The National tribune., 1902-06-12

ut Sucn close range at Tue oOtn Just De-
yond.
But during this time the Goth had
stood to their place without finch or
break, and were pouritxsilto them volley
after volley with the most deadly effect.
Being on foot and in the ranks of the
men, l walked the entire length of our
line, encouraging our soldiers. On my
return from the extreme right of our line,
or across the roadway, where Co. A stood.
amazement at seeing one of its men
standing upright, the butt of his gun rest
ing upon the ground and thus utterly
oblivious to surroundings. / said, why,
what are you doing?" Still looking down
at the dead and wounded lying around.
he answered: See, they have killed my
brother"
the enemy. they have killed your brother;
load and shoot them" Raising his head.
instantly he was himself again, and at it
he went. loading and firing. He passed
safely through that fight. but l seldom
saw him afterward without thinking of
the time when l aroused him from daze,
| while standing on our firing line at the
battle of Port Republic.
In The midst of this uproar, and in such
a carnival of death in accordance with
Col. Candy's order, the shout was raised
on our front Charge, Charger and
away our line went with bayonets fixed,
right into and amidst the enemy ana
among that mass of dead horses. and the
guns We're ours again. as the enemy did
not wait to cross bayOnets with our men,
but without further struggle they fed,
taking shelter behind the spur of the
ridge whence they came.
l was among the first to reach our
guns. One Confederate. however. stood
his ground at their farthcrmost advance
amidst our dead and wounded artillery
men and ConfederateS, as these were
strcwn over that limited space, where our
guns were crowded. AT my demand he
surrendered, throwing down his gun. |
turned him over for keeping to some sol
der, directing that he be reported to an
officer in the rear, and back they went
1t so occurred that some time after this
us | was approaching Harper's Ferry on
the Il. d O. II. r., where my regiment
WAS then stationed, my attention was
drawn to the behavior of a man in sol
dier's blouse, who seemed to have an
moved the few citizens seated about him.
few OF whom were ladies. AS l was
the only officer in that car | went over
and took a seat behind him. touching him
with my hand. and pointing to my Shout
der-straps. He recognized me an Off
Ger mt once by salute. showing that he
had been a soldier and under discipline,
and said: Colonel | may be little
noisy, but | do not intend to hurt any
one" / said that he had annoyed the
ladies and that he must be more quiet.
| then inquired as to what command he
belonged. He said that he did not be-
long to any; that he had been a rebel:
was taken prisoner at the battle of Port
Republic. but had taken the oath of
allegiance to our Government. had been
released, and here he WIS. / told him
that we took very few prisoners at Port
Republic; that the other side were in that
business. We'll" he said;t.I was taken
there" that he surrendered among the
guns which the Louisiana Brigade Ito
which he then belongedk had captured, but
which were retaken. l said that the only
prisoner that | knew of taken there sur
rendered to me. Then he answered: 81
am the man who surrendered there, and
you are the officer who took me. You
turned me over to n soldier to be taken
to the rear; he turned me oyer to another
and kept on being turned oyer from one to
another, until landed in Fort Delaware.
where, after stay, l took the oath of ale
glance, and am now, he7 said, going
down to join your gunboats, and help
take Vicksburg." as he claimed to have
been once badly treated there. having
been shut up in lookup for merely get
ting drunk, and now he intended to get
even by helping TO knock that place to
pieces. 1t is needless to say that he was
from old Ireland, and if he could not fight
on one side, why, he would on the other.
and he was then making for that other
side, thus giving us one sailor the more
and the Confederates one soldier the less;
and in either service | have no doubt
that he was a good one. As we reached
Harper's Ferry we parted on our way.
. AS | have stated, a number of our artil-
lerymen returned to their guns when we
retook that battery; these men righted
up one Of these guns that had been over
turned by the enemy and gave the, re-
treating foe parting shot.
EFFECTIVE WORK OF THE GOTH OHIO.
Gen. Taylor had not obtained those
guns without earning them, as in their
defense the G6th Ohio put up one of the
most effective and heroic struggles on
record; and at this point it may not be
improper to compare this assault of Gen.
Dick Taylor for the capture of these seven
Union guns on the extreme left of our
line of battle, with the struggle at Palo
Alto and Resaca, two of the earlier bat
ties between this country and Mexico, and
when the father of Gen. Dick Taylor
known as Rough-and- Ready, commanded
the United States forces, and the result
Of those victories gained him national
reputation and helped materially in max
ing him President of this Republic.
The strength of the forces under these
respective commanders, father and son,
were about the same in numbers, although
the one commanded an army and the
other brigade; the former being pitted
against an army, but the latter was OPP
posed but by q single reg iment. | speak
of q single regiment, as, owing to the
suddenness of the assault on those guns,
and its complete success, the artillerymen
manning the same We're unable to make
but little resistance, or to punish the
enemy, and the defense had to be made
by the 66th Ohio, after those guns had
been captured and the artllerymen killed,
wounded. or driven away
In Gen. Dick Taylor's book, entitled
Reconstruction and Destruction" pub
lished soon after our civil war, and in
which he pays the highest tribute to the
defenders of that battery, have read
his report of the capture of those guns
and in which he tells of the charges and
counter-charges, as these guns were won,
lost, and then gained again, but he
speaks OF those defenders as q brigade,
and in numbers as the equal to his own
command, when, as matter of fact, the
only support those guns had was the Goth
Ohio, numbering about 600 men for ac-
ton, and these men under such trying
circumstances, retoOk those guns from
Taylor's Brigade of four regiments and
Wheats Battalion of so-calied Tigers, and
held the same until ordered to retreat
That dafauSa of those oupc xvoS not mo 10