The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-11-20

We Snonlu move 10 the lett ana lace the
enemy by the front 'Sink Instead We
rim of the crater into the Confederate
works, fronting the enemy. by the rear
rank. which movement would have a ten
dency to confuse anything but the best
drilled troops.
The First Brigade of the COlored Divi-
sion, however. was led to the left over the
rim of the crater in the, Opposite direction,
thus separating our Fourth Division into
two parts in the very beginning of the
action; so that therea ftea; the Fourth Di-
vision did not and could not act in unison.
AS we passed over thecrim of the crater
noticed that the crater was full of our
soldiers, and though Grant tells us in his
Memoirs that "Burnside's Corps was not
to stop in the crater at all, but push on
10 the top of the hill" etc, and every
soldier of common sense could see at
glance that the object of the charge must
be to carry the hill behind the crater.
nevertheless Ledlie's Division ran right
into the crater and halted, and right there
the assault failed. Grant should have
withdrawn the corps Immediately OH
learning that the division leading the as
sault had not only halted themselves but
had really blocked the way of the passage
of the divisions to follow; but we were not
recalled. My brigade passed to the right
of the crater and advanced as far as we
could get, on account of the troops in ad-
halted also.
A USELESS SLAUGHTER.
The Confederates soon recovered from
their confusion and concentrated their
batteries upon us, catching US like sheep
i'll a slanghter-pen, for there was the
whole Ninth Corps crowded into a space
where there was barely room for one d.
vision to operate, and there we stood from
D o'clock in the morning, hour after hour,
under plunging fire from the Confeder-
ate guns, until the blistering July sun was
high up in the sky, pouring his scorching
heat upon us, sheltering ourselves as best
we could from the missiles of death, and
becoming every moment more mixed. con-
fused and broken up, without even a
chance to return the fire. Our Generals
had pushed us into this slaughter-pen, and
then deserted us. There was no one pres
ent with authority to lead or to direct.
The highest officer in rank connected with
where within that trap was Capt. Dem
pey, Col. Thomas's Adjutant-General.
The charge having utterly failed to
push beyond the crater, it would have
been wisdom and good generalship to
order withdra wal to our old line. surely
within an hour after the assaulting divi-
sion halted In the crater. but although
Grant and Meade were both on the
ground in person, in rear of the Ninth
Corps, no such order was given. On the
contrary, about o'clock an attempt was
iade to carry the hill in our front by the
Second Brigade of the Fourth Division
alone. and thus accomplish the work that
Grant had assigned to the whole Ninth
e. rps. and that too, after we had wasted
precious hours in inactivity. had friftercJ
away our golden opportunity, and given
Lee ample time to recover from his con-
fusion and dispose his forces to meet and
repel such charge.
l do not know whence this order ema-
mated, for if Gen, Ferrero or our brigade
Col. Thomas We're on the
srcui.d. did not see either of them. Tha
order came to us through Lieut.. Col.
|'ross, who seemed to be in command Of
he 18th regiment of our brigade. and the
highest in rank of any officer that l saw
llorg cur front of the inen chat day, and
re accepted it without question.
HEROIC But USAvAILISG EFFORT.
Col. Bross formed his regiment in lead
If the column as best he could in that
am of mixed soldiers-white and black
ogn1her: and next in the column came the
I'D. He passed along our front. carry
ng his regimental coiors,n notifying the
brigade that he would lead the charge in
'ersOn, and giving the order for MS to
ollow. We did the best we could to
hey that order, although every old SOL |
iier (and the officers of the colored regi- |
nents were nearly all old sOldiers) could |
zee that it was sheer and utter madness, |
md that the effort must fail.
The black boys formed promptly. There
vas no f1inclinO on fhair mort rrh.,, M, J.. |
% the shoulder touch like true soldiers, as |
'eady to face the enemy and meet death |
IN the field as the bravest and best SOL |
Tiers that ever lived; but think for a mo-
nent of forming for an effective charge |
n that death valley, under a murderous |
ire, crowded, literally jammed in with the
'ther troops, confused and broken I'D as |
we We're. There was not one chance in |
!,OOO for success. An absolutely certain |
ieieat, II not annIhllatiOn, awaited us, and |
We knew it.
AS coolly as if ON parade, Col. Bross
shook out the folds of the Stars and
stripes in front of his column, and his
'olce rang out in clarion notes above the
lin and confusion that surrounded us. He
'ald: Boys, l want you to follow this flag.
am gong to lead you to victory. Well |
how the world today that the colored
rOOps are sOldiers!'
wondered at the time If the Colonel |
ealized that he was about to sacrifice his
life for naught and lead his followers to
destruction. o, it was grand truly soul
Inspiring to behold that man, then in the
ull vigOr of young manhood. There. with
lie Old Flag above him, he stood erect and
earless, nerved for the supreme effort, the
onl OF exalted courage, the very persona
ion of the spirit of heroism! While adj
nlred his lofty courage and resolved to fol
ow his lead and do my utmost to make his
stamped upon my brain:
1T is utter madness. That grand man
will throw his life into the breach and
leath and defeat will be our reward"
Then along the column rang the order:
Forward and we moved out slowly; it
vas impossible to gain the speed and mo-
nentum necessary in charge. There
vas an outer rim or earthwork which pro-
ected us somewhat and hid from our view
he hill and ground beyond. Over this
arthwOrk, with coiOrs flying, Col. BrOss
ed his regiment, and the 23d, which occu-
lied the second line, had reached and was
this rim, when Col. Bross and
lis regiment received such concentrated
ire from the Confederate line that they
we're forced back upon us-but the Colonel
md his flag and many of his men never
anne back. Gen. Grant says in his Me-
noirs: 1T was o'clock before Lee got up
from his piglt to join in ex-
'elling our troops" but when we attempt
d to make this charge we found them
here in force. Nlahone's> Division had
'een posted in our front, while we We're
offering in the Confederate works, receiv-
ng blows instead of giving them, and