The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-05-26

N. J he loss of the CarOlnianS was
next to the highest suffered in south
ern regiment and that of the Penn
sylvanians next TO the highest among
northern regiments.
In WarreuS fight mt North Anna the
famous "Mink's battery" performed
one of its many gallant exploits. When
Browns Caroiiniaus struck the right
flank of Warren's line and sent it back
in confusion Mink's pieces were NOV
ing to position on a knoll behind the
Federal troops, facing the attack The
Confederate line arose from behind a
ridge, fired one volley and then charg-
ed. Mink's stirring cry, Forward in
TO battery was quickly responded to,
but the guns could not fire ut the men
in gray without sweeping down the
Federals also
Browns column made a dash for
the bridge behind Mink's guns. Only
two sections of the battery We're ready
for action, those of Bates and Richie.
Bates suggested that the pieces be re-
tired by prOlongs. firing as they re
treated, but Mink told him to hold on
and station three cannoneers to each
of the four pieces. Captain Mink was
disabled at the time by a cracked
| ankle, Renaissance of the enemy's
shrapnel at SpOttsylvania, and could
not dismount so he kept in saddle and
not only directed his battery, but help
ed to rally the retreating infantry be-
| hind his guns.
1T looks tough for Mink" said an
artillery officer, watching the move
ment from the rear. to q comrade be-
side him. But when the guns began
to bark the comrade responded. DO
| you see that and that and that?'
| Mink said afterward, 1T was enough
to warm the cookies of an artillerists
! heart to see the way those twelve
canisters cleared our front
One OF Mink's officers. Augustus c.
! Buell., states in his "Reminiscences of Il
! Cannoneer" that the captains wound
! ed ankle swelled to double the normal
size He couldn't wear a boot and
used an old army shoe sizes too large.
The surgeon repeatedly urged Mink to
have the wound dressed but he sim
| ply answered, Fill my flask with bran
dy, Doc, and I'll take care of the leg
While Grant was making his flank
marches through the wilderness region
toward Richmond feet of Federal
| gunboats on the James river, co-operat-
ing with an army under General Ben
| jamin +. Butler advanced on the Con
! faIa,a 70 ranitol from fha cnl1tl IN,
| May 16 Buffers lines closely invested
Fort Darling, at Drewry's bluff seven
miles below the city. Sheridans caval-
~ corps was also at hand to aid But
Ter, and the Confederates were alarmed
lest these forces combined should force
them to evacuate Richmond. TO meet
the crisis Jefferson Davis ordered an
attack on Buffers line with three di-
visions under General Beauregard.
while another division under General
Whiting would strike in the rear of
Butler and cut his army off from its
base.
BeauregardS column moved to the
attack under cover of q heavy fog at
. o'clock in the morning with the di-
visions of HOke, Ransom and Colquitt
and quickly overpowered Buffers
right flank. Troops were brought over
from the Federal left to succor the
right. but Beauregard forced the fight
ing all along the line. and Butler order
ed retreat. Fortunately for Butler,
General Writings raid on his base
proved failure, for Beauregard fol
lowed the retreat from Fort Darling to
Bermuda Hundred and there securely
bottled up the Army of the James.
1t was really steel thread which
saved Butler that foggy morning at
Fort Darling, netting of telegraph
Wire ingeniously spread to snare the
intrepid Confederates Beauregard
sent forward HOke's division to sur
prise and overpower the Federal right
held by WeitZel's division. In front
| of WeitZel's line forest had been cut.
leaving field of stumps standing a
couple of feet from the ground.
The afternoon preceding Beaure-
CARDS attack Captain David Steele Of
the Second New Hampshire. an old
forty miner fertile in eXpedients. had
the audacity to suggest to army head
quarters that the stump lot might be
converted into a veritable pigeon trap
by stringing among the stumps sew
eral miles of wire found dangling from
the poles along Richmond turnpike
| Permission was granted. and busy
| hands worked all night stringing the
| lire in front of two brigades.
Every inch of the stump lot was
familiar ground to the New Hamp-
shire soldiers, who had trained their
rifles across it for two days Not a
shot was wasted by the men FROM
the Granite State as Hoke's charging
lines emerged from the fog and Stun
bled among the wires.
Three times Hoke's men recoiled and
again surged forward When all was
over the ground was matted with the
forms of Hoke's brave southerners
who went down in the rash attack In
one South Carolina battalion in front
| Of the New Hampshire line the flag
was pierced fifty-seven times, and in