The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-06-02

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to be Brigadier-Ge General and
Lieut.. Col. Miles succeeded him
as Colonel of that regiment.
At Fredericksburg, he COM
manded the consolidated Sixty
First and Sixty-Fourth New
York in the brigade commanded
by Caldwell. In this murderous
battle the brigade took in 1887
men and 1914 were killed or
wounded in hopeless effort.
Gen. Walker, in his history of
the Second Corps, says: "yet,
even here, among these forlorn
conditions, one heart there was
as fresh, as buoyant, as that Of
child at play. 1t beats in the
youthful form of Miles, born
soldier, rightlynamed. Mitchell,
of Hancock's staff, directs him
to move toward the position
which the heroic Brooks, with
some of the stoutest souls of the
Fifty-Third Pennsylvania, has
seized and is still holding hard
ly forty yards from the stone
wall, around a little cluster of
stone houses on either side of
the road just AS it is about TO
rise up Marys' Heights. From
this point, whence a biscuit can
be tossed into the sunken road,
Brooks handful of brave men
have maintained an incessant
fusilade upon the enemy to
keep down the fire of their in
fantry and to pick off the gun
ners of the pieces which look
down the road, Miles two reg
iments are on the left of Cald-
wells lines; but without a
tremor they are marched
right oblique, with arms at
right shoulder, the whole
width of the field. They cross
the telegraph road just below
the forks, and come to a front,
their left resting on the road. A
ball strikes Miles in the throat;
but with his hand against the
wound and the blood streaming
out through his fingers, this
prince of fighters dashes back
to Couch, who, close at hand, is
watching with breaking heart
the anninilation of his splendid
corps, and entreats permission
to lead a new charge. But the
situation is hopeless"
On the I'd OF May, at Chan
cellorsville, Hancock's troops
on the left had been all thrown
forward into one line, and COW
cred by skirmishers, three PAGES
apart with reserves, all under
command of Col. Miles of the
Sixty-First New York. Now
occurred the stampede of the
Eleventh Corps on the right,
and desperate attempt
was soon made to drive
in Hancock's skirmish line.
Again and again he advanced
one Confederate Colonel was
killed while literally riding over
the rifle pits OF the skirmish
line-but in vain, the attack
was beaten off and the assail-
ants driven back to cover. The
importance of this stiff holding
of the line at this crisis cannot
be overestimated. Even the line
of battle was never once per-
mitted to be engaged, but Miles
held the enemy off at arms
length till night.
MIR. Swinton, in his history
says: amid much that is das-
tardly at Charlottesville, the
conduct of this young but gal
liant and skillful officer shines
forth with brilliant lustre."
Hancock exclaimed: Capt. Par
ker, ride down and tell Col.
Miles that he is worth his
weight in gold" and Gen.
Couch, turning to the Major
Generals who commanded his
two divisions, said, in his quiet
but emphatic way, II shall not
be surprised to find myself,
some day, serving under that
young man"
And now, on the morning of
May 3. the struggle began again
on the right. hancock, on the
left, strengthened the skirmish
line held by Miles, and in
structs him not to yield an inch,
and well was that trust dis
charged, Again and again did
the enemy send clouds OF skirn-
ishers against our rifle pits and
every time were they driven
back to cover. At last after hav-
ing escaped injury through
nearly four hours of exposure
this heroic young officer was