The National tribune., 1902-02-13
CLOSING SCENES.
The Capture of Eweii's Command, and
the Exlausting March to BurksviIIe
With the Prisoners.

| EDITOR NATIONAL lRIBUNE: The morn
{ ing Of April >, 1860, was ushered in ami
! great joy and excitement. At noon w
: commenced our chase after the rebC
: army retreating from Richmond and Pc
tersburg. We marched through fields
woods and swamps, up hills and down RI
: vines. until on April 6, in the afternoon, w
y received orders to double-quick; for thrc
miles we went on at run over hills, across
= swamps and through brambles. Man,
poor fellows fell by the wayside, unab
4 to keep up. Shortly before we reache,
= the front we passed some dead cavalry
, men. stripped of everything except shir
and drawers. The sight had the effect o
, augmenting our fighting spirit, and it wa
not long until we had all the fighting W,
: We're looking for.
! On reaching point where three bat
terics were unlimbered, we were halted
and every man fell to the ground for
, moments rest. Soon Gen. Sheridan an,
, staff came dashing along, and met Gen
, Wright, our corps commander, and by th'
wave of his hand / could surmise that HI
had the rebels surrounded, but who they
were and how many we were unable tC
3, say; but as Sheridan's whole cavalry
force was held at bay, we knew it was
no small number
The bugle sounded attention" and tho
old Eighth Corps went forward down Z
steep hill and lined up along Il quicksand
swamp. As soon as | put my foot on the
edge of the swamp l knew what it was
and if we all attempted to go over at
once some of us would be submerged
so to be sure it would not be me, / went
! forward, amid Il scattering yollcy of mus
kerry, from one bunch of grass to an
other, and got over dryshod, and lay
down and waited for the rest to follow.
| 1t was lauShable 10 see the boys founder
| ing through the mud and water.
After the line was reformed my Cap
tain ordered me to take five men and go
out on the skirmish line. ! called for five
volunteers, but there were but four came
forward. / then picked one little fellow
that was noted for his cowardice. He
came forward with tears running down
his checks, saying, Il will go, and let
these other fellows know 1 am not
afraid"
| deployed my men, keeping the gun-shy
boy alongside me. There was no rebel
line of skirmiShers; they had fired on us
while crossing the swamp, killing one man
and wounding several others. and then
fallen back to their line of battle, less
than 200 yards in our front.
As soon as we discovered their position
my gun-shy boy fired into their ranks.
l tried to keep him from firing, but there
was too much big game there for him too
hold his FIRE. | was still in easy speaking
distance Of my regiment, and | called ont
that the rebel line of battle was about
2OO yards in front, prone on the ground,
and almost obscured by scrubpine and
other underground.
While the boy was relOading his musket
our whole line advanced. and we fell into
our places and the command went forward
with a yell. The rebels gave us one vol
ley and ran. We drove them out of the
pine thicket into big timber. At the edge
of the big timber my Captain ordered me
30 advance with my skirmishers. | had
advanced about 100 yards when saw the
rebels all going toward our left. | turned
around to call the attention of the other
sklrmisherS to the movements of the reb- |
els, but there was no skirmisher to be
seen.
/ walked back a few steps, wondering
what had become of everybody, when |
chanccd to see my regimental flag down
near the swamp, where we had crossed. |
| then surmised that the movements of
our line had been withdrawn to prevent |
an enflading fire.
| started back to where ] saw our flag. |
When | got into the pines | saw a man |
off to my left whom / took to be one of |
our own men, and called to him to come |
this way, that l believed the rebels were |
trying to flank us on the left. He did |
he raised his gun and said to me, Drop |
that gun, you Yankee -, or I'll blow
your heart out" Had / known who he
was when l first saw him / could have
shot him, or Mt least escaped, but he was
dressed in blue, and l had believed him
one of our own men. As he had the
drop" on me | concluded that the best
thing TO do was to obey orders. He took
my havcrsack, but he didn't get much;
I hoI IN al ,,iaco Of
beef, which he gulped down like hun
cry dog.
After ! had thrown down my gun and
and handed over my haversack
my captor ordered me to double-quick to
the rear. We had gone only a few yards
when our three batteries on the hill opened
up with double canister, and such sight
| never saw before, except at SpOttsyl
vania Courthouse. The first round drove
the rebels back to where we were, and
my captOr ordered me to lie down in a
deep ravine in the old field. This order
obeyed very promptly; we were scarcely
down when the rebels came tumbing in
and filed the ditch, nearly smOthering me.
In u few moments the artillery ceased
firing, and a musketry fire commenced;
The rebels crawled out of the ditch and
moved TO the left, and my captOr under
took to march me to the rear.
then saw sight | will never forget;
men were lying in every direction, heads
shot off and arms and legs scattered and
bleeding.
/ had not long to view this scene of
as | was hustled back into the
big timber ard down into q ravine, where
was n stream of water We stopped to
get drink. A rebel on horseback came
along and snatched a temperance badge
from my coat. / suppose he thought he
lad something valuable, but it was only
cheap, sOft-metal badge, and cost only
p cents. My captor tried to prevent him
aking it, but the cavalryman was too
luick and was off before he could be
cached.
| was soon ordered up through the | |
wood, but we did not so far until we came i,
n sight of n line of skirmishers. Ny
aptor asked me who they were. / said. p,
They are our cavalry skirmishers." He :
made me about-face and took me back to !
he ravine, and while we were there our
infantry line was pushed forward.
| learned afterwards that Gen. Ewell )
ad massed his whole infantry force on =,
ur left, thinking to break through and
make his escape. He had the Stonewall =
acksOn's Corps, but opposing him was n
he old veteran Sixth Corps. Our bat /
cries on the hill above the swamp were q
'laying into them at n fearful rate, and T
o great was the slaughter that Sheridan \
ent word to cease firing, for humanity's +
axe. 1t was not long until the rebels h
anne back like n flock of sheep. They re- h
ormed their line near where | was stand d
ng. and Gen. Ewell said to me, "Yank 7
I