The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-09-08


rolled out with my train, following them
closely into the open prairie, but had not
advanced far when an excited staff officer
came galloping back to me and demanded.
Where the devil are you going with
those teams:''
Trying to keep up with the command"
l replied.
"Why. confound il. don't you know
| that the battle issabont to begin? Wasn't
you ordered TO stay behind the hills
where You were till further orders? Hell'lI
be turned loose here directly! Head 'em
about and get back behind them hills rs
quick as you can send 'em! First thing
you know the rsbs'H be THROWN shells
into your outfit an you'll all be blowed
| into the middle Of next week"
Without stopping TO answer him, !
quickly turned my teams and hurried
them back to n safe place behind the hills
again, where found the regimcntal trains
had remained. Then cautioning the skin
| ners to stay close to their teams, and be
ready to move ut moments notice, Hugh
and struck out into the open ground
following the advancing line of battle, de-
termined to see the fight. -
/ knew that our teams were still in
| range Of the enenly's artillery. but thought
| it was safe guess that our line of bat
| tie would occupy their attention too close
iy to allow them time to throw away any
shells at random trying to find our trains.
About the middle of the plain that lay
between the hills where our command
had halted and eaten our snack, and the
timber, stood n farm hOuse-the only one
in sight. After our line had passed this
house some distance it was halted. as the
rebs had not opened fire on us yet, and
our artillery-which was distributed
battery here and there along our line
from right to left-came Into battery"
within less than a half mile of the TIM
hpr and hapnp chollinv Vuon1c To
draw their fire and find the rebel posi-
ton.
OPENING THE FIGHT.
When our men halted l had looked for
a good location where i could get clear
view of the fight, and found knoll just in
rear of the left center of our line, from
the top of which we could overlook most
of the field. Riding up to the top of
this little hill, Hugh and / sat there on
| our mules looking on. and although the
rebel balls knocked up the dust around
US occasionally. the sight was too attrac-
tive and exciting to let such little things
interfere with so grand an entertainment
The prairie from where our line stood
to the edge of the timber was covered
here and there with patches of small
sumac bushes from waist to shoulder high.
which afforded our infantry some shelter.
When our batteries opened, the rebels
by responding in like manner.
1t was very hot day, and our SOL
diers had stripped themselves of every
thing in the way Of clothing and equip
ments that could be dispensed with, pill
ing the surplus stuff in heaps i'm rear Of
their line. l noticed that the men of
battery near me tHopkins's ID Kans.)
had stripped to their pndershirts and
pants, and the LIST Kans. (colored-Col.
Williams's), about the center of the line,
had even taken off their shirts, and their
black skins glfstened in the sun.
On the extreme left of our line, just
over rise and out of sight from us, was
kept up an incessant gobbing and war
hopping at the enemy, who returned the
compliment with like noise.
The battery near me (Hopkins's)
CHANGED to be placed in line opposite
rebel battery in the. edge of the timber,
and very animated fight took place be-
tween the two. each seeming determined
to, annihlate the other. Hopkins's bat
terry seemed to be getting the worst Of
the duel, when some mounted troops q
think these were a part of the I'd Colo.
Cay) made charge on the rebel battery
and captured it, along with their colors
This flag, which / saw at Blnnt's head
quarters after the battle, was of three
stripes-red at top, white in the middle,
red at bottom, with blue corner cover
ing the ends Of the first two stripes, red
and white, and containing II stars. This
was the style of colors adopted by the
rebels ut the beginning of the war, but.
as they found that at q distance they
could scarcely tell their colors from our
Stars and Stripes. and often mistook one
for the other, they adopted the later
style--a square red field with blue stripes
running diagonally across from upper to
lower corner, like a letter X. The blue
stripes were edged with narrow white
border and contained the II white stars
When the fight ended, wounded and
dead men and horses, disabled guns and
caissons were scattered over the ground.
After the artillery practice had de-
velOped the enemy's position, our line be-
gan crawling up slowly onto the rebels in
the edge of the woods. / could not see
clearly what was going on at our extreme
right. on account Of the powder smoke
i'm that direction, but noticed q general
advance all along the line. Our extreme
left Che Indian brigade) also was out
Of sight just over a hill. but I could To-
cate them by their gobbling and musketry.
1.-THE CoLoRED TROOPS FOUGHT MOLLY"
The 1st Kans. (colored) and one other
regiment of negroes being near my stand.
| was very much interested in watching
their part of the fight. This was the first
time had seen any negro soldiers in ac-
ton, and as l had often heard the white
soldiers declare that they did not believe
the "niggers would fight when brought
up against the real thing, was anxious
to note how they would behave.
just after the last advance of our line
began, Col. Williams, of the LIST Colored.
was struck by a musket ball and fell; but
knowing that if he left the field it would
have a depressing effect on his men, al
though he could not sit on his horse or
stand up, he had some Of his men to prop
him up on a pile Of knapsacks in rear
Of their position, and from this seat d.
rected their movements.
Although the rebels had all the adj
vantage of position, and made it hot work,
| could see that our men We're slowly
crawling up on the enemy's position, and
it soon became evident that the rebels
were falling back in some parts of their
line; but, for fear Of being drawn into
an ambush in the timber, no rush was
made by our men-Only a gradual creep
ing up.
1 was pleased to notice that the g
niggers," as they were commonly called,
stood up to the work as manfully as any
troops in our line; and they had hard
fight to make, too, for directly opposite
to them, in the rebel line, was a regi-
ment Of Texans (27th Tex, Col. Bass.