The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-26
HOW HE SAVED THE GUNS
James w. Webb's Gallant Deed at the
Second Battle of Bull Run.
Brooklyn Eagle.


| had received from Secretary of War Alger,
letter stating that to Captain Webb by
order of the President, had been given a
| congressional medal of honor, for gallantry
in action. The service which Captain Webb
| performed. and which has been rewarded
with this high honor, was rendered at the
second Bull Run, Aug. 30, 1862. In this battle
Captain Webb, then a private. voluntarily
carried to the commandant of battery in
formation of the approach of a rebel coll
umn, by means of which information the
commandant was enabled to retire his guns.
and thus save them from capture. While
performing this meritorious service Captain
| Webb was severely wounded, but declined to
go to the rear, and insisted upon staying
with his command until after the battle of
| Antietam.
After the receipt of this letter by Captain
| Webb, an Eagle reporter called upon the
latter and asked him to narrate the story of
| his adventure. The captain consented and
| gave as much of the details of the battle,
and his part in it, as he could remember.
1T was Aug. 80, 1862 said Captain Webb.
| Il was a private in the Fifth New York
Volunteers, Duryea's Zouaves, of the Third
Brigade. Second Division. Fifth Army Corps.
| My company was f. The Second Division
| "SS AAANSA OSllCA oil OyhSS, anu (tIl. ~.
Warren commanded the brigade. Captain
Hagar was my captain.
1.-The whole thing occurred near a little
patch of woods south of the Warrenton
turnpike and west of Young's branch, on
( the field of the first Bull Run We went in
on the S0th with the Tenth New York Our
first position was with the Tenth on our
| left, the line being diagonally across the
branch and pointing at angle toward the
turnpike. While we lay there we got the
| order to make coffee. SO all along the line
| the boys got out their pals and went to
| work. Everything was quiet The first thing
we knew was when Reynolds division
| came out of the timber ahead of u.s. You
see, this timber that l spoke OF before was
III front Oh us Wen, Reynolds men came
| out OF it in retreat. They came down on our
! lett crossed the branch and passed our
| rear on the way to the turnpike. OF course,
we knew something was up. We got all
| ready for the order, which was sure to
come. warren rides up, gives a look around
and then goes over to REYNOLDS and saws.
mere an enemy on our 'front.' Then he
| comes back. He rode along the line and we
| all watched him. Pretty soon Attention.
| line.
: Don't throw away your Coffee he said,
and then aame the order
!" Forward, guide centerp
80 off we went across the branch, carry
| ing our kettles We passed across the open
| space toward the woods When we had
made about half the distance we got the
command, Right half wheel into line That
threw us into our second position and we
st tEgPe about ten PAGES from the woods.
we We're green troops then and naturally
wanted to know what was up The bows
looked around pretty carefully but we
couldn't see anything. The captain was a
little ways ahead and we just kept keyed up
for what was going to happen.
The Tenth was still on our left, of course.
Colonel Bendix of the Tenth detailed six
| companies to deploy to the front as Skin
mlshers. Before the companies moved away
Col. John W. Marshall, who, by the way is
living in New York now, rode up and saws /:
( III command those Skirmishers.' So with
him in command they went into the woods
| everything was just as quiet as it could be.
You wouldn't have thought there was an
| enemy in the country. But in a few minutes
| they came tumbling back out of the woods,
| heller SHELTER They had found Hood and
Evans's men of Longstreet's corps in there
and had to retreat. The other fellows were
right behind them, we couldn't fire on
the rebs for fear of shooting our own men,
| So we opened our ranks and let the Skin
mishers through and then closed up We
| tried TO mold our position, but they were too
many for us, and we broke and got back
across the branch any way that we could
| Our line was all gone and we Just retreated
| as quickly as we knew how. We stopped
when we got across the branch and tried to
| reform. We looked around and saw that
| Hoods brigade had stayed in the timber
and that Evanss brigade had come out of
the timber on our left and was about half
way across the open, where they had
| stopped. We, of course, were trying all this
| time to get out of the way of the bullets.
lodging behind trees, lying on the ground
and so on. | was behind tree. Colonel
| Marshall, with what men he could get was
| trying to reform on our left.
/" Rally, boys; stand firm he said; hold
I'VE had an enflading fire from the west
and south, you see so it was a pretty hard
job to stand very firm The boys didn't have
much talking to do, you bet We Were in
squads here and there and of course I had
| been driven back with the rest. Just at this
| time l looked over to the north and saw
HazettS battery, United States, between
| the Warrenton turnpike and the woods fir
| ing west at a patch of woods way off in the
distance. Get the idea? The battery was on
| our right, only a long ways ahead of u.s. 1t
was exposed TO an enfilading fire, just the
| same as we We're, and / could tell that
| Hazett didn't know anything about the
rebs in the woods. Then / looked to the left
| and saw that Evans was getting ready to
charge on it. All this time Hazlett was fir
| ing away as happy could be.
" What's that battery doing in that posi-
| ton there? / yelled; they'll get captured >
| You see was excited. When hollered out
| of course everybody looked.
:" / m going over there to tell EN- said
and started right away. ] could hear lot
| of people behind me all yelling. Don't go.
You'll be shot and so on, but never paid
attention to them.
THAT battery was about eight hundred
| feet away and about twenty feet higher
| than where we were.
$50 1 started. The captain yelled at me,
| Come back, you fool, you'll get killed sure
| but 1 shook him off. You see. / was pos
sessed with the idea. Just at the time I
started there wasn't any firing. 1t had let
up. But l hadn't got ten feet out before If
| began 1 could hear the bullets whistIing ali
| around me. but | stumbled ON. The ground
was powed and hard to run on But I stuck
| to it. AS matter of fact l kept running be-
cause l didn't know what else to do / re-
member thinking that I would like to get
| behind something. Finally I got to the bat
| terry 1 was all tuckered out but [ managed
to say to Hazlett The enemy are on your
| flank and rear
HE looked just once and then shouted at
the top of his voice: Timber up, to the
rear quick gallop,' and away went the
| whole gang, guns and horses, for the turn
| pike. The canoneers ran along behind and 1
ran with them Just we got started for
| the pike bullet struck me in the side and
back. Well it was hard as thunder getting
| back to the pike. l fell down two or three
| times, but I got there finally When 1
reached the turnpike l just dropped down
| in the ditch and lay there. The sides of the
road were full of fellows just like me. After
| little came along looking at the boys.
" What's the matter with your
% I m shot / said.
HE looked me over a minute and then
said, You go to the rear
. I won't go to the rear said. TIL stay
right here And / stayed.
ut was eight miles to Centerville but
with the help of some of the boys l got
there about 10 o'clock that night Every lit
| tie while some fellow would come along
give me look, and then dip his handker-
chief or ZOuave tasSel, or something SUCH
| in water and battle my wound
II didn't go to any hospital and in a few
my command for duty, though | was ex-
cused from drills. I STAYED with the repi-