraphernalia of the forts, with the
thousands of small arms, General W. T.
Sherman was ordered by General Grant
to proceed to Jackson, Miss, and drive
the Confederate army under General
Joseph E. Johnston from jackson and
the Mississippi valley. He took with
him about $4,000 men. Among that
number were Humans Fourth division
of the Thirteenth Army corps, COM
manded by General E. o. @. Ord. The
Union troops closed in on the city and
drove the Confederate army back into
their heavy breastworks. The city was
invested from Pearl river on the north
to the Mississippi Central railroad on
the south. On Saturday the Fourth di-
vision came up and was ordered to take
up position on the south, and Sunday
morning was sent across the railroad,
and Colonel Isaac G. Pugh's brigade,
composed of the Twenty eighth Illinois,
Forty first Illinois, Fifty third Illinois
and Third Iowa infantry, was selected
to fill up the gap between the railroad
and the Pearl river and to drive the en-
envy into their works. There was no
thought on the part of General Sherman
that there would be an assault made on
the enemy's works, for he says he was
four miles away on the Clinton road at
the time of that charge and knew moth
ing of it. We had been maneuvering all
morning in the timber, driving the Con-
federates back and slowly advancing
until we had them into their works and
had gone to the edge of the timber that
lay along the open field in front of their
works Colonel Pugh saw that to adj
vance farther meant an assault or sure
death in the open field. He ordered the
men to lie down, which was done, to
protect themselves from the shells of the
enemy, which were flying over our
heads in a lively manner. Just then an
orderly rode up to General Lauman and
handed him an order, which he read
and Immediately ordered Colonel Pugh
| forward.
Scarcely had the order been given
until the remnant of these four old regi-
ments, about 900 men in all, moved for
ward with terrific cheer that made the
very earth almost tremble. Forward
they go, right into the very jaws of
death, for they are facing the famous
New Orleans Light artillery, one of the
finest batteries in the war; also Me-
bane's Tennessee battery and Cobb's
Kentucky battery and General Breckin-
ridges division of veteran Confederates,
behind impregnable breastworks.
son goes the charging column; but,
see, they are falling like wheat before
the SICKLE The batteries are using dou-
BILE charges of grape and canister on
them and the very air is filed with lead
en- hail. A section of the Fifth Ohio
battery follows up the charge as far as
it dares to go, and see those gallant
boysl Every horse is killed and almost
every man who belonged to the battery
has gone down in the struggle to help
out the infantry. Colonel Pugh, as soon
as he could make his voice heard above
the din of battle, gave the order for the
recall. But it was too late, for many q
brave boy had gone down that day to
rise no more. Oh, the carnage Of that
mistakel Out Of those 900 who went
into this charge history gives the figures
that 645 were killed and wounded.
There We're few made prisoners Of war
who had charged over the enemy's
works.
IuIItuOdo VI DOJ LII D1uO WCAO oAOOP-
ing their last sleep on that fated field.
The colors We're the special targets for
the enemy's artillery. The blue field flag
of the Forty first Illinois had two of the
color bearers wounded and four killed.
The last one to hold this flag was Ser
geant Samuel B. Hall of Company F,
now living at Ashmead, Neb. He was
wounded twice. The last time he was
shot he fell near the rebel works and
two big Johnnies took his flag from
him. They took it to General Beaure-
CARDS headquarters, whence it was sent
to Richmond as a trophy of war and re-
manned there until the close of the war,
when the flags were taken to Washing
ton, and this flag was returned to e. 7.
Lee by the secretary of war, March "a,
1880.
SIT is now in Memorial hall at the