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

| to the left of our regiment, to lead the
charge. l admired his pluck. We all es-
teemed him. The charge was made at
dusk. The four lines merged into two be-
fore long. and most of the first and second
| lines ieaped over the breastworks. while
the rest remained on the outside. The fact
was, while we were on n long and continn-
Gus march. the wagon train did not pro-
vide us properly with ammunition, and
quite Il number had but few rounds left.
The condition of the Commanding General
probably had something to do with it. At
any rate, about this time Lieut.. The
odore p Cook of Co. 4, who was Acting
Adjutant Of the regiment, was sent by
Col. T.. &. Marshall, commanding the bri-
gade. to find Gen. Ledie and request am
munition. 1t was here where Capt. Car
| ter, Sd Md. heard some of our boys ask
| for ammunition. as he related some years
ago i'm The National Tribune. Adj't Cook
found Gen. Ledlie lying on the floor Of his
tent. He said to him: General. the
troops have no ammunition: l was sent to
request some ammuniti0n.'' Gen. Ledlie
asked: What troopsT' Cook replied: 1.-THE
troops under your command" whereupOn
Gen. Ledlie said: Let the troops 20 to
=" This has been stated by Lieut..
| Cook himself. / heard him read the state
ment from Il cOmmunica ton that he wrote
TO the Boston Post upon the resignation of
Gen. Ledlie not long after. Lieut.. Cook
| lives at Utica, y. Y, and can substan-
| tiate this.
The rebels. about midnight made a
counter-attack. retOOk their breastworks.
made thousands of prisoners. and with
drew To- an inner line of works which they
built that night. After the battle walked
over the trodden down oatfield and found
Maj. Hedges, dead, lying on his back. with
Il ball through his groin, one in upper por-
ton Of left lung. and one had scraped the
skin off of one finger after he was dead
for no blood could be seen He had Il
stick i'll his hand, but no sword. one leg
stretched, the other drawn up little, and
some one had cut his pocket open and
stolen his money. / quickly called Lieut.
Dunlap. of Co. a. and he came and viewed
the body, too. then went down into the
little rayinc in the rear. where most of the
18th were found. and had the body car.
RED down. 1t was afterwards embalmed
and sent home, where it was buried with
great honors.
We lost some go men, and gained bu,
little, except lengthening our line to and
partly around Petersburg. Two days af
forwards, while eating breakfast, l sat
on the safe side Of small tree, as die
John Pearson. Co. \. n few feet from me
when Il ball entered Pearson's ankle III,
lost his foot and part of the leg by ampu
commanding the company. sent for III,
10 come and make out reports of killet
and such other reports as We're Sorely
Ineeded. When i came / told him / haC
been relieved of that duty. and was doing
duty i'll the ranks, whereupon | walked
away. lie called me back, and told me
that he had wronged me; that he was
sorry; asked me not to leave him i'm the
lnrch just then. Helms had always beer
kind to me. and l took mp my former worl
as Company Clerk. We now lost quite 8
number by sharpshooters and by sickness
The food was inadequate. and much OK
Perimenting was done. One day in ever.
three we were furnished with n COMPOUND
Of dozen sorts Of vegetables to be cooked
us soup. j liked il. and il possibly re
Hcyed from scurvy such as suffered from
that disease. AT one time shoes were is
sued with rubber soles. heavy and clumsy
They were not fayoraby received W.
received soft bread-22 ounces in IL loaf
and you ought TO have heard the boys
shout.
The lines were pushed nearer. bette
works were huit-usnally at night
whereby Lieut.. Tndcrhill lost his life. !
sbarpshcoter seeing the fash Of som,
metal oil him, killed him ut night Gu
company line was rather dangerous. a
the bottom OF sloping hill with IL rail
road track i'll our front both sides Of it
bank being used as !. picket line We los
men every day here. for we were expose
, in everything VIC did. / will not mention
the many escapes | and others had.
, it had not been for few beeches who's
leaves protected us somewhat the enem
could have picked off every man in time.
During July we received whisky rations
n which Were usually made into punch. an
, such men as wanted any could take
! few swallows. Not all used it, A fe,
:, days before the attack on the mined for
July 81. "a. our regiment moved bac
q upon knoll out of reach of the bullet.
! to rest.
2 Two Of our men had comDlaine
l. that they were SICK, but had always bee
4 returned t0 duty by the doctor-not d.
I Mullen. Lieut.. Helms wrote n sharp not
r threatening 10 report the doctor if he di
: not send the men to the hospital at once
= especially Valentine Snyder He d,
| tailed me to take the men to hospital.
e passed through brigade headquarters o
! my way. Our Captain, John A. WOOD
: was Assistant Adjutant General and on
: Chief Surgeon, DIR. Mullen, acted rs Brie
t ade Surgeon. Capt. Wood saw us an
e read Lieut. Helms note and called d.
+ Mullen, who examined SNYDER and prS