The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-07-28
IT WAS A FEARFUL CHARGE.
The First Maine Heavy Artillery at
Petersburg.
NeUS and Courier.

'o"o "hV SO~f
Living quietly in Charleston, en-
gagged in peaceful avocations and new
er harboring an unkind feeling for tn
people who some years ago gave him
rather warm reception, Private Mar
Gus NJ. Alley, late Of the LIST Main,
heavy artillery, sometimes recount
his experience before Petersburg, al
experience that has not often beer
equalled in the history Of the world
for he vas one Of six men who CAM
out of an engagement, representing
command Of one hundred and three.
Mr.. Alley does not often speak O
the terrible charge of the 1st Main,
artillery, but yesterday, his attention
having been called to a published ar
ticle in regard to some fearful battles
in which the loss Of life had beer
enormous, he was persuaded to tel
from personal experience some Of th'
details Of that frightful slaughter be
fore Petersburg.
IT was twice enlisted during th,
war; said Mr.. Alley; ''frst in tn.
18th Maine Infantry. I am a native
of Eden, Maine. After serving TIVE
years in that regiment I obtained my
discharge and re.enlisted, early il
1868, in the lst Maine artillery. Thi!
command was then in Washington
and had been therefor a year Or more
It was regarded as a sort Of picnic
party, and the regiments stationed
there we're called 'Lincoln's pets.
But some little time after shis Gran
took a hand and moved about twenty
thousand men out to the front. The
1st artillery numbered when we left
Washington 1860 men. My regiment
was a part of Hancock's End corps,
and a finer body Of men never went out
10 meet an enemy.
"The fight that you wish to hear Of.
I suppose, was the charge Of the
LIST artillery upon the earthworks just
outside Of Petersburg, on the 18th Of
June, 1863. Well, the regiment was
ordered to make an attack on that day.
and it was expected that we would
force an opening in the Confederate
line, and that other troops would fol
low us right in and take the fortified.
lions. The regiment was formed in q
depression of ground-I suppose it
was not more than three or four hun
dred yards from the earthworks, but
protected by the conditions Of the
land. The artillery, marching as in
fantry, was drawn up for this charge
in a mass. The twelve batteries were
massed in double rank, with just
marching distance between. [ be-
,Ionged to Battery Il, and our position
was second from the front. It was
just a few minutes before 4o'clocE
when the last preparations were made.
and at 4 came the the order to load,
fix bayonets and charge. AS we were
moving off 1 remember our first ser.
geant said: Boys, put your cartridge
boxes around in front, SO the Rebs
cant hit you below the belt Poor
fellow, he was killed by just such a
wound as he warned us against.
"And then, that charge! Well
you may talk about heroes and allthat
but ! don't believe in it. Lhave beer
there, and believe thatin a fight like
that, where men are dropping around
you, the only thing that keeps yor
from running right off is pride. You
just say to yourself, Now, I won't
run until John Brown does, and that
is sure, and so you stay in. There
was very little bravery in trying tc
stem that tide of lead and fire, an6
the men did not stand it long. W.
went within thirty feet Of the earth
works and one man crossed, and fell
dead on the other side-this [ learned
from Capt. Hanahan, of Charleston
who was present during the engage.
ment, inside the Confederate lines,
We were only seven and q half min.
utes going and returning, but the hell
we passed. through in that short inter
val could never be described in words
There was not a Confederate visible
when we started, but the regiment
had not moved a dozen steps in the
open before the storm of grape and
canister began, supplemented by vol
legs of musketry. The regiment never
foltered, however, until within about
thirty feet Of the breastwork, although
the men were being moved down like
grain before o scythe. The canister
would sweep a whole line, and the
line just back Of it closed up and wen
forward. But human endurance could
not stand this long, and when almost
in reach of the earthworl the tide
turned, and the survivors Of tina
splendid regiment that had gone Out
with "three cheers and a tiger came
back to the Union lines. A Thousand
men had raised their voices in tina
cheer as the order came, forward
double-quick,' and seven minutes la
later seven hundred and ffty-thre'
men lay dead and dying on the field,
MY battery, L, had ordered ration'
the day before the attack, on June
18, and the day afterward the ration'
came for one hundred and three men
A sergeant, a corporal and four pri
Yates was all that was left Of Battery
L, and when we came for the ration
we could not have attempted to carr.
them. OF course, all the batterie
had not Jared as badly as L, but yol
can draw your conclusions from tn
numbers; 1853 from 1000 does no
leave very many, and it is a matter o
record that in six weeks service tn
lst artillery came down from 1850 t.
$50 men.
"Talking about those rations re
minds me that we decided to save tn
ration Of whiskey, anyhow, and a fey
days after that, on the 22ndi it was,
believe, I was captured while with tn
regiment to cut the Weldon Railroad
The Confederates hanked US on tn
left. 1t was Hills division. Sergt
Burlingame and I were among thos
who were captured, and we had 6v
c%antcens CT whiskey with US at tn
time. Our captors took US to som
small island, and that night we had
sort Of consolation celebration, and go
pretty happy with the aid Of the Ii
quor, in spite Of surrounding circum
stances.
CATER that I was sent around t
various prisons. I don't know why
I never could understand it abou
r ;hh, ,r,o, c. muob hoe hoon col