The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-02-04

White House Landing passed this church,
which stood near small walnut grove.
l have since wondered if this was what
officially was afterward called Bethesda
Church. After packed my knapsac.s and
had it on my back l started to cross
little road which came straight from the
enemy's line through our breastworks,
eastward, and curving southwark led to-
wards this church. The Adjutant saw me
and warned me to keep out of the road,
as the enemy might see us move. 1 hnr-
ried to my company, and we 1Olowed inns
road until it left the woods. These WOODS
were skirted by breastworks facing TO-
wards the church, and perhaps half OF
three-quarters of mile from IT, OUTSIDE
of these breastworks was level meadow.
where we stacked arms, and waited until
all the corps wagon train passed. Hardy
had they passed on, about IL oc:ock,
when we heard shot, then three or four
then a dozen behind us. We realized lhat
the enemy followed us, and was c-0Se. w e
ran for the stacked arms. each grabbed
the first musket he could lay hands on, and
with one impulse made an irregular leIt
wbeel-both sides racing for that breast
work. Our side beat by eight or I'D rods,
and You may believe there was work Oh
hand for three or four hours: we hghtlns
the rebs from behind trees. TN our levi
was n small log house, and from near this
n rebel battery tried to throw shells along
our flank; but that part of the line guard
ed that battery so wei from harming us.
that their men and horses were shot, or
fled to a place of safety. 1t was here mt
tie Jake Thomas lost his leg-a bullet
shattered the bone above the knee. VIII
liam H. Marquet and / helped him to
field hospital When it got dark. we were
withdrawn to a line near the church. On
our right sharp rolling musket fire was
kept up by the other divisions of the
Ninth Corps. We were rear guard at this
time. The next morning we had two lines
of works near the church, with artillery.
the first line of which and the 9Th Me.
battery we supported. The 14Oth y. Y.
from the Fifth Corps,
JUMPED OVER Us
charge of the contested works of the even
ing before. Before this charge both lines
Of artillery shelled those woods. and
while this Smelling was going on, shell
in the second line in rear of us, exploded
rs soon as it left the gun. One of the
little iron balls came into our company.
passed over my hat. and struck Private
Lyman Muns0n in the forehead, and he
died without a move except a tremble of
the eyeldS. We were ordered to keep
down, and had my head near his knees;
he was leaning. sitting, against the
breastworks Another. George Ravens,
was struck by spent ball from the front
I'm the heel and with an Ouch he limped
away. while the whole company laughed
at him. In half an hour he came back.
saying: Boys, it did not touch me at all
it just struck between the heel and shoe
That night we moved to Cold HarbOr-
perhaps three or four miles. Here we lost
Lient.-Col. Corning, he having received a
revolver bah in his groin while in his tent,
the ball coming from a weapon of his
which his colored Orderly was cleaning in
the next tent. He never was able to do
duty again. One OF our men. John {.
Hewitt here visited a cOmrade in another
regiment and this man being on picket,
Hewitt went there too with him, and IL
rebel bullet killed him.
ACROSS THE JAMES.
1t was Sunday evening of the 10Th of
June, / think, when we received orders to
prepare our lunch. OF course, we knew
what such orders meant, and we were
barely done eating when the order came to
pack up. We moved al dusk, first making
great fires for which we had liberal sup
ply Of brush. We moved all night and
when daylight came we saw White House
Landing within two or three miles of us.
We then turned south and kept going
about as long as the boys could stand it;
with few and very short rests. About the
14th we saw the James River. and during
the night the engineers had built IL pom
foon bridge across it. Two OF Uncle Sans
Observation-Disclosures below The
pext morning. the 18th. we crossed the
James, and lay at rest all day while the
artillery and wagon trains crossed Here
Lieuts. Cook and Service. of our company
tAD. with me. climbed into mulberry tree
and RECALLED themselves. When we came
home, about p. M. reprimand awaited
nln sltfusx
William X. Helms, because had been alb
sent without leave. | said nothing. for /
knew somebody who had pick on me-
had found opportunity-very likely the
Orderly Sergeant. That all The men were
scattered about, and that both Liputenants
were with me. did not seem to have any
mitigating weight. i was ordered to pass
the company books and papers over TO the
Orderly Sergeant and do duty i'm the
ranks; TO which | readily agreed. 1t was
no fun to carry some 10 TO - pounds Of
paper, besides your own baggage, as I
had done so far. / was placed on picket
ut once. At midnight we were recalled
and the regiment had already begun the
march To Petersburg.
The next day, June 16 was hot. but
there was no let-up in the march BY
evening II was said that one-third of the
army struggled. l struggled. being nm
able to keep up, shoulders sore, and sore
under the belt with its 40 rounds of am
munitIon. A few thousand of US. by dusk
turned from the road into a nice little
woods 10 the right and bedded ourselves
for the night. About 8 o'clock the Pro-
vost-Guard came along, surrounded the
woods, and shouted as if they intended To
drive cattle. Everybody, of course. got
up. and went 10 the road, where they were
formed into column, guards all around,
and marched for the next battle-ground
had better luck. Accidentally slipping. |
fell on one side under bush and lay still.
as no one noticed me- After the guards
were gone L found quite number who
had eyaded the guards. / followed i'm
the distance until found the Ninth Corps.
about IL or | o'clock, when | lay beside a
wagon train and slept till a. M. At
that time, and only Il few hundred feet
from me, attack was begun upon the
outer forts of Petersburg. defended by
citizens, and few soldiers. They were
soon abandoned, and our army pushed on
ward. l followed as soon as | was able
but had TO cross some fields yet full of
dead end wounded rebel batteries Smelling
this part whenever any one crossed il. By
noon l found the regiment. 1t was form