The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-20
pREM0NETI0Ns OF DEATH

II u
? wars. it does not necessarily fol-
low that / believe in them. But this
much 1 win say: 1 do not like them.
They were common and seemed TO play
a painful part in the war of long ago.
Before referring to my experience with
one during General Grants closing
campaign, in 1855 and another in the
province of Tayabas, Philippine islands,
in the year 1900. let me speak OF sew
era1 striking premOnition instances.
Captain Z. A Brown OF our company
was a singer and belonged to the regi-
mental quartette- One evening in Au-
gust. 1862. he told the leader to find
some one to take his place in the quar-
tettc.
Why, captain?" asked Lieutenant
Harris
Never mind why, boys" was the
captains answer.
Our regiment had taken position in
line of battle just after crossing Antie-
tam creek the night of Sept 10, the
night before the great battle. the day
which General Longstreet declared was
the bioodiest of the war. when Captain
Brown said to Marston: Lieutenant
there viii be a great battle tomorrow
HOLD yourself III readiness to take COM
Hlald o. the company at a seconds no
ice Do not ask why. but be ready
That night the captain kissed the pic
lures of his wife and children. replaced
them over his heart ana wrote p good
bye letter to his wife. While giving a
command. soon after the battle opened.
a bullet entered his mouth and crashed
through his brain
The night before the battle of Get
tysburg-the first days fght-the
quartette sang, closing. as they had
zone ever since Antietam. with one of
captain Browns favorites Annie
Laurie
Ii never sing that song again. said
captain Ticknor. No one asked him
Why AS TicknOF started to join his
company, Lieutenant Chapman shook
ms hand and said: Goodbye. Tick
nor Neither shall / sing Browns IA
vorite again." Both were killed the
next day and Leader Harris was
wounded
This is my last battle said jolly
FRANK King, while our brigade was
nurrying to the front at Gettysburg.
Stald, brave old Durand said, Here.
TOO FRED. An hour later those two he
roes We're dead.
When the Nineteenth Indiana entered
the service s Williams was a captain
ne was the colonel when General Grant
started the army of the Potomac for
richmond in 1864. The night before the
Lirst days fight in the Wilderness. Nav
., Colonel Williams said to the adm
tomorrows battle be good enough To
ten her the kind Of man I have been
the past three years, and also the kind
or a soldier have been" Your bus-
DdhG was mortally wounded while lead
ing MS regiment in a charge this aft
.elhooh, was in penciled letter to
tns WIDOW Williams the next dav
IN February, 1865, General John A.
heIlogg was placed in command of
tue brigade and he took me along as
ms adJutant general. About a week
oetore the closing campaign which end
- ds ApPomattoX, a premonitiOn
seemed TO fasten its ugly fangs into ms
oTain, heart and flesh. 1t was at my
elbow when working or eating. when
waking or riding; when asleep and
Wneh awake and always to torment
Mine was more mysterious Dermonf-
ton than those which sat bv the side
OF poor Brown, Ticknor Chairman
ring, Durand and Williams and mint
cd 10 open graves. Theirs We're out
Spoken-told them, and in the most
cOiu-plooSed and mercileSs way that
they We're to. be killed in battle. NV
premonition stared me in the face and
gave warning Of an approaching ca
ldilllty, but did not deign to reveal the
character of the calamity I was as
sailed in the dark-did not know what
was coming. Pride sealed my lips.
IL was the generals first fight in
command of brigade-the brigade We
mad served in the better part of four
years-king' Gibbons. Bragg's, Rob
ihS3l 5. MoTrow's iron brigade of the
west The command was TnaSsed df-
vision front, in piece of woods. out of
sfght OF an enterprising enemy. the
forenoon of March 81, when General
Kellogg and his officers assembled.
This. without doubt said he ais our
last campaign. Think of service done
and glory won. See to it that in these
coming struggles we add to the old bril-
gade's good name"
Sword belts were frightened ard each
o1hcer seemed to give himself a fresh
pulling together
Up to that moment my tormentor had
not lett ny side, but it then left me as
II had come, without seeking permits
sion. Relief? Yes. indeed.
Five minutes later General McCow-
an division crossed White Oak road
and started in our direction with a veil
and drove in our skirmishers. For an
hour and a half the field of Gravellv
Run was an extremely lively portion of
the Old Dominion. 1t was strong di-
vision of two large brigades against
our three-regiment brigade When Nc
GoWan mad sent a force to pour lead
into our right flank and another to do
the same for our left flank. and still
hefd a firm line in our front. il was too
much We had to get back "Adju-
tant, order the Ninety-fifth to fall back
ride through a piece OF woods where
the underbrush was thick Just as /
was approaching the point at which
the Ninety-fifth was ten minutes be-
fore, my horse fell to his knees He
answered the spur with couple of
leaps and landed me in the center of an
advancing line of COnfederates a score
OF whom demanded a surrender. en-
forcing the demand with ugly guns
carelessly pointed I'm my direction. some
of the barrels within a foot Of my body
1t was no time to handy words. As 1
swung from my horse. he reeIed and
Tell, bullet hole in his neck explain
ing why he had fallen to his knees a
moment before Old Charley carried
me on a mission to save the Ninety
fifth and then lay down and died. and
L was a prisoner
What did I say? Pardon me- The
language would melt type. But the
outburst had to do with pFemonitions
IN general and mine in particular
That was nearly forty years ago.
As recall men and scenes inside the
Confederate lines-my first experience
IN II at direction am glad the capture
occurred. But for the short prisoner
ship would not have seen a number of
men 1T is real pleasure to think of rs
they were then-men in their prime;
some young, vigorous and all great as
solciers and grand as men.
had two opportunities to see Cen
eral Robert L. Lee. the first time the