The National tribune., 1909-05-13

Here our regiment, the 5th. was de-
Ached from the brigade, with orders
to proceed to Parser's Store to make 4
reconnaissance as to the whereabouts
Of Bobby Lee, and we were to be under
The direct orders of Gen. Meade, COM
handing the army. All the rest of the
Cavalry Corps, marched off to the left,
supDosing with the intention of striking
the. Virginia Central Railroad near
Trivillian Station. The 5th n. Y.
marched about five miles, when we
struck the crossroads at Parker's Store.
and found the first rebel picket sta
ticned there, who promptly made tracks
TO the rear We established a line OF
pickets and prepared for visitors at
once. expecting, of course, we would pc
interviewed; but we were not troubled
until about daylight on the morning of
the 5th. We had stood to horse all
night so we were ready for business.
The Johnnies must have had an early
breakfast. for they came tumbling thru
those jack pines and persimmon trees
in almost a solid battle line, no doubt
thinking a few cayalrymen would be
decent breakfast for them Gen. Meade
kuew when he sent Col. John Ham,
mond. with his hard riders, out to hunt
for the location of Lee he would find
him. and as soon as we struck him the
day before he sent word back promptly
10 Headquarters, and he received orders
ground possible, as e was extremely
necessary TO get out ihe open coun-
try Notice was also sent us that the
Fifth Corps would be sent to our sup
port Col. Hammond addressed us. and
instructed that We were expected 10
hold our position as long as possible.
we having already formed line and
counted off by fours and thrown up a
slight barricade of rails before the
Johnnies showed up, and as soor as the
skirmishers showed up the horses We're
sent to the rear, and Nos. /, and 3
settled behind the barricades, and the
fun commenced at once. Our seven
shooters worked sharp, and IL was al
most impossible not to hit our mark.
There were 10 Johnnies to one of US,
but we blocked the whole line in our
front i'm no time; but the rebel line on
both left and right swept right past
our fianks, and in a few minutes were
making things buzz from I'll sides, and
we were obliged to skip out for our
horses. Z We then mounted and formed
line again. possibly a quarter of mile
TO the rear, and waited for our ole
friends. the enemy, to show up. We
had not Jared very badly up TO this
time. but new ii was open business. and
the Johnnies. having been reinforced,
they poured the cold lead into us in
great shape, and some OF our best Off
GERS and many men and horses went
down ia q heap. We d to break to
the rear again, leaving our dead and
wounded in their hands Col. A IL
White was shot thru the body, and, we
supposed. mortally wounded. tBut
afterwards met him ~ Cleveland. o.,
in 1886. He died there in 1889 Surg
Armstrong volunteered to stay with our
wounded, and was taken prisoner with
tIi,4-rest. We had retreated some dis
tance before we came up to the ad-
cahce corps. and they laughed at us
when we told them that the woods were
full of Johnnies just back of us We
hardly passed the rear of their column
guns and in few minutes the roar OF
nusketry was continuous. Brigade
after brigade passed US on the double
quick all making for the front. The
crack OF the thousands of guns in that
deuse thieket Of pines was just deafen-
ing. So the 155th Pa. can hardly claim
the honor of opening the campaign oi
the Wilderness. They might have beer
the first infantry engaged, but the 5tf
honor OF having fired the first 1.00(
guns of that memorable campaign
There are three claims the old fightini
5th ~ Y Cav. makes, which the records
on file will substantiate. First. tina
they fought the first fight on free soil
at Hanover Court House, Pa, on Jun
30. 1869, and monument is erected al
the, village square II commemorate tn
affair; second that they opened til
battle of the Wilderness and left mar
a comrade on the field May 5, .ss i
third, that We captured more field ar
tillery in an open 9ght az Cedar Creel
than any other one regiment durini
the war.-D. H. Robbins, Co. H. 5th
7. Cav, Vineland, &inn.