The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-09-19


and read it was one of the sublimes
spectacles of all military history, reflect
ing eoual credit on the troops who made
the charge and on those who resisted 1t
but there was another episode of the Wal
of the rebellion of which | have hearC
little and read less, an episode the recort
of which seems TO be like the short ant
simple annals of the poor" while deserv
ing all the publicity and all the applause
given the heroes of Piclietts charge witt
the additional glory Of having been eX
hibited in good cause. | allude to the
charge of the Pennsylvania Reserves Al
Fredericksburg, Va, on Dec. IL. 1867.
1t is not my purpose TO give history
of the Fredericksburg battle nor to crit
else that wonderful campaIgn-prncipally
wonderful because ineXplicable-but l
purposc telling, from the standpoint of a
private soldier, what L saw "a part OF
which | was) on that awful day, as 1
remember it.
We. the Pennsylvania Reserves, left our
camp at BrookS's Station, near Aqua
Greek. on the night of Dec. 10, and with
the usual toll and WEAKNESS incident 10
a night march. arrived at Stafford flights,
opposite Fredericksburg, about O'Clock
on the morning of the 18th, and descend
ing thence to the river opposite the Bar
nard House, at what afterwards became
"Franklins Crossing" went into blvouac
about o'clock a. NJ, our advance beng
thrown forward and kept on duty pro
tecting the pentoniers, who were building
a bridge across the Rappahannock. About
daylight of the 11th our batteries on Star
ford Nights, said to number 100 guns,
opened on the city of Fredericksburg
playing over US who were on the river
bank. possibly $50 feet below them. The
sudden opening of this fearful cannonade
awoke us all. but being excessively weary
from our night march we simply turned
over under our blankets and went to sleep
again. For myself / can say truthfully
that | never slept more soundly or rested
more comfortably than during the hYe or
six hours between the time OF our ARRIVAL
and the breakfast hour, nor did L ever
better enjoy a meal than our coffee, ba-
con and bareback that morning, notwlth-
standing the awful racket kept up by the
artillery and with the conviction that we
were likely at any moment to be called
into action.
Before breakfast was over bridge
builders were being brought back killed
or wounded by sharpshooters across the
river, who had discovered their where
abouts and interrupted their work.
ACROSS THE RAPPAHANNoCK.
We lay here till Friday morning, the
18th when. the bridge being completed,
we crossed to the south side of the river
at almost the GAdGl SpOl hhSiG Oh SAS
10th of June previous we had embarked
TO reinforce the Army of the Potomac
on the Peninsula, before Richmond.
Having been captured at Gaines's Mill
and after exchange sent on detached duty
to Craney Island, at the mouth Of Eliza
beth River, rejOined the regiment ON NOV.
10 at Rappahannock Station, l was I'M
familiar with the organization of the dl-
vision at Fredericksburg, but 1 remember
that Gen. Meade was in command, aud
that our brigade, the Third, was under
the command of Gen. C. Feger jackson,
formerly Colonel of the 9th Reg't.
After crossing the river we marched
down it's right bank toward the Massa-
ponax River and went into blvouac for
the night, forming the extreme right of
that part of the army on the south side.
Early next morning, Dec. IL, We were
moved out to the south from the river to-
ward the railroad, and by 10 o'clock were
posted at the extreme left and front OF
the army at 4 point called Hamilton
Crossing" where the wagon road crosses
the Richmond & Fredericksburg Railroad.
We were, | should say, about a quarter
of mile from the railroad, our regiment,
the 18th, of the Reserves, forming the eX-
IRENE left and facing down the river,
thus standing perpendicular to the main
line and forming the angle. In this posi-
ton we lay until after l o'clock p. ILL.,,
teries of Stuart occupying the plateau
on our left toward the Massaponax, as
well as from a battery on our left front
of the hill above the crossing before re-
ferred to.
DEATH OF CAPT. STEWART.
Though but comparatively little harm
was done by this cannonade, yet it was
very annoying, occasionally catching some
unwary or reckless fellow who was neg
lecting the general order to lie down, in
order to conceal our position from the
enemy as much as possible. One of the
victims of the disobedience Of this order
was Capt Stewart, of Co. d, of our reg
iment, as fne-looking man as one would
meet in a days travel. Large, pOrtly
and dignifed, he stood at the head of his
company observing the artillery practice
Of the enemy, manifesting as little ex-
citement as an ordinary man would show
while watching a simple exhibition of
Fourth-of-July fireworks. The guns Of
the enemy, though in plain sight, both
on the hill and plateau, were perhaps
three-quarters of a mile away, and the
diagonal track Of their shots could be
traced in the air, leaving trail much
like the tail of a comet.
Standing up, the Captain could see the
discharge Of a gun quite an appreciate
time before the shot arrived, and by the
appearance of the fame at the lannon's
mouth give pretty fair guess as to where
the shot was likely TO strike. The enemy's
gunners were getting quite uncomfortably
well assured as to our position, and the
Captain himself was dead give-away."
One man in Co. A had already been
killed, while shot and shell were falling
In dangerous proximity to US, usually in
our rear. At each discharge Of a gun of
the enemy the Captain would call out,
Lie low, boys; another shot coming"
or something of similar import.
l was near the left of our company (C)
and so near the right of Co. ID, not more
than three files from the Captain, at the
head Of his company. OF sudden l no
ticed him make movement as If TO
dodge ball as we used to do at school,
but the movement was too late; a solid
shot struck him in the breast and he fell
70 his right and rear over my feet. Corpn
Heckert, OF Co. c, was the first to move
to his relief. The Captain recognized him.
calling him Nike but that was all /
heard him say. | think he was dead in
less than half a minute after he was
struck. This was merely an incident-a
single episode in one Of the greatest trag-
sdies ever enacted.
CHARGE OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RESERVES
Very shortly after this our regiment
was moved forward into line with the
rest Of the division, facing Hamilton's
Crossing and the nights extending north
ward, the crest Of which bristled with
earthworks covering, presumably, heavy
force Of infantry; and our batteries hay-
Ing temporarily quoted those of the en-
emy Immediately in our left he