The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-21

is amazing that we were not all cut to
pieces, for the balls passed between
our very legs. Three of us stuck to the
Colonel, but finding it impossible to
succeed in carrying him off, and his
leg being very painful, we stopped, af-
ter having carried him about quar-
ter of a mile, and laid him down in a
sort of gulley, hoping thus to be pro-
tected from random shots. His head
was on my arm; Heidi, of our COM
pany, and Banon, of the Rome Light
Guard, were the two men who were
with me- The Colonel entreated them to
leave him and try to rejoin the regi-
ment and save their lives. q had told
him | would remain with him), but
they refused to go. 1 firmly believe, if
found, that we would be bayonetted.
We had one gun; the enemy about 60
yards off-three regiments distinctly
seen. 1 told the Colonel 1 would load. it.
and fight it out, that we might as well
kill as many as possible. Do not con-
slider this as any bravery on my part,
the veriest coward would have done
the same thing, believing, as I did.
that he must be killed. The Colonel
said, "No, it we keep quiet We might
not be observed" The enemy, in the
meantime, coming on in line of battle,
one regiment came within twenty feet
of us; one man raised his rifle and took
aim al us, and I raised a white hand
kerchief on the ramrod, and told them,
1--WE surrender" The officers then
came up. | asked permission to take
the Colonel down the hill to a spring.
where we could get water. They said
Certainly" We did so, and several
physicians came up They all treated
us honorably and as prisoners of war.
Never was / more surprised, the ply
sicians examined the Coloners leg, had
litter brought for him, gave us wa
ter, and in all respects treated us with
every kindness. Several of our wounded
were lying around, and all of them re-
ceived the same kind attentions. They
asked us If we did not know how ut
terly useless it was to attempt to re-
sist; that they could sweep us all
away-that they had fifty thousand
men as reinforcement. AT that time
they felt confident of a glorious VIC
tory. While here, the balls and shot
from our batteries tore away the limbs
of trees all around US. With the assist
ance of one of their men, we got the
Colonel to their hospital-an old farm
house-a quarter of a mile distant
We laid him under a tree in the
shade. Their wounded were being
brought in in large numbers-the whole
yard was strewn with them, lying all
about in the shade. This old farm
ters as we'll as hospital, and we had
not been there more than a half hour
before they began to prepare for a re-
treat, and then enSued a scene of the
widest confusion. But we had time to
observe that their men are far better
equipped, in all respects, for cam
paign than ours. The wounded, believ-
ing they would surely be killed, beg
ged earnestly not to be left. They or
20 N1If al 1a1 hoo
and carry him with them, but he told
them he would rather that they should
shoot him there, than move him again,
and tried to persuade them to leave
their wounded, with their physicians to
attend them, pleding his word that IL
they would raise a yellow flag not a
shot would be fired in that direction,
and that their wounded should receive |
every attention. but their confusion |
was too great to admit of their listen |
ing to reason. At length, however, the |
Colonel persuaded them to leave some
of their wounded, as well as ours, and |
six of their men to attend them, pledg |
ing himself that they should not be |
considered nor treated as prisoners, nor |
would ours; and that their men
should be returned as soon as possible. |
TO this they consented.
Our batteries were now beginning to
open on the house. Col. G. ordered a
white flag of some sort to be raised. !
Our handkerchiefs were all too bloody |
or soiled, so I took off a part of an
under garment and tied it to bed
stead post, and ran up stairs, but |
found no possible way of getting on the |
house, and stuck it out of one of the !
windows I could distinctly see our
battery-the balls came nearer. 1 ex-
pected momently to see the old house |
knocked down. The balls continued to |
whiz. l went down into the yard, and |
was convinced that they did not see |
the flag. l jerked off my blue shirt, |
tied my under shirt to a pole and |
climbed the chimney to an clubhouse. |
1t was very broad, and from our bat |
teries looked like an embankment. |
Heidi was standing near the foot of
the chimney. had nothing on but my |
pants; while trying to fasten up the !
pole our batteries must have taken me !
for one of the enenlv attempting to |
mt a battery. The first thing 1
knew I heard ball coming. 1t could |
not have passed more than three feet |
above melt whizzed through the trees
beyond. | was rather scared. l then |
rut up another flag out in the field, !
which as soon as they observed they !
ceased firing at the house.
The rest of the day 1 was busy un-
ceasingly in giving water to the |
wounded and trying TO Tx up their
wounds the best way l could. There |
was no physician there-all had gone
when the enemy fled. My hand was in
blood all day; nothing but blood. |
About every half hour 1 would go |
round the yard, give each of them
drink of water-so grateful, poor fell
lows! On one of my rounds / found
that two or three had died while l was
away. They were shot in every con-
ceivable place.
towards night we procured an am
hulance and brought Col. Gardner here,
where he has a tent, and l am nursing
him He is noble man-oears IL SO
v,eu-as cool as a cucumber. He sent
me down to the battle field this morn
ing on business. I did not get back un-
m two hours ago. it is now half-past
tw Give. l sit up with him till one, when
Frank, the negro man, VIII take MS
turn. | saw Bob he is quite well. !
w. 4notr 10 men into the fight 1.-THE -.