The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-04-30

kun lIe hight
more in Little Mac" than in any other
General in command of the Army of the
Potomac If the men did not think their
Generals were smart enough to meet the
enemy. their fighting qualities were cor
respondingly weakened. l think every
man was more or less scared going into
action: he simply couldn't help it; the ter
rifying shrek of the cannon balls, the
agonizing sights of the mangled and bleed
ing dead and wounded comrades, and the
knowledge that the enemy is trying to
shoot him all tend to appall any man and
cause the stoutest to quail: but man s
personal pride will cause him to curb his
fears and stay with his companions in the
fight.
There were many soldiers in the SSH
Pa. whom. if they were frightened, did
not show it; still, ] have heard them con-
fess they were as much scared as anyone
else.
As for my own feelings. l can safely
say that l never went into one of the
dozen general engagements that / partici-
pated in but that / wished / We're Il hun
bred miles away; but after being in the
thick of the fray, loading and firing at the
enemy, the sense of personal peril almost
entirely disappeared: the excitement OF
the fight, the shouts and example of com
rades and the desire to do the common foe
as much harm as possible. largely drove
away the sense of fear and caused one to
stay TO the last.
If Gen. G.. X. Warren. commanding the
Fifth Corps. had any fear in his heart he
never showed it. Capt. G. y. Rhoades
who was killed at the head of the SSth in
White Oak Swamp. was one of the BRAY
est of the brave. One Of the best men in
our regiment was Serg't VIM. Montgom.
cry, of Co. 4, and one of IT," coolest was
Capt. Sylvester III. Martin, Of Co. X; but
what is true of these can be also said OF
Henry S. Booz, Adj,t Cyrus S. Detre
Capt. Richard b. Clevinger. James Hague
Joseph Sergeant, Capt f. l.. Gilligan and
scores of others that l could personally
name.
UNDER A HOT FIRE.
| But to 90 on with the fight.
| Soon a Confederate battery with some
white horses in it, said to be the Wash
ington Artillery, galloped into position
near the Chinn Farmhouse and. opening
on us, discharging their shells directly il
our ranks, now wavering in some con
| fusion.
| To make things worse, some cannon OF
our own batteries came swinging in ON
rear. shouting for right of way, but tho
noise Of the firing and yelling of the mel
was so great that none could hear OF
| know what to do. and some Of orr meI
were knocked down and injured by the
| horses, they being as much excited as the
men. In short, there appeared to be NJ
directing minds. and every fellow shouted
and Swore as if he were the General il
command. 1t was an undisciplined mob
not line of soldiers in orderly array, YET
every soldier was courageously doing tn,
best he could under the most disadyan
tageous surroundings.
| 9,
| opinion that if we had been taken up il
good shape. lined up and ordered to Ii,
down and hold the hill. we would hav,
held that position till da~i. in spite of thu
insistcnt attacks of Longstreets legions
Our soldiers stood mp brayey to theil
work. and though | saw many dead an,
wounded lying everywhere and could SCI
the track of the balls as they tore through
the clothing or buried with sickenin:
thud in some unforiunate's body, / saw
no Sinking, no running To the rear.
Presently long lines of Confederate in
fantry. with their red battle flags to tn,
front. deployed and marched straigh
against our position. firing as they came
the little puffs of white smoke markin;
their line as they advanced. | remembe
our cannoneers deliberately sighting thei
pieces. pulling the lanyards and watchiD;
the shot. but the horses attached to tn
ing the guns without ammunition.
OUR LINES WATERING.
Now our lines began to fall back and
remember that | would shoot and thel
fall TO the rear TO load, and by the time
got my charge rammed home / would b
in the front again by the line slowly re
ceding. | looked toward Hartsuffs Brig
ade, on the right, and they were slowl
giving way also. Twenty-Five yards or $
iii their front the colOr-bearer of a Penn
sylvania regiment lay on the ground bu
waving his colors in the face of the ad
vancing foe.
He had been left by the receding line
and disdained to retreat. Ii occurred t
me that the flag would be captured, an,
| resolved to save it. 1t would not d.
for me to run across the front of our line
and l ran to the rear TO get back of tn
flag before l would go for it, but as
was making my way to the rear he got III
and ran back TO the line. and had all tn
glory in saving his own standard withou
hi.