The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1907-05-10
More History of the Town Creek
Rifles.

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beseige Suffolk, which we did by
keeping a heavy picket line in
easy musket range Of the enc
my's Notifications, and we only
had rifle pits, which afforded
poor protection against artillery
fire. So many of the boys were
wounded and some killed by
grape, canister, shell and mus
kerry, which we all had learned
to dread more than any other,
because we could see those larg-
er fellows and get out Of the
way, but could not dodge the
minnie; but | guess we gave
them as much as they gave us.
When Fighting Joe Hooker got
such a thrashing at Fredericks-
burg, the Federals having many
generals who wanted the honor
of marching onto Richmond, they
removed Hooker and put Burn
side in command who called for
all available men to be spared
from all other posts. So, Gen.
Seigul left Suffolk to be trans
ported to Burnside and we were
called to join Lee; but before we
reached there Burnside had be-
gun a flank movement up the
north bank of the Rappahannoc
and crossed over to Chancellors-
vile and met Lee in a position of
Lees own choice and they fought
another great battle which re-
suited in victory to Lee. But
that is the place where jackson
was killed by his own men and
it was a poor victory. That was
the second great battle the T. C.
RS. had missed, and we passed
over the battlefield a few days
afterward l think the boys
were all glad we were not there.
The battle was fought in a dense
forest covered with underbrush
about as high as a man, and it
was literally cut to pieces by
minnie balls, and the trees and
saplings were all topped by can
non shot. Burnside was hurled
back on Washington for safety
and Lee in pursuit of him took
up the line of march up the Po-
tomac almost in sight of the Fed
eral capitol, and the dropping,
despondent spirits of the boys
was much revived when we
could see the blue outline of the
Potomac and it was talked along
the line that we were to cross
over into Maryland again, and
although many of us, We writer
included, could be traced along
the pike roads by blood from our
worn feet after a march of near
ly 300 miles, lasting through many
weary days and sleepless nights,
and by far the. larger part of
which with empty stomachs, dry
and parched lips and throats, and
although we knew from past ex-
perience that there was to be
some hard fighting ahead of us
if we crossed that river, yet we
were anxious to cross over. In
a few days we crossed at Shep-
pardstown, the same place we
had crossed in coming out of
Maryland before.
Federal authorities being much
alarmed about Washington, plac-
ed Geo. B. Mcclellan in COM
mand again and gave him all
the troops in the east with or
ders to keep Lee away from Bal
timore and Washington. So we
took up the line of march into
Pennsylvania, passing through a
fertile and goodly land and
through many fine towns, and
although Gen. Lee had given
strict orders that there should
not be any foraging and he put a
line of guardsmen on each side
to arrest all who were caught
marauding through the country,
we did not go far until most of
the bare feet were shod and the
empty haversacks were filled and
no one was arrested. That was
done in this way: The guards
were composed of barefooted
men, who were, of course, men
of authority; and the people
would get sorrowful for a man
with bleeding feet, and he
could get a pair of shoes and a
haversack full of grub for keep
ing us rascals off.
Well, Lee and Me. marched in
convergent lines and came to-
gether at Gettysburg, Pa. where
the greatest battle of the war
was fought and waged for three
days in succession, and where
We writer was wounded by the
first volley on the first day and
where the larger portion of the
T. C. RS. were overpoWered.
trapped and captured with most
of the End Miss. Only a small
remnant of the I. G. Rs. were
left, and as | was thought to be
mortally wounded, | was left
there to fall a prey to yankees
or b1ZZards. They would not