The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1907-01-16

nois regiment that had been engaged t
going to the rear, and for the first
time saw wounded men being carried /
of on stretchers and in ambulances.
/ remember one Of the Illinois boys
saying to u.s.
Boys, you'll catch . We've
just come out Of there, and our regi-
ment is all cut to pieces"
We had not advanced much over a
quarter Of a mile along the ridge when
the balls began to so zip, zip, through
the branches of the trees and the un-
derbrush near US. We Immediately
filed to the right in line of battle
across the end Of a hollow, halted, and
faced toward the enemy, the first Ne
braska being put in position about ten
yards in front of US and a little lower
down the hill
They Immediately opened fire on
the confederates, while our regiment
was ordered to reserve its fire The
confederates, a Mississippi and Texas
regiment, with battery, returned the
fire. They overshot us mostly, but we
had Is or 20 men wounded, and our
boys could be restrained no longer,
and began to load and fire as fast as
they could, delivering their fire over
the heads Of the Nebraska regiment.
I'll venture to say that neither the
Nebraska boys nor the confederates
were in much danger from some of
our firing, for | observed that some Of
them fired much as if they were shoot
ing squirrels in the tops of the trees.
AS the leaves on the underbrush and
the butternut uniforms of the confed-
crates were nearly the same colcr, it
was difficult to see the latter, but their
balls whizzing about us convinced us
that they were there. In less than
half an hour we had driven them from
their position and their firing ceased.
What our feelings we're as we were
marching to the front for the first
time, ans how rejoiced we were over
our first victory there ays few old sol
diers here, perhaps, who de- not know
better than any of us can tell
That was on Saturday. That even
ing we moved a little farther to the
front and bivouacked for the night.
The next morning Sunday before
we moved again to the front, / took
the opportunity to look over. the
ground where the battle had been 60
ing on the day before. The under
brush and saplings were shivered with
the balls. Here was a cartridge box,
1 there a broken musket; a few steps
further on knapsack torn in shreds,
and letters, writing paper and some
articles Of clothing scattered about;
here a bayonet and there a soldiers
hat, canteen with a bullet hole
through it, crumbs Of hardtack scat
tered about, etc.
About nine or ten o'clock we had or
ders to move to the front, for the pur
pose, as we understood, to charge OF
the fort. AS we went forward among
the cutdown saplings that we're in
tended by the confederates to impede
our advance we frequently came t.
dead confederates. After frequen
halts we came in sight OF the for
across an open field few hundred
yards to the front. We were momen
tarily expecting the orGsr to charge
on it, when, to our great delight, w
saw white flag raised on the works
Word soon came of the unconditional
surrender" and we marched into th'
little village of Dover. mile or 81
above the fort. We went on board th'
transports that night, and the mex
day we're quartered in the fort, where
we remained until we went up th'
Tennessee to Pittsburg Landing.