The National tribune., 1902-08-07
INSIDE THE CONFEDERATE LINES.
Perilous Picket Duty Performed by the Penn
sylvsria Reserves at Gainess Mill.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The
seven days fight began right in front of
our camp, the Reserves being on the hill
Just above Mechanicsville. We supported
our batteries, they doing most of the FIR
ing, while l and some others carried am
munition; they seemed to be shOrt-handed.
Next day we moved over to Gaines's Mill,
and here we used our muskets for the first
time, going i'll to relieve Regular infan-
try regiment about an hour after our ar
rival.
Late in the afternoon we were relieved;
then sent down the road toward the
ChickahOminy to form a line and stop
stragglers, and were doing this when the
Irish Brigade came up, and passing us,
went i'll and finished the battle of Gaines 5
Mill.
We remained there until everything
that was going to use this road to retreat
had passed; then we, too, marched down
to the bridge. l have always been under
the impression that this was Bottoms
Bridge, but may be wrong. Five min
utes after we had crossed only the string
ers were left for stragglers to cross on,
the planks being taken up and carried
over to our side, lest the COnfederates
use them. We camped near the bridge
until next day about noon, then starting
again soon passed what had been a large
Comnnssary, but it was all in flames now;
large pile of cracker boxes was burn
ing, and an officer stood near with his
detail, who were knocking i'll the heads
of whisky barrels.
We tried to get some of the whisky,
but the officer would not let us, SO | and
some others filled our canteens from pud-
dies where it ran across the road.
1t was only commissary whisky in the
first place, and its journey across the road
did not improve it, 50 l gave mine away.
Late i'll the afternoon we came in sight
of what was to be the next days battle
ground, and here the division halted while
our company and one other moved down
Il lane that ran back in the direction
whence we had come.
After going mile or more we filed
off to the left across an open field and
found there two brass guns in battery.
A sentry was placed between the guns
and the rest of us lay down just in the
rear of the pieces and were told we could
go to sleep. l obeyed orders and went to
sleep, but about midnight was awakened
by the sentry challenging and one of our
guns being pulled off moment later.
We jumped up just as the officer in
command of the battery, or section,
rather, called out, STEADY, number two;
don't fire; number one, load"
We could not hear anything move in
our front, and it was too dark to see any
lulHS, So one VI OuT IeW
men, moved off to the front and in short
time came back. He could find nothing, he
said, SO we lay down again and slept until
daylight, when we wakened to find the
guns limbered up, and soon they left at
gallOp, going up the lane that we had
come down the night before, while we fol-
lowed first at a dOuble-quick then after
time at walk; but the guns kept up
the gallop.
When we reached the head of the lane
We found our whole division there in
camp with our three batteries, and these
guns joined one of the batteries-Easton's
Battery, | think. We had Easton's and
Tansom's Regular Batteries and another,
the 1st Pa, our own artillery regiment.
l walked over to these guns and asked
what they had fired at the night before
AT nothing, l guess" they told me.
"Your sentry gave the alarm.''
do you know where you were last
night" one asked.
mo: where were weW
"Inside the rebel lines; did you not see
that brigade coming across the bottom
just as we left?"
II did not, and have been wondering
ever since what all that hurry was about
"Well, had we stayed there five min
utes longer you would have known all
about it. We did not get out moment
too sOOn."
'"They could not have wanted us bad"
I said. "a brigade ought not to have had
any trouble in taking two guns and two