Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1905-02-24
"REMINISCENCES OF
THE CIVIL VAR

To the Editor of the Intelligencer.
DEAR SIR:-The following brief
letter appeared in Comrade Leu.
Fosnot's Watsontown Record and
Star of last week, which may be of
some interest to the many readers of
your valuable journal:
"reminiscences of the civil war will
always remain fresh in the memory of
those who participated in the struggle
for supremacy during the long and
dark days of the rebellion. At this
time l call to mind the first charge in
front of Petersburg in the summer of
1864, when the third battalion of the
Second Heavy Artillery regiment
were ordered to charge Battery No.
Six. 1t was a beautiful day in Sum
mer-late in the afternoon, when the
sun was sinking behind the azure hori-
zon. We were under cover in a strip
of woods near by, and as Captain
Jones of Bait. L was forming the
forces for the assault, of which Bait.
F was part, l distinctly remember
hearing DIR. Jas. Strawbridge* say
something to this effect, while arrang-
ing his surgical instruments: 'This
will, no doubt, result in a terrible
carnage. And so it did, for here
the first blood of the regiment was
spilled at this seige, but we never
faltered.
The order was given, Forward,
marchp and out of the woods we
swept. Then the command, "Double
quick!" and if as on dress parade the
battalion emerged from the thicket
and down through newly-plowe6
peach orchard in front of the fort
which belched out solid shot from
barbette guns, and when in close
proximity to the parapets, about
thousand feet from the fort, we were
ordered to lie down in order to pro-
tect ourselves from the terrible fire of
the big cannon. This charge was
made as feint, to draw the attention
of the Confederates to the front of the
fort while other troops swarmed in
the rear, thus capturing one of the
gateways to the beseiged city.
Just here, Lew, let me ask what
three batteries of the old regiment
participated in this fearful assault |
only know Bait. f, of which | had
the honor of being member, was
Sin it.
Shortly after the capture of Bat
terry No. Six we were ordered to the
rifle pits far out on the front of
Petersburg. 1t was night when we
reached the breastworks, 50 dark that |
we could not see twenty yards distant.
The regiment, as was impressed,
reached from the Appomattox river
on the right to point within several
hundred yards of Fort Steadman on
the left. On this occasion l was de-
tailed as vidette, and no sooner had |
we taken our positions than the
Second Heavy began firing over our
heads and into the Johnny Rebs,
it so hot that we deserted our
posts and fell back to the regiment, !
the boys of whom thought the enemy
was making charge.
Montour county was well represent
ed in the Second Heavy, of which we
privates feel a just pride. Among
the distinguished officers were Gen.
Jas, ID. Strawbridge, of near Potts
grove, Col. VIM. NJ. Mcclure, and |
Col. S. Dale Strawbridge of Danville,
deceased. The former was honored i
with seat in Congress, while the lat
ter recently died at the Soldiers
Home at Hampton, Va. Before the
old regiment charged on Fort Har-
rison, at Chapin's Farm, Col. Straw
bridge gave a roll of greenbacks and |
his gold watch to his brother, the |
doctor, for safe keeping, before going
into the charge. Instead of captur-
ing the Colonel, the doctor was sur
rounded by Confederates and relieved |
of everything valuable and then
thrown into Libby Prison, where he |
and suffered torments only |
known to those who shared the same |
terrible fate.
Besides the brothers Strawbridge,
Montour county claims for this regi-
ment orderly Sergeant j. P. Bare, |
John Mcclure, John Marshall, Clar-
ence Price, George Robinson, Lieut.. |
Moore Wilson, Philip Manning, Chas.
Mowrey, Chas. Maths, Peter Cooper,
Edward Thatcher, Robert Curry,
Martin Mazell, Thos. Magill and Dan
Smith; the latter resided on West |
Market street, and who was almost
killed several years ago
while in the discharge of his duty at
the Reading Iron Works.
Yours in F., G. Il L.,
RICHARD w. EGGERT, Bait. F.
*Just here let me relate an incident regard |
ing DR. Strawbridge. who ranked as Brigadier
General of the Second Brigade OF the Eigh- |
Montour county, and first saw the light of
day ON farm near Pottsgrove. In company
with DR.. Il. y. Curry he started out from !
Danville to make u professional call in the |
country, when he was attacked with paralysis !
DIR. Curry turned the horse about and sue !
West Market street n few hours before he died |
the death he hoped to-"in the harness." as |
he so often expressed IT.