Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1897-12-15
MEMORIES OF THE WAR.
Reminiscent Sketch of the Battle
of Fredericksburg.


Many OF the readers of the PRESS
have but faint recollection OF the
terrible scenes OF carnage during the
battles OF the war. But there are
number of war veterans in this COM
| munity who did valiant service in
many engagements. Among them
is Rev; James Luff barry, pastor OF
st. Johns NJ. E. Church. Mr.. Luff-
barry hands to the PRESS reminis-
| cent sketch of the great battle OF
Fredericksburg, recalled by the anni-
versary of that terrible engagement
which took place ON December 18th.
1t will doubtless be read with in
| terest.
While sitting thinking how the
years are speeding by, my mind
went back to December 18th, 1862,
when the great battle OF Fredricks-
burg was fought under Gen. Burn
side; just thinking of the great loss
OF life then, and the blessings the
Nation enjoys to-day. See how God
has shaped the destiny of this
great Nation. How many changes
have come in the past thirty years.
especially in my own life. Then
boy of eighteen years trying to
destroy mems bodies; now endeav-
Oring to save souls for Gods king
dom.
submit you a small sketch of the
part taken by our brigade, the
First Brigade, Third Division, Fifth
Corps, consisting offour Pennsyl-
vania regiments. We were ordered
in on the right OF the road that ran
out OF the center of the town and
ordered to lie down in the mud. We
had Just drawn some new clothes
and were OF course particular at first,
but when the rebels opened fire Of
heavy guns it was lay down or be kill
ed, for there was one shell that came
in our company killing and wound
ing seven men. There was battery
that Joined us lost fifty men and
most OF their horses. They called
on our Colonel for help. We had an
officer who had been in the battery
and he and some others volunteered
to go to the battery.
Then we were moved to the left of
the field where the desperate charges
were made, on that stone wall on
the heights back of the town. There
had been different charges made
that day and just as the sun was
setting our division, under Gen.
Humphries, moved forward and as
we moved forward we passed over
Gen. Hancock's g division that had
carried much of the field by their
charge, and we went within forty
yards of the wall, the distance be-
tween the PRESS office and the Bap-
tist Church.
We left dead and dying 556 men
out OF our brigade and our ColOnel's
horse received five wounds and fell
with it's rider wounded, but they
both came off the field. We were
then moved into the town and lay
on the reserve until the fifteenth,
when we were moved down by the
railroad to cover the retreat of the
army that night. On the morning
of the sixteenth we came through
the town and as the rear of our COM
pany got on the pOntoon bridge they
began to tear it up, but we left a
captain and twenty-five men out of
Company Z of our regiment on the
picket line. Eleven OF them went to
Richmond as prisoners and the cap
tain and Others, with one rebel who
pilOted them down to the river, and
one OF the men, swan the river.
They had to roll him in blankets and
two citizens rowed a pontoon over
the river and got the captain and
his men at eleven O'Clock IN the day.
If any OF the readers of the PRESS
was in that awful fight at the
heights of Fredericksburg, let us hear
from them.
REV. JAS. LUFFBARRY,
Co. a., 91st Reg, Pa.