Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-04-25

Il
| going to charge the rebel works in our
front Addressing Col. Oscar +. Har-
mon, Of the One Hundred and Twenty
| fifth Illinois, he said: You will COM
mand the first line.' To Col. Fahne-
stock he said, You will lead the second
/ line, and when you carry the works
shove down the boys on the rebels,
and deploy your regiment to the left
and occupy the works.
Addressing Col. G. J. Dilworth, Of
the Eighty-fifth Illinois, McCook said,
You will lead the skirmish line with
| your regiment He directed Capt.
Snodgrass, of the Twenty-second In
diana, to lead the third line and Col.
Clancy, Of the Fifty-second Ohio, to
lead the fourth line, the lines to follow
each other at intervals of ten PAGES.
| Col. Fahnestock returned to his regi-
ment, called the officers together, gave
them instructions, ordered the men to
load at will, and not to fire gun until
we reached the enemy's works. We
were then lying down in the order as
signed, waiting for the signal gun.
while waiting, Col. Fahnestock went
| to little cluster of bushes where Col
| Harmon and Capt Fellows were sit
| ting, In front of the One Hundred and
| Twenty-fifth Illinois. The three knelt
or sat down facing each other to en-
gage In conversation. Col. FahnestocR
loosened his guerilla whistle and tore
up his letters. Col. Harmon asked him
| whether he thought we would carly
| the works. Fahnestock replied he
thought not; that we had waited too
long; that we had too far to run, but
he declared If we failed to carry the
works, he would surrender before the
men should return over the open field
across which we would have to charge.
Col. Harmon agreed with him as to
surrender, but said he thought we
could carry the works. Col. Fahne-
stock replied that he had been sick all
was in terrible battle, but got out
safe. Col. Harmon said that he had
had a dream in which he was fighting
| copperheads in the North that he then
became engaged in big battle, but
did not know how 1t terminated. Capt.
Fellows had dreamed that his left foot
had been cut off with cannon ball.
He brought his hand down across his
left leg to show where, just as the sig
nal gun was fired at half past a. m.
All the officers ran to their COM
mands, and the brigade moved for
ward. When we reached the enemy's
main line we encountered CALLING fire
and an obstruction of cheveaux de frise
and abatis wired together and staked
or anchored in the ground In front Of a
ditch. We were compelled to break
through these Instructions after we
had made Il run Of nearly a quarter Of
a mile. Col. Don McCook fell, MORALLY
wounded Col Harmon took command
Of the brigade, and was instantly kill
ed, mimic ball going through his
heart. Capt. Fellows, another one of
the dreamers, rushed forward, shout
ing, Come on, boys, we'll take and
fell dead q few feet from the ditch.
Col. Fahnestock ordered a second
charge, but we failed to carry the
works, fell back twenty-seven PAGES,
separated into four lines, threw UP
breastworks, and held our position.
"Fahnestock came out as he dreamed
he would. Harmon did not dream that
he was to be killed, and Fellows did
not dream that he was to be killed, but
both were shot dead. So, after all, the
facts were not greatly in favor Of be-
lief in dreams, but officers and men of
that brigade who knew of the CONVEX
and Fellows just before the charge was
made accepted all that happened as
sustaining belief In Dreams"
Belief In dreams or premonition had
very little to do with the actualities OF
battle said the Major. "One of the
best men In our company at Stone
River dreamed on the night of Dec. 80,
1862, that he would be killed in battle
the next day. He was sick all that
night, and took his place in line the
next morning with two blankets worn
shawl fashion about his shoulders. He
shook like man with the ague. but
he would not leave the ranks, even
when the surgeon peremptorily ordered
him to the rear.
HE told me privately of his dream,
and said that he was not going to evade
the issue. He admitted that he was
very sick. but he was going to remain
In the fight and he was going to meet
his death In the spirit OF the warning
that he believed had been given him in
q dream. He listened to Gen. Rose
crans' order of battle with kindling
eyes. Hewent forward in the charge
with the blankets tapping about him
and yelling like an Indian. He came
out of the battle without scratch,
but was In hospital three or four weeks
with fever. He recovered from that,