The National tribune., 1902-08-07

regiment WIS Ut tHdt tiue OH uuty
at Rocky Run, seven miles north of New
Berne, and as Terry's army marched by
our camp without inviting Us to join
them we felt slighted; but when they had
been gone three days courier came into
camp after dark with orders for me to
come at once with three days cooked ra-
tions. We had been through many bat
ties, and my whole available force was
less than 200 men.
l sent my wife and little three-year-old
Ida down to New Berne in charge of our
Quartermaster, and hurried to the front,
not knowing if We would ever meet on
earth again.
When now look back to those times l
wonder how it was possible for either Of
us to part with so little ado, and l know
that the courage and devotion of the wom-
en- of the war was not exceeded by that
of the men.
l reported to Gen. Terry after dark on
the second day, and was Immediately Or
dered to the front to support the picket
line of the 18th Conn. We were sta
toned two miles in advance of the head
of the main column and three-quarters OIL
mile or so in rear of the picket line. L
had but 176 men with muskets, five or
six drummers, Surgeon, no Lieutenant
Colonel or Major.
The 18th Conn. was about 500 strong,
having just been filled up with conscripts
and substitutes. Two of them deserted
in the night and went into kinston and
told Gen. Hoke how we were situated,
and he sent out his whole division to sur
round and cut us OFT.
There We're fully 1900 of the Confed-
crates, and we had known for two or
three hours that we were being hanked,
but l said, Boys, we shall fight them,
hoping to hold them in check until we
could get help, as our main force was
only two miles or less away, and knew
our danger; for an Aid had been up early
in the morning and told that we were be-
ing f1anked, and why help was not sent 1
do not know.
While we lay in line of battle, expect
ing them in from the west, where we had
a picket out, an old man in citizens dress
came in on that road and said: "Colonel,
you are being hanked, and you may ex-
pect them right in there any minute,
pointing to the south.
l Immediately changed front, and cut
off the right company to deploy as skir-
mishers. The ground was rising little
for the first 100 yards, and then went
down into long, deep hollow. As they
were going out over the hill, saw that
they were deploying too much to the
right, and i ran to the brow Of the hill
and called to them, and said, "Deploy
more to the left" and swung my arm in
that direction, and my eye naturally fol-
lowed the motion, and saw away In the
hollow a large body of Confederates; the
woods were full of them"
SURROUNDED BY THE ENEMY.
The Captain of the skirmishers did not
understand what l said, but his eye fol-
lowed the motion of my hand, and he
h., fnla nnf hny
to be told to rally on the reserve.
l made good time getting back to my
men, and told them that the COnfederates
were coming, but not to fire until l gave
the order, which would be when l could
see them down to the hips. They soon be-
gan to show, and they were swinging out
around us, forming twO-thirds of a circle,
so that the shots came in on both our
fianks as well as all points between. l
told the men that would face them about
and march out of that circle and then 60
at them again. q never made move on
drill nor in battle without first telling my
men what l was going to dol 1t is easy
enough to march soldiers up into q fire,
but to face them about and march them
away from a shower of bullets is the
most trying position; the inclination is TO
run; but my men were all veterans, and
marched in quick time 200 or 800 yards,
and faced about and went at them.
The enemy kept pressing on and swing
ing around US, and we made that move
ment twice more; the last time we came
upon half the 18th Conn.,, lying down
behind a low rail fence, in a small space
where there had once been house. My
men jumped the fence and faced about
and went to work again. l tried to bring
into action the 18th Ghere were about 400
Of them, and some of the old hands did
get UP and go to. firing with my men; but
soon the enemy came through the low,
thick pines on our right, not more than
20 yards from US; the 18th broke and ran,
and my men were SO mixed with them
that / lost control of them, and in half a
minute l was in that little clearing
alone.
/ knew, of course, that / would soon
be a prisoner, and was walking slowly,
with riy arms folded and head down, feel
ing that We had been sacrificed, when my
whole left side seemed paralyzed, and l
fell.
WOUNDED AND A PRISONER.
The men ran to what in their excite
ment they thought was our rear, but it
was right into the enemy's lines, and were
all taken prisoners.
/ had not lain there half-minute when
Joseph w. Holmes, my Adjutant (and as
brave a soldier as ever ived), came to
me. He had been out trying to stop the
men, and had come back to see what had
become of me just in time to see me fall.
/ could not tell him where was hit, but
he soon found the wound by the blood
pouring out of my bootleg, for the main
artery which goes down between the bones
was broken, and l was bleeding to death.
He had got off my boot and was just put
ting his handkerchief around it when the
first reb came up. He snatched the hand
kerchief. in spite of Joe's protest, and put
1t in his pocket 1 then gave Joe mine,
and he finally stopped the blood.
In the meantime the reb pulled off my
other boot and robbed US both of our
money and everything we had except my
watch and chain, which had hidden as
soon as l fell. BY this time the rebel
troops came streaming over the milldam
In great numbers, and our folks were COM
ing up from the other way, and a line of
battle was forming en- both sides of US,
when a fne-looking rebel officer stopped
and asked Joe who l was. He told him,
and that he was my Adjutant, and asked
permission to stay with me, instead of be-
ing sent off with the other prisoners. The
officer said: Yes; and if anyone wants
to take you away, tell them that Gen.
Hoke said you could stay"
/ lay there from IL a. m. until dark.
The rebel stretcher-bearers had been go
Ing back and forth, carrying off their
wounded all that time.
Joe stayed by me, bathing my wound
and begging them to take me next; but
they would not take "Yank" until they
had got all their own.