Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1900-08-24
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TOUCHES OF BATTLE.
Men Who Laughed when Bullets Hit
Them-The Work of Tor
pcdo-A Fly Crawl.

|
Capt. Ruthven w. Houghton, 523
West Fourteenth avenue, has just re-
ceived pension of $40 per month for
services valiartly performed. He is a
| striking old gentleman of about 60,
! of massive frame, and clear, youth
full face, and to an admiring youth
full friend who congratulated him on
his good fortune he drifted back i'm
mediately into "reminiscences of the
war, which he told with an inimitable
grace and humor, says the Denver
Post.
Capt. Houghton was brought up in
Haverhill. Mass, and enlisted with the
Third New Hampshire as first SER
geant of company on July 27. 1861,
and served with the Army of the South
under Sherman till October, 1864, when
sickness forced him to leave the serv
ice. In the action at Seccessionville,
5. C., on June IL, 1862, many of the
officers of the regiment were killed,
and Mr.. Houghton was promoted to
second lieutenant. He fought at Port
Royal in 1861, and at Bermuda Hun
dred, Drury's Bluff, and Deep Run in
Virginia in 1864, but the engagement
he loves to tell about was the series
of battles beginning at Morris island
on July 10, 1868, and ending with the
assault of Fort Wagner on Septem-
ber of the same year.
'We were under fire every day for
these two months, you understand"
ha nnt !, e
modesty began to battle with his rec
objections, you don't want me to tell
you about this. There are plenty of
other people. Did | see Col. Shaw, of
the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, killed?
Yes. | did. There was n fine officer,
now. And let me tell you. too, those
colored troops of his were about as
fine fellows as there were in the
army. l remember that charge as if
it were only yesterday.
1--WE lay there on the sand hills in
our intrenchments all day." he con-
tinued, as his face lit up with a smile
of humor and recollection. 1--WE had
been under fire from Forts Wagner,
Moultrie, Sumpter and countless bat
teries hidden in the sand. Out in the
harbor whole line of federal mon
itors and gunboats had been batter
ing away at the secesh all day, but
they were in sand batteries, and the
shots didn't do much harm.
Just at sunset-it was the 18th of
July, if | remember rightly-Gen.
Strong rode up, and, passing between
the platoons said quietly: Boys,
want you to take that fort, and
don't want you to fire shot. Use
your bayonets.' And we didn't. We
marched up to within 20 yards of the
fort, under a perfect rain of shot. AL
vim Libbey our adjutant general, rode
directly up to the breastworks and
was shot in two by grapeshot, and
pulled into the fort.
whole companies were cut to
pieces. especially among Shaw's col
ored troops, who never fiinched. But
we couldn't get any further. Strong
ordered Col jackson to take his men
back to the intrenchments. just as
he gave the order a round shot took
away the breast of Col. Jackson's coat,
and at the same time Gen. Strong put
his hand to his leg. Are you hit?'
asked Jackson. Not much, l guess
laughed Strong.
Il was standing close at the time,
and you can't imagine the strangeness
of hearing two men laughing about
being hit with all that racket around
them. Most of the events of battle
one doesn't remember, but that is as
clear a picture to me as the noun