The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-21
nm MANASSAS BLOODY FIELD.
o,v OF THE BATTLE TOLD BY
STRIVING OGLETHORPE.


the OgIethOrpes' 7s Men Went
TnrouGh the Battle Untouched.
Yesterday recalled to many Savan-
,obians one of the greatest battles of
-. civil War-Manassas-in which
NC of Savannah's bravest and most
liant sons gave their lives for the
S-,,.barn cause. The battle was
<onobt on Sunday, July q, 1861. While
dav is the anniversary of the battle
s.,s+erdav forty-one years ago was a
cad day in many Southern homes,
The Morning News reprints
,.+ter written by one of the survivors
- the Oglethorpe Light Infantry the
dov after the battle:
Manassas Junction, July %, 1861.
NV Dear Mother: Sunday, July 81,
1851 will be a day never to be forgot
4or more glorious victory, more
dacisive one, never occurred on this
Continent. What wailing there will be
throughout the land, the wounded and
tha dead on every side. have seen as
' nm blood and as many awful scenes
as would do for a lifetime. A battle!
how awful
on last Thursday we left our en-
oaronuent near Winchester, and
marched all that day and the succeed
nc night. with the exception of two
hours when we halted to rest. AT 1870
that night we crossed the Shenandoah,
nuIled off our clothes, put them with
our accoutrements on our heads and
shoulders, and forded the river. The
rnost If us had nothing to eat on the
nav before NaStprdaJ NNo " ere
ancamped about eight miles from this
Mace. Yesterday morning, about six
o'clock, We received orders to march;
after having advanced about a mile,
We could hear every now and then, the
rennrt of cannon-We halted, inspect
ed our arms, and loaded our musketS.
Col Gardner said to rs, Men, l am
no public speaker, but recollect to Sus-
tain the honor of the state from which
Won come" We gave him three cheers,
and then continued our march. The
firing became more distinct as we adj
yanced, but it was only a single gun,
and that at intervals of about fifteen
minutes but it was sufficient to show
that the ball had commenced; after a
while, we could see the smoke from the
cannon.
We must have marched about eight
miles up one hill, and down another,
with the sun Intensely hot and plenty
of dust, when we were brought up on
the brow of a hill in a corn field, from
whence we could see the enemy add
vancing in immense numbers.
Then the firing commenced in good
earnest and appeared TO be on every
side A battery began to play on us,
the first shot passing just above our
regiment. You can have no idea, not
the slightest, of what peculiar noise
and at what a distance you can hear
4 ball passing through the air. Sew
eral balls and bombs struck within
few yards of us, tearing up the earth,
and making the dust fly.
Col G.. ordered us 10 lie down fiat
on the ground. I suppose hundred
bombs and balls passed over us, not
more than ten feet above us, and very
often bursting and falling very near
us. One fell in the Macon Guards, the
company Eext to ours, woulrdlng two
of their men. They were the first men
IN our regiment to spill their blood
The balls would tear away the limbs
from apple trees near us, and one
bomb fell and exploded not over fifteen
feet from where several Of the boys
emo myself were lying. 1t threw the
6ust all over me. After we had laid
there about three quarters of an ho1r
q courier came, saying Gen. Bee want
ed regiment to assist him. We were
ordered to rise, and marched down he
tween the fire of both sides, the balls
Whlzztng over us necessarily. It SEEM
ed as though one passed every second.
Sometimes shell woG;d burst in the
air. leaving a little cloud CT white
smoke, which locked beautiful. After
passing the batteries we were laced in
pine grove and small sapl;rgs, and
then commenced The work The enemy
we're not more than Il hHac:tu yardS
i"tm u.s., 9nd nal the advantage in
position, as also house, fence and hay
stack as defences. while we had no
protection, the trees being too small to
prove such. There must have been sew
eral regiments against US, our own be-
ing not six hundred men, but all brave
fellows. At the word fire we rushed to
the edge of the thicket and fired.
took deliberate aim. We then laid
down, loaded and fired. The balls from
The enemy fell like hail around u.s.
tearing the bark from the trees. Our
company and the Rome Light Guards
were exposed to the most CALLING fire;
a great many men were behind US, and
IN hiring l am certain wounded some
OF our men. While loading for my sec
ono discharge, a ball struck me, and
believed myself wounded, but
saw no blood, and con-
unued firing. George Butler, noble
fellow, who was lying by my side
ioadlng his musket, my right arm
toaching him, was shot, he jumped up,
ran to the rear, and died in a few min
Qtes. Bob Baker then ran up, and, as
saw him, q was then on my back
!oadlng) [ said, Hello, old fellow, is
ms you?" He said, Yes, Jim," and
laughed, and was just in the act of
= L. MI