Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1900-03-02
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HN;SSStGE &.@ H.
A GENERALS PREMoNITIoN.
Forebodings of n Maine officer Before
the Battle of Chance1lorsville
Came True.

Having been greatly interested in the
allusion to Gen. Hiram G. Berry in Gen.
j. +. Rusling's exceedingly valuable
book, "Men and Things i Saw in Civil
War Days." we wrote to Gen. Rushing
that Gen. Berry was the original colonel
of our own regiment, the Fourth
Maine. In personal letter in reply
he gives the particulars concerning the
death of Gen. Berry on the morning
of the third day of the battle of Chan
cellorsville. The letter is of so inter-
esting nature that we take the liberty
to publish portion of it, Gen. Berry
was born at East Thomaston (now
Rockland), Me-, August 27, 1924. In
May, 1861, he was made colonel of the
Fourth Maine regiment. The regiment
started for Washington on the ami
versary of the battle of Bunker Hill,
June II, 1861.
Col. Berry was engaged in the first
battle of Bull Run and the peninsula
campaign. On April 4, 1862, he was
promoted to the rank of brigadier gen
eral, his commission dating in March.
He succeeded Gen. Howard in the COM
mand of the Third brigade of the Third
division of Heintzleman's Third army
corps. He participated in the battles
of Williamsburg and Fair Oaks, was
actively engaged in the seven days
fight, was at Chantilly, and in the sec
ond Bull Run campaign. In January,
1863, he was appointed major general,
his promotion dating from the previous
November. He was placed in COM
mand of the Second division of the
Third army corps. When the Eleventh
corps was stampeded at Chanceiiors-
vile on May 2, 1868, Gen. Berry's di-
vision had prominent part in success
fully opposing the advance of the con-
federates. 1t was in the forest in front
of Berry's position that Stonewall Jack
son fell mortally wounded, probably by
a mistaken volley from n confederate
command, on the evening of the same
day. 1t was on the following morning
that Gen. Berry was killed. We now
quote from Gen. Rusling's letter:
81 am glad TO know you were an old
soldier under Gen. Berry. 1t may in
terest you to know that I was Berry's
division quartermaster in May, 1868,
and further, that when we moved on
Charlottesville Gen. Berry had dis
tinct premonition of his impending
doom. The day before we marched he
was summoned to army headquarters,
and when he returned just in the even
Ing he seemed to me anxious and fore
.boding, and after supper sent for me
ITO come to his quarters. After some
general conversation he told me we
were to move next morning, and would
cross the Rappahannock and attack
Lee, and likely have great battle, and
that he felt he would not survive it.
/ jokSd him about the matter, and told
him all officers and soldiers kind of felt
that way before going into action. but
that most of us survived after all. He
said, yes, he knew that, but had never
felt this way before, though he had
passed through all our battles so far
from Bull Run to Fredericksburg, in
cluding the peninsula campaign, ETC.,
but that now it was borne in upon him
that he would not survive the coming
battle, and that if anything happened
to him, he wished me to recover his
body and send it home to Maine, be
cause he did not want to be buried in
secession soil He gave me some of