The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-01-30

Enjoyment IN killing.
1t is the only battle I was ever in
where it appeared to be just pure en-
1oyment to kill an, opponent. The
southern soldiers view this battle in
the same light that the writer does,
Tor Col. f. W. McMasters, of the 18th
). e., says in q newspaper article 1--WE
slaughtered hundreds of whites and
blacks, with decided preference to the
Ethiopians."
The enemy's works on this part of
the line was a Perfect honeycomb of
bomb proofs, trenches, covered ways,
sleeping holes and little alleys running
IN every direction, and in each hole
there appeared one or more rebel sol
diers, some ready to kill the niggers'
when they came in view and some
praying for mercy. Such prayers as
this were heard on every side while the
battle ragged the fiercest, Lord, have
mercy on me. and keep them damned
nEgers from killing me-" plentifully
lDterspersed with CALCULATIONS like
these, Kill the niggers,' "Shoot EN-"
XIII en-" But such fighting as this
never lasts long, and when it was over
the colored troops had accomplished a
work of which they might well be
proud. Two hundred yards of the en-
emy's strongest line had been carried ct
the point of the bayonet and $50 pris-
oners captured with stand of coiors.
One would think this was enough to
ask of single division on such an oc-
casion, while there were 10000 other
soldiers within gun shot that had not
been engaged, but before our lines had
been reformed an Aid from the staff
| OF Gen. Burnside appeared upon the
! scene of action and accosted the writer
| of this sketch, who was the ranking
officer present, as follows: well, Col
onel. what next?" The reply was, This
| is as far as my orders GO" The Off
Ger pointed to a white house in the
direction of Petersburg, near which a
rebel battery was posted, and said,
That Will be your next objective point;
advance at once"
The COIors Rushed to the Front.
The colOrs were rushed to the front,
an alignment attempted by the COM
pany officers and an advance ordered.
We went but a short distance, for we
were met by the First Brigade of Gen.
Mahone's Division of Confederates, that
had just formed a line of battle in
ravine 200 yards in the rear of the line
we had just captured. Gen. Bushrod
Johnson was in command of the divi-
sion that occupied the rebel line in
which the Crater was located, but he
appears to have taken no part in the
reestablishment of the broken line.
Gen. Robert L. Lee was among the
first to realize the situation, and imme-
diately sent an order by Col. Venablc
to Gen. VIM. Malone, whose division
Joined Gen. Johnson's on the right, 70
send two brigades at once to the field
of action. Gen. VIM. Malone was one
of the best officers in the rebel army,
and his division, containing his old bril-
gade of Virginians, Gen. Wrights Geor-
gians, Gen. Saunders's AIabamians,
Gen. Harris's Mssissippians and Gen.
Finnegan's Floridians, We're recognized
as the best division in Gen. A. p. Hills
Corps.
Gen. Malone said, 1T can't send my
brigade to Gen. Johnson, but l viii
go with them myself so taking the
Virginia and Georgia brigades he went
to Gen. Johnson's headquarters, where
he found Gen. Beauregard, who was
in command of the defenses of Peters
burg. Gen. Malone was at once gwen
command of the line and had just got
his Virginia brigade ready for business,
was forming the Georgia brigade and
had sent back TO have the Alabama bril-
gade brought up to the battlefield when
the peremptory order came for the col
ored troops tosadvance.
Meeting MahOne's Men.
AS mentioned before, we started, but
upon reaching the open plain, Gen
hduDut advancing from Ine
ravine in which they were stationed,
gave us a volley that decimated our
ranks. and this was Immediately fol-
lowed by the old rebel yell and a
charge such as veteran troops alone
knew how to make. Officers as well as
men went down thick and fast. Col.
Bates fell shot thru the head
the Major was killed. eight company
officers were killed or wounded and
every third man in the Goth U. s. C. T.
tasted rebel lead that day. Many al
dusky warrior had his brains knocked
out with the butt of musket, or was
run thru with a bayonet while vain
ly imploring for mercy. When we
came to bury the dead the next day
under flag Of truce, one of our Cap
tains was found with seven ugly
wounds on his body. but there were six
dead rebels lying near him and his
lifeless hand yet grasped his 44-caliber
revolver, every barrel Of which was
empty.
Singly. in couples and squads the sur
vivors of the COiOred Division sought
refuge in the Union lines, but that
night witnessed a sad roll call in every
regiment of the Colored Division, for
out of $500 guns that were carried in
the fight in the morning only 1886
were present when the retreat was
sounded at night Sixteen hundred and
sixty-five were numbered among the
killed, wounded and missing
Altho the days work as a whole was
not a success, one thing has been prov
en-, viz. the colored troops dared meet
not only in open field the best troops of
the Confederacy, but they also dared at
tack them behind breastworks almost
impregnable, and as to results the best
standard by which to test the qualities
of an army is this: The number killed
on the battlefield.
writer well recognized as authority
on war statistics says, This is a harsh
standard, but it is nevertheless true
that where the dead lie the thickest
there is where the bullets flew the fast
est" All of the witnesses before the
Congressional Investigating Committee
testified that the Colored Division did
nobly, while Gen. Robert E. Lee recog-
nized their bravery by promoting Gen.
VIM. Malone from a Brigadier to a full
Major General for the work he did that
day. Mahone's fighting was with the
colored troops, the fighting of our white
division being with Elliott's Brigade of
Bushrod Johnson's Division of rebels
and at an hour before Gen. Mahone's
troops were on the ground.
Ozark as the clouds of even,
Banked in the western heaven,
Waiting the breath that lifts
All the dread mass and drifts:
Tempest and falling brand
Over @ ruined land;