The National tribune., 1908-03-19
Stories Eminenty Worth Telling Of Experiences and Adventures
in the Great National Struggle.

gade), some distance beyond the race
and the icehouse, French's men were ir
line, PROSTATE. across the field
Meagher's swept ahead, leaving Kim
balls regiments far in the rear. Sc
close did the five regiments of Meagh-
er's command get to the famous stone
wall, it was a physical impossibility tC
fire and load standing and remain alive
when the men and officers were ordered
to lie down. This afforded some pro-
lection. While it was exceedingly slow
work to go thru loading and firing,
lying on the ground, it was done with
desperation. while the enemy We're fully
protected by the wall in their front.
The fire of the rebels from the stone
wall and the terraces on the slope was
so deadly that the color-bearer of my
regiment (63d n. ", Patrick Cham
bers, of my (Albany. n. W company
had the staff of the National colors
broken with shrapnel between his right
and left hand as he held it aloft Twelve
bullet holes were found in his clothing
after the battle, altho his person es-
capped miraculously.
1t is inexact to say that the troops
crossed the canal on the stringers OF
the bridge, the flooring being shot away
Some did, but an insignificant number
We were marching in fours up to that
point, when the men plunged into the
stream, the writer among the rest. The
water was waist deep. 1 happened to
have a pair of boots that came above
the knees. trousers inside. They be-
came filled with water, the result being
L was unable to proceed While the
rebel guns swept the field "as with a
fine-tooth comb" as Longstreet puts it,
1 was compelled to call one of my men
to help remove my footgear, empty the
water and put them on again. In the
meantime the brigade filed to the right.
to give the left a chance to come up,
and then dashed ahead in line of bat
tie.
/ again quote:
THE survivors (Kimbalrs men)-
only handful-rushed forward to
within so PAGES of the wall. where they
planted their banners before they We're
shot down. and formed the high-water
mark of the assault" This statement
evidently was written by some one who
was not on the spot. The writer was
there from first to last, and can truth
fully say that there were no Union
troops in front of Meagher's line. with
this exception: Caldwelrs First Brigade
of Hancock's Division advanced to our
line and beyond a few PAGES, but the
fire from the enemy was so terribly de-
structive the men and officers fell in
short time. and as flesh and blood could
not bear up under such slaughter they
retired down the slope as best they
could-a skeleton of the brave regi-
ments that dashed to the front only an
hour previously.
The details from the First Division
subsequently. who buried the dead un-
der flag of truce, found the dead and
wounded wearing the lockwood in their
<s<lV t.<.
the fatal stone wall. Meagher directed
his men in the morning previous to the
advance to place bunch of green box
wood in their caps. emblematic of the
nationality of the soldiers of his fearless
brigade.
My company U was then First Lieu
tenant was SO unfortunate as to lose
its Captain, John Sullivan, at Freder-
icksburg. Being one OF the stormine
column. he was fortunate to come thru
the fiery furnace with a whole skin
After the assault being the senior Off
Ger. the Major commanding being
wounded, he was hit with a round shot
while leading the remnant of the regi-
ment to the dock where the brigade
was located. The enemy's batteries
never let column of troops pass the
street all day without making gaps il
| their ranks. The Captain cautioned hi:
men dS we approached the street, anC
| gave the order. 'tDouble-quicki" but h.
was stricken before he reached the cen
ter of the street. With the aid of som,
| of my men we carried him off Hi:
| right hip and abdomen were crushed
He never spoke n word afterwards, ant
| fingered for a couple of days, hayins
died in the division hospital on tn,
north side of the Rappahannock.
The SD n. Y. brought into the battl,
only lis men and officers. On Sept 1,
previous 81 were present when the,
charged on the enemy at Antietan
(Bloody Lane). The morning of thu
assault on Marye's Hights the regimen
took in 1is men and officers. On tht
bloody slopes "A were left dead an,
wounded. viz: One officer and one en-
listed man killed, seven officers and 3
enlisted men wounded. missing 4, leav
| ing "a men and officers in comma nj
| that mustered nearly 1000 when tn,
regiment left New York City a yea,
before.
This is the record of only one com
mand. A similar story can be told o
scores of others A terrible price t,
pay for the monumental blunder o
Burnside in striving to accomplish al
mpossibility-to capture an impreg
nabie stronghold. Had we pierced tn,
enemy's line on the Hights, then w,
had 70 meet half of Lees army of vet
Grams on the plateau, with unbrokel
ranks. eager to meet Summers shat
tered battalions when by a mirac