The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-07-17
OLD FRIENDS MEET.

James Holly Was the Man Behind tn
 Gun-Estory of the Capitol Souveni
 Cannon Wheel.
 An interesting relic of the civil wa
 is the old gun wheel which was par of the First Connecticut Volunteer
 Light battery, commanded by Captain
 Rockwell during the civil war The shattered remnant of once fine guI
 has stodo for years in the hall of tho capitol and has been gazed upon time
 and time again by the ordinary visitol
 and the veteran to whom the shattere ed
 spokes and hub are things to be rev
 erenced
 Yesterday a man looking rugged and
 full of health although well along ir
 life, came to the office of the superin-
 tendent of the capitol, says the Hart
 ford Post, and said that he would like
 to photograph the wheel He explain
 ed that there was not light enough in
 the hall to get a good picture and ask
 ed permission to take the relic outside. The permission was given and a
 number of pictures were taken, some
 of which included the gentleman
 alongside the wheel. Wondering why
 the man took such a peculiar interest
 in the relic, Post reporter stepped up to him and put the question: He look ed up in answer and said:
 ''I was the gunner of that piece when it was disabled It was a the battle of 'Proctor's, and we were certainly hav- ing hot time of it. We thought in those days that if we pumped four shoots at the rebels a minute we were doing mighty we'll but of course that would not count to-day, when they fire DO and 6s rounds a minute"
 The man was James Holly of New Britain, and at first seemed reticent to say word about himself, but at last he said:
 ''On the day previous to the battle in which the gun was disabled we fired 175 shots as fast as we could load the old piece and it wasw arm work. No body in the battery happened to be hit that day on my gun. but on the next morning when we went into ac- tion again we had but fourteen loads left It didn't take us long to use that up, I can tell you, but we got more and started in again. l had for No. a native of Maine Ills name was Jacob Guptell and he was fighter from way back
 You sec" he said, turning to the reporter, Nos and in a battery in those days had to be pretty good men men who could stand up to their work, for it was hard, and the best of them didn't last long without being relieved and Nos. 1 and ? would change places Guptell told me when he went into ac- tion that untll I saw his tongue stick ing out of his mouth that l could know that he was all right and he certainly did swab that gun and ram the charges home for all he was worth. No. 2 man was a Connecticut lad, Ba- con Curtis and after forty-nine rounds had been fred l saw that Guptell was getting tired, so I sang out: Nos. i and change stations
 Tt was done, and just after the fif- tieth shot had been fired I thought the whole world had been struck by light ming Wheel, gun and men all went in. opposite directions but poor Bacon was the only one badly hurt A piece of the iron wire of the wheel struck him in the arm and seemed to wrap itself all around it. His arm was a terrible sight as he was taken from the field and later 1t mad come off. This did not mend the injury, for soon after the operation took place gangrene set in and another operation was necessary and from thfs he died.
 Some how or other said the vet eran. ''I have always had that on my l mind. If had not given that order 1 the thing might not have happened, but I suppose that Guptell would have been the man injured if l had let | things go as they were. But then" he added, probably some one would | have been killed anyway so I should l not dwell upon the remembrance,
 The pictures were taken by a young | man. and he Insisted that MT. Holly | should become part at least in some of | them. To this the veteran demurred, | but at last was persuaded to take his | place beside the wheel, where he had | stood when the sky was hay with 1 smoke and the roar of battle was in his ears. No doubt the picture will be handed down through the generations Q come and will be an heirloom that | will be of great value to MT. Holley's 'amiiy.