The National tribune., 1898-07-21
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What the Veterans Have to Say
About Their Campaigns.
n GOOD BATTHLI0N.
The 9th n. Y.'s Service at the Wilderness
Battle.

DattEes
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: May a,
1864, found what was left of the 5th n. Y.
Cav. Tor what was known as the Ira Harris
Guards) at Parker's Store, in the Wilderness.
The 96 battles and skirmishes the regiment
had been engaged in within the last two
years had whitfield us down to about one
good battalion.
We were detached from the Cavalry Corps
| and placed unoer the immediate orders OF
Gen. Meade, to 60 ahead and find out the po-
stion of Gen. Lees forces. Sheridan made
no mistake when he chose Col. Hammond,
with his hardware dealers, for this onerous
duty. We found the Johnnies all right, and
rather sooner than we expected, and such a
reception as they gave us! "Hot" would not
express it.
We dismounted at once and threw up a
barricade of rails, and commenced dealing
out compliments from our Spencers to that
degree that, although our auditors outnum-
bered us 10 to one, we brought them to a
halt, for a parley, in our front. But their
| right and left wings swung around us, and it
soon became difficult to tell from which way
the bullets came thickest.
Col White and several other officers, with
about so of our men, having already been
placed hors-du-combat, we were obliged to
abandon them on the field when we fell back
| to let the dough-boys take whack at the
| enemy We returned to Meade's Head
quarters for orders.
Although the old 5th N. 7. was given
| the honor of opening the battle of the
Wilderness, forming the ring, as it were, for
battle of the giants Grant and Lee J, it
| was still sad day, for we had lost about a
hundred Of our old comrades. The balance of
the day we remained on reserve, listening to
the volleyed thunders Of the combat rolling
out from that dense pine forest
Early the next morning / was sent off
with detail as escort to a Spanish officer
who, with other European officers seemed to
have been sent over by their different Gov
ernments to take notes of how we did our
fighting, and they seemed to be visitors by
courtesy.
was directed by one of Meade's staff to
proceed off to the left, where from some
cleared knolls in an old field a fair panoramic
view could be taken Of our extended lines of
battle, which seemed to be miles in extent.
The battle opened at daybreak, and resem-
bled roar of a tornado, artillery being only
used by the enemy at long range.
On the remains of tumbled-down Vir-
ginia stone chimney our representive of
Spain posted himself with his fieldglass, and
as he ranged it from right to left, taking in
the awful carnage resulting from 300, 900 men
in deadly strife, he broke out with such ex
CARNATIONS as this:
It's one grand sker-mash-one grand
SKIER mash. What Sighting for an idea ~"
His astonishment at such tremendous fight
ing for an idea," as he termed it, was
brought to sudden halt sby a rebel battery
directly in our front, which had been throw
ing shells about the size of teakettles over
among our boys in the woods They had
caught sight Of our gathering Of horses, and
concluded some General was taking in the
battle altogether too leisurely, and solid
shot came sailing along, striking that pile of
old masonry square, and that Don performed
ene Of the neatest acts of somersault ever
saw.
Picking himself hastily up, and scratch
ing the Dirt out of his eyes, with his nose
well-skinned, he mounted, and went away
without waiting for his escort. II that off,
Ger is still doing duty for Spain, he should be
able to inform his brethren that it is
dangerous business to tackle Uncle Sans
boys when they are thoroughly stirred up
D. H. ROBBINS, Co. II, 5th N. Y. Cav, st.
Cloud, MINI.