Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-05-09


After the battle Of Mechanicsville,
May IS, 1862, Cowan's First New York
independent Battery, with the Sixth
Army Corps, crossed the Chickahominy
river over the Grape Vine Bridge,
which derived its name from the fact
OF it's being so crooked. As l recollect
it now, rail fence was straight as a
string when compared with it. Our en-
gineer built it in a hurry and the usual
laws followed in such work when time
was abundant were neglected in this
case ard the bridge put together as
soon as possible. Instead Of cutting
out straight passage through the
trees, they went around them here and
there to save time and labor. The
Chickahominy river at this time had
oyerfiOwed its banks. and had. to some
extent, risen to the dignity Of a river,
on account Of the spring rains, but usu-
ally it was a very sluggish, dirty, mar
row and shallow stream, and in Michi-
gan it would never acquire a title above
q brook. But we crossed it, and l re-
member its swaying back and forth,
making me quite nervous, and of my
calculating how deep it was and my
chances of swimming to shore in case
the bridge collapsed. On the other side
we went into camp near Seven Pines or
Fair Oaks, our right resting on the
Chickahominy and our left extending
toward Seven Pines. The infantry
threw up rihv pits and constructed
a redOGbt for our six guns into which
we were placed after we got rested. |
felt quite at home, and for a week or
Two we had an easy time. On Sunday
morning we heard the church bells in
Richmond, and this made me homesick,
as my mind went back to Gods country
and the times [ had answered to the
call of the church bells in my own be-
loved city OF Auburn. l was young.
tender, and my experience was brief
so far 1t had not been much more than
a pleasant summer outing; we had
been through a little brush at York
town and a little more at Williams
burg, but we had not stripped to the
waist yet and begun to deal our sledge-
hammer blows upon the Confederacy as
we Gid later on. ! never got home
sick after that, but l have seen men
who died from the effects of home
sickness, pure and simple, while l never
was affected, and since then I have
wondered why [ was not. I used to
reason to myself that it was no use
three years unless shot. l was at the
front and had a duty to perform, and
l never tried to evade it. l felt per-
fectly resigned; l had raised my right
hand and sworn to protect the govern
ment to the extent of my ability. With
ME there was a principle, young as l
was. | had inherited the spirit from
my ancestors that it was the duty of
every American citizen to fight for his
government. The fight was on. and,
following my convictions, l was in it,
and never, from the time of my enlist
ment until my discharge, which was
three years to a day, did l ever seri-
ously contemplate leaving the army by
French furlough or otherwise l am
satisfied now that l was imbued with
q spirit that possessed a very large
number of my comrades and it was
such men who were mainly responsible
for the field valor. | am not posing
as an example; merely maintain it
as fact. | thought nothing of it at
the time and supposed everyone else
thought just as l did, or else they
would not have been there. I might
say that our battery was at the front
from the first to the last day, and par
ticipated in thirty-one engagements
Some may think 1 say it for a brag.
but that would not make it so, because
it is a fact and there is no brag in
the simple truth. Others did as good
and many did better; we simply did
our duty to the best of our ability and
feel proud Of our record.-C. H. Gates