The National tribune., 1898-10-27
BATTLE DAYS OF THE ROUNDHEADS.
The Civil War Experience Of the Famous Tooth Pa Fight
ing Regiment

Confederates brought brass band ano
posted it on their front line of works; we
| had a band on our line. 80 Tor two nouIs
the bands played alternately, the tederais
playing National airs and the Coniederate
Southern airs. The armistIce closed Dy
the two bands joining and playing
| America" and many of the boys joined In
singing the words. The scenes and IN
cidents of that day certainly made a last
| ing impression on all who were theIe-
MORE BATTLING.
| The Roundheads were taken to the eX-
| IRENE left of the line, near the weldon
Railroad and engaged i'll the battles OF
the Weldon Railroad Aug. 19 and =, ana
! on Sept 20 the battle OF Poplar Grove
| Church; Oct 20. Squirrel Hill Road, ana
Oct. 27, Hatcher's Run.
After this we were taken back 10 inc
right of Cemetery Hill and occupied the
| front line of works between Forts Hasheh
and Stcdman. Here we built as comfort
able Winter quarters as possible by uls
ging down below the surface OF the ground
I and keeping the top of our nuts below the
line of works. AS we were constantly
under fire, and at times the artillery
duelS were terrific, not day passed
without someone being killed or wounded
Our hardest work here was picket duty.
The piclsetS were changed IN the evening.
after dark, and they had to go out to the
line in trenches and stay for u hours. At
some places the lines were so close we
could throw a bareback from our pit to a
1ohnny'S.
Sometimes during the day the picketS
would agree to an armIstice for one or two
hours Then we would get up on our
pits and have a social chat. | have seen
two Yanks and two JohnnieS meet in
front of the lines and play "a game of
seven up" but when the time was up
someone would call out Hunt your holes
1t was amusing to sec US get into our
pits. Flick up cur IurS and commence
shooting. In December the JohnnieS were
getting short on ratiGnS, and they were
willing to take chances of meeting US at
night between the lircs to exchange to-
bacco fer coffee ard BAREBACK. we had
strict orders against making this exchange,
but the blue and the gray would meet
almost every night.
Ia this way the boys became acquaint-
cd and in January, 1866. tie ConfederateS,
commenced to desert, and Tic ricketS
were instructed to get as mary to desert
as possible.
COLD KEW YEARS EVE.
l can recall being Oh the pickct-line u
little TO the left OF Fort StedElan New
Years Eve of 1855. This was the coolest
night ever known in Virginia. The
pichets had made great preparations for
shooting the old year out ard the new
year in Capt. Joe G.. Knox, CT Co. Il OF
the Il, undue ads, was officer of the day,
and the detail from Co Il was at the
"bombproof, which was headquarters.
AS the town clock in Petersburg Gem
menced to strike II we commenced firing.
and kept it up for an hour. After that
everything was quiet and we had all we
could Go to keep warm.
We put in the time from day to day with
nothing to break the monotony except
sharpShooting social chats during the
day, and exchanging bareback and coffee
for tobacco at night. In February andu
March we received about 400 recruits in
the Roundheads. They were mostly draft
ed men or substitutes, but we had TO take
them. Some proved TO be good men after
a little training, but they lacked the ex
perience of the old boys.
The next encounter was the battle OF
Fort Stedman the morning of March IS.
The JohnnIeS stole a march on the picket
under pretense of an entire2fegiment de-
sorting, SO captured the picket line and
made a rush for Fort Stednlan and cap
tured the 18th n Y. III. A. without firing
shot. They then turned the artillery on
Fort Haskell, and the first thing the boys
knew they were firing down our line from
the right to the left of the regiment.
The boys were asleep in their hunks at
the first volley, but grabbed guns and
! cartridge-boxes, not even stopping to
dress Some were barefooted; some only
with shirts and pants on, so that the uni
forms were not fully up to the Govern
ment standard, but the fighting qualities
were above par. 81,
The regiment had been practically cut
in two. The right took Shelter in the
rear in some old rife-pitsJ while Cos Is
and G ran into Fort Haskell But the
regiment, the Cd AID. and the 2fst Mass.
soon got together in the rear and formed
line.
A CoUNTER-CHARGE
At the first assault Gen. Mclaughlin,
the brigade commander, was captured
and our Licutenant-C Colonel j. ii. Penti-
cost was mortally wounded This left
Mai. Maxwell of our regiment the rank
ing commander.
Just at daylight Mai Maxwell made an
advance on the fort with his small force of
men, who gave a yell and made q counter
charge, rccapturing the fort with a lot OF
prisoners, and the old Houndheads came
out with five stands of stars and bars to
their credit before breakfast
One incident occurred that was anus
ing just as Charles Oliver, the Color
| Sergeant OF the RounGhcads, entered the
| fort Confederate grabbed the colors car
ricd by Oliver and said Surrender"
| Charley landed knockout blow with his
| fist and at the same time said, The Il
you say" and took the Johnny prisoner
| History does not always give credit to
whom 1t is due. as the credit of the re-
capture Of Fort Stednlan is given to Gen.
| Haytranfts Division of new troops or one
! year men, who arrived on the ground 20
minutes after the capture, and took
charge OF the prisoners.
The loss in this engagement was u
killed and 81 wounded. and few prison