Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-12-07
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
WhistiinE Bullets, Bright Bsys-
nets, Bursting Borabs, bloody Bat
ties, Camp Fire, Festive Buxs, Etc.

cemetery the other day." said the
Ooionsl land counted 1es graves OF sol
diers belonging TO Col. Shepherds brig
ade OF regulars. Those and others of
that brigade were killed In the battle
OF Dec. 81, 1852, and a good many of
the volunteers have reason TO remem-
Der the time. Our regiment was in
Palmer's division and had been thrown
10 the front just before the Confederate
attack burst like tornado on Palmer's
right. We were caught in a sort Of
Whirlpool, Confederates dashlng against
US IN front and sweeping past our flank
on the right We made a good fight
and really believed things were going
our way when a brigade of Union
| troops c1-ne from the right at full
run and swept over us.
We saw these men coming, but sup
posing they were after the Confederates
trying 10 reach our rear we gave them
little attention. They ran over US as
we had been so many weeds breaking
our line and sweeping many of our
men away with them. Our boys, dazed
and bruised, rallied ON the colors and
after few minutes formed a thin
line DO resist the heavy Confederate
column advancing In front. We retired
slowly toward what we thought was
our reserve Before we reached 1t
the line melted away. We changed
direction, and, still firing at the adj
vancing Confederates, unanswered 10
attach ourselvesh to a regiment or
brigade some distance to our left. Be
fore we reached that line 1t was swept
away by Confederate charge and we
were again alone.
The advancing Confederate line,
three or four regiments deep, came
steadily forward, and we fancled we
could see the Johnnies smile at our
attempts to stop them. Our men were
like enraged animals, and had almost
| given up all hope of help from any
| quarter, when we caught sight of a
long, firm line Of men In blue crouch
ing or kneeling. As their saber bayo-
nets flashed in the sunlight our boys
said, They are regulars; they will
stop the rebs.' Then on a mistaken
impulse the men In our thin, short line
started forward or toward the charg
Ing Confederates. A horseman shot
out from the regulars shouting at us
to come back and get out of the way.
''As our boys sullenly obeyed the
regulars pushed us impatiently through
their ranks and opened fire. just then
General Rosecrans rode TO us, and af-
ter shaking hands with the Colonel and
complimentary us for our stubborn
fight, assigned us to position on the
left, SO near the regulars that we knew
they stopped the advance. The second
day after that | walked along the line
held by the regulars and counted the
| dead bodies of men who had not moved
an inch from where they were posted.
The line OF dead men was as straight
as If they had been ON dress parade.
| This showed that the regular brigade
had not wavered at all. They stopped
the rebs, but lost twenty-four officers
and 513 men, killed and wounded, In
fifteen minutes.
There had been up to that time no
love between regulars and volunteers
But as the scene comes up to me now
/ can see the look Of acknowledgment
and interest ON the faces of the kneel-
ing regulars as the thin line OF stub
born volunteers gave way to them And
/ remember that when we walked two
days later along the same line two OF
the volunteers took Off their hats. AZ
ter that battle regulars and volunteers
were better friends"
''rhe volunteers" said the Major.
were just as good as the regulars.
| aud under some circumstanc es better.
! But at first they had queer experiences.
At the beginning of the war we went
up the Ohio in steamboats,. The sit
uation was new 10 most of the men,
and pretty strict orders were given 10
the guards 20 prevent quarrels. On
| the first day a number of half.drunken
| priyates resisted guard, and he
knocked them overheard with his mus
1 httr III TWO minutes the BOAT WAS Ike
a theater filled with a panic.atricken
crowd. A man had been killed. This
| was a tremendous fact then The
| guard was seized as though he were a
desperate criminal. His hands and
feet were tied, and. though he said not
word, gag was put in his mouth.
and he was literally thrown into the
| hold.
The whole regiment was astounded
F.! to learn that we had man in the
ranks who could Kill another. The
murderer was described as q most fe-
rocious brute. Nobody could place
him; nobody could tell what company
he belonged to. But all agreed that he
must be desperate fellow, and with
| great officiousness the officer OF the day
doubled the guards about him. Finally
/ discovered that the man belonged to
our company, that be was one OF the
best soldiers I'm It, and one Of the quiet
szt Thar, @44ara sssara a.xv,yt "a q tsrr,u al