The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-01-15
FIGHTING THEM Over.
What the Veterans Have to Say
About Their Campaigns.
GILBERr's FORD.
Damage inflicted by q Defective shell-A
Journey to Harper's Ferry in . Farm Wagon.


EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: On the
evening of Sept. IL, 1864, the Orderly
Sergeant of my company thrust his head
into the tent where my bunky and l were
sleeping, and said: "Be ready to move at
4 o'clock in the morning in light march
ing order. Leave tents standing"
Sheridan's little army was holding the
Bcrryville line, about eight miles from
Opequon Creek. and Early the 'late Mr..
Early" as he was nfterward designated,
held the eastern bank. The Second Di-
vision of the Sixth Corps had been or
dered to make n reconnaissance to deter
mine whether Early still held the ground.
AS the column, accompanied by some
cavalry, and n section of Cowan,s Bat
terry, approached the stream the Sd and
4th VT. were ordered forward as Skin
mishers, and the division went forward
in line of battle. The skirmishers of the
| enemy were pushed across the creek,
whittier our skirmishers followed. The
division was halted in small piece of
woods, from which n gentle rise of ground
in front assembled quarter of mile to
low ridge. The ground from the ridge
descended to the creek about the same
distance from the ridge. Here directly in
our front the section of the battery was
posted and when the skirmishers became
hotly engaged, few shells quieted things
down for few minutes. This had been
going on for three or four hours. The
men had their dinner, and We're amusing
| themselves in various ways, some by play
ing cards on their gum blankets, and
| some in other ways. A group was d.
| rectly in front of the line of stacked
| Springfields of mE company when shells
| from the rebel line began Tying over the
| division, some of them crashing into the
| trees, creating confusion among the horses.
one of which had his lower jaw carried
| away, and the animal. frantic from pain
and fright, was plunging around among
the men, until the shots from revolver
put an end to his career.
When the first shell was fired the or
| der was given to take arms" and / had
| reached my place in the line and was
waiting for the rest of the company.
when a shell cut off tile top of tree a
couple of hundred yards to the front,
plunged down, burying itself in the ground
not more than two yards from where !
stood. 1t was afterward dug out ut a
depth of 16 inches. It failed to explode.
Now, on a rubber blanket two or three
yards in front of the line of stacked arms
referred to, men had been playing cards
| for hours, the men relieving each other
| as they became tired of the game. AT
the instant of the Smelling the men began
to arise from the ground and as this par
ticular shell fell Lient. B,dell, of "a
Company. was hurrying past to reach his
company. Hiram Smith, of my company
afterward First Deputy Commissioner of
Pensions under Tanner, was one of the
boys on the gum blanket. and was rising
from the ground as Bedell was passing
The shell took leg from the Lieutenant
above the knee and crushed the bones of
his right hand; took a leg and an arm
from Smith, and. as stated. did not ex-
plode. Smith afterward graduated at
Middleburg College. VT. moved to Mis-.
souri,, where he was elected Judge, and
died few years ago at Cameron, Mo.
| have letter from Bedell, received a
couple of years ago. He was then liv.
ing in his Vermont home, and had moi
forgotten the fellows who deprived him
of his limbs.
He lay disabled Mt farm house after
the army marched and fought its way uI
the Valley and was finally hauled to Har
ner's Ferry in the bottom of wago1
and covered with straw. in order to. elud'
MOsby's gang. which infested thai
region in the rear of the Union army
CHAs. PORTER, Co. e, 18th VT.