The National tribune., 1900-03-15

Tie morning OF May 4, 1862, was one oi
the few really beautiful mornings we re-
member in April and carly May OF 1867,
and it graduated INTO a dismal, RAINY
evening. Our regiment he'd 1allen IN WIN
arms, lis usual, and gone TO the front pel
fore daylight When it was deNeiopeu
that our friends. the enemy, were eoho
from Yorktown. we returned 10 our camp,
packel up our things and moved the
rebel works.
Dana's Brigade was, I think, the first OF
Dur division TO enter. Inc Second corps,
or at least the Second Division. did not joln
I'm the pursuit. but spent the day, which /
think was Sunday, in the vicinity OF York
town. Many guns were left i'll the. works,
and tents left standing. Thousands OF
huge knives, of rude workmanship, were
picked up, also camp-kettles, "bakeoVeils,
etc.
Early on the morning of the 5th we
shifted our position TO the right and awaited
orders The advance of our forces had
ovcrtaken the enemy, and fighting was
going on. as indicated by the firing. Befcrc
leaving the enemy had placed torpedoes IN
many places. Several of these We're eX3
ploded with serious results, killing ana
Wounding men of various regiments
Late in the afternoon we started to JON
the other two corps, which had prcccdc1
us. in pursuit, and were then cHgagea at
Williamsburg. The result of that night S
m1rcn WAS IHusll ike iIlt cilt tNStlib'i AZ
the nursery rhyme telling of the King and
10000 men," Nevertheless 1t was an
eventful nights march, and, ike the meet
ing of witches on the heath, was in thun-
der, lightning and rain.
The roads were eXecr2ble in the broaGeSt
sense of that comprehensive tcrm ana Iiiie''
with artillery and wagons sunk 10 the
axles in the tenacious ooZ2 of the sacred
soil" The drivers were making vigorous
and noisy efforts to crafty The popular cry
of ION TO Richmond" but with only 4 small
approximation toward success. BY WHIP
ping, spuTirg and energetic swearing
they would force their teams 10 flounc"r
along for a short distance. then the weary.
discouraged horses and mules would rci;!X
their efforts. and the drivers could only
utter muttercd curses between set teeth.
CONTINUOUS MUD BATH.
The infantry being compelled 10 take The
outside of the road, on accounted the wagons
"in it." literally wadei and splaSicd along
among the trees and stumps as best they
could.
With the coming on of night The trains
ceased all efforts to advance, and the team
sters sitting in their saddles or climbing Oh
to their wagons, stated their views OF the
situation in language more expressive
than elegant"
We still continued our march, but the
jokes and songs of the earlier evening had
CeaSeu. ocCaSlOildiiN At NISOiOtlS, man
uttered exclamation ended in Il grun;.
which indicated that the head of some un-
lucky knight of the knapSack" had come
in contact with the care!eSSl .'-carTiel sun
of a comTadc. or that he had coilided with i
tree or tumbled over some obstacle into the
mud.
These, with The tramp and splash of feet
and the rattle of tincups and canteenS. told
where the column was moving in as dense
darkness as ever enyeloped the earth.
About midnig hit there was a halt. Orders
We're received. The march was reversed,
and we wearily remeasured our steps over
through those miry roads. / do not know
how far We went, or if the whole division
or only the First Brigade was engaged in
it, but / remember we were wet, weary and
Disguised when We got back to Yorktown.
UP THE YORK.
The object of our return, as we now
learned, was 10 proceed up the York River
by water. The transports We're not
promptly on hand, and it was late in the
afternoon of the 9Th before We were all
safely on board; then dense fog kept us
waiting till the morning OF the eth, when we
steamed up to West Point, near the mouth
of the Pamunkey River. In the trip up the
river the 1st MINI. was on the steamer Long
Branch. We We're moving in support Of
Gen. W. B. Franklin's command, a portion
of which was already on shore and skir-
mishing when we arrived. The tide was out
and rebel batteries on the shore opened fire
ON the transports as soon as we came within
range.
We went ashore in small boats to the hair