The National tribune., 1909-04-22
/ was a beautiful and inspiring sight

| 1t was beauttful anu Inspiring SIGHT
as we marched on our way to Ger
mama Ford to cross over the Rapidan.
all in fine spirits to do and to die to
lsave the Nation and its Flag. In the
carnage that followed day after day
many thousands of them did find a
patriots grave in shallow dug hole,
with a piece of cracker box and q lead
pencil mark for tombstone.
We marched out on the Plank Road
for a considerable distance. Later in
the afternoon we passed Gen. AieXan-
der Hays. He was sitting on log sur
rounded by his staff, who were listen
ing to what he was saying. He had
stick in his hand, scratching on the
ground, no doubt explaining to them
the line of battle. He was killed the
next day. He was General much be-
loved by his troops.
As night came on we were forbidden
making any campfires, and the troops
were ordered to lie on their arms.
Shortly after daybreak the next morn
ing May 5, a staff officer from Gen
Rcbinson's headquarters rode up to
Gen. Baxter, saluted. and / heard him
say: The General directs that you ad-
vance your picket line until you find
the enemy Gen. Baxter called staff
officer, and repeated the order verbally
to him, and l as his Orderly started off
with him. At first we rode at brisk
pace. but after we had gone into the
woods a short distance our progress
was slow. The fallen. trees and the
underbruSh was 50 dense that we could
only see few feet ahead. The place
was well named n Wilderness. Many
| times l came near losing the staff Off
| GER and I finally did lose him, and
after trying my best to find him i gave
| 1t UP. / felt ashamed of myself; IL
would not do TO go back and report
that 1 had got lost, so determined to
| find our picket line, and give the order
| If they had not already received it. L
had no compass. but I made up my
mind to go straight ahead and trust 10
| luck / pushed on thru the thick un-
derbrusb, horse and rider getting many
/! scratches. Now and then I would halt
and listen. revolver in hand, but could
not hear a sound. / must have gone
about a mile or more. when all of q
sudden a head popped out from tree
about 20 feet in my front and called
out: What regiment you belong to?'
We both fired at each other before he
got thru speaking. for we knew instinc-
lively that we were enemies. The fash
of his gun coming so close to my horses
face caused him, fortunately for me, to
wheel around and go to the rear. Our
shots started the rebel picket line to
fiI:ng, but the underbrush hid me from
view, and my horse took me faster TO
the rear than l came. 1 had not yet
located our picket line, and as the reb-
els Gid not get any reply they soon
ceased firing. You can readily realize
how this shooting would put our picket
line on edge and make them very alert
After going about half mile / came
to small clearing, at the edge of
| which l saw our picket line. 1 put
spurs to my horse, stood up in my stir
rups and shouted to them not to shoot
Many of them had already raised their
fn rp nf1rinD
the officer of the picket came up, and
made satisfactory explanation, and
told him what order Gen. Baxter gave,
and told him that had found the rebel
picket, and explained where 1t was.
Going further to the rear, noticed thai
our battle lire was close up to our skir.
mish line, ready to commence the fight,
which became quite lively a short time
afterwards and more desperate as ths
day advanced. / believe that l am well
within the truth when I say that thru
this adventure was the means of
front Of the Fifth Corps, and which con-
tinued all that day and the next.
Gen. Wadsworth.
On the morning Of the 9Th we passed
that distingpished-looking General
Wadsworth, with that familiar cap on
which he always wore. His staff and
troops were waiting for the order to go
forward into the bloody conflict raging
in their front. They did go in, and
New York lost famous General and
the idol of his troops Those who were
there know that it was only by the
sound in many places that you could
tell how close you were to the enemy,
owing to the dense underground and
smoke, and 1t was an easy matter for
one or the other to be taken prisoner.
As we were shifting our position my
chum, Bowen, was captured with the
brigade headquarters flag, but succeed
, ed in keeping IL from capture. and i.
. the proud possessOr of IL. His capture
broke up the combination, and in max.
. ing the change back to cavalry Order.
/. lies was ordered to return to my regi-
; ment. and, presto change, again shouI
dered a musket.
1 certainly owe much to that Confed
crate soldier who by his good military
: training saved me from capture.
About this time we became satisfied
that Gen. Grant did not intend to make
! any backward movement, as our fight.
> ing continued day after day, and al.
: ways moving forward, in spite of un.
paralleled difficulties, for that indomi
table pluck of Gen. Grant became IL
: evidence, and Gen. Lee found hi!
match.-John Stulen, Pit:sburg, Pa.