The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1910-02-17

federates whipped them like dogs. The
Louisianians drove them through town like
a heard of beef cattle. By this time the
privates had learned the art of war and
understood when they had the advantage
better than some of the general officers.
They almost mutinied when ordered to stop
in the town of Gettysburg. They could
easily see the enemy coming up on Gene
teIy Hill and could see them working like
beavers to forty it, and they knew there
would be the devil to pay if the enemy were
not driven off that afternoon. l believe it
was Lees plan to attack at sunrise next
morning, the I'd, but believe that Long
street and J. E. B. Stewart were both out
of place at the wrong time.
If the reader will look at the life of Gen.
R. E. Lee by Gen. A. L. Long and examine
his map of the forces on the second day at
Gettysburg (page 1922 he will see what
desperate position Hays First Louisiana
Brigade and Hoke's North Carolinians
held. They were moved out at II O'Clock
at III 5ht and placed in a clover field nearly
between the town and Cemetery Hill with
the First and Eleventh. Army Corps in our
front and between US, and Cemetery Hill.
This was July the I'd, and notwithstanding
the odds and the difficulties, the Louisian-
ians and North Carolinians numbering not
more than 5000 men, went to the top of
Cemetery Hill and silenced all the cannons
except twenty eight in number. But the
enemy was reinforced and we had not been
supported, as promised, consequently we
back to the lines from where we started.
(The writer was wounded in the hip at the
stone fence where the wheatfield and wood
lands on the hill side metz. When | look
back over that field can't see how any of
US were saved, unless because it was
night attack and the Confederates made
more noise than so many wolves, and l
think the First Army Corps ran without
making much resistance. was shot in
the hip by the last man who left the stone
fence. saw him plainly by the flash of
the enemies cannon. He started to run,
then seemed to think he wouldn't run with a
loaded musket. He turned and fired with
out taking aim. think he was bloody
1rishman, with two or three drinks ahead
If could see him l would treat him again
for not shooting any better; but think he
was killed, as at least hundred guns we're
| fired at him at short range.
| II we had been reinforced by Gen. Cor
don, as we were promised that night, we
would most likely have held the cannons
on Cemetery Hill and would have turned
Meade's right flank and there would have
been no Pickett's charge next day. But
am no military critic. This is only my
opinion.
Notwithstanding Hays Louisianians
were in the first days fight and in front
and in the second days fight, they we're
required to cover Lees retreat from Get
tysburg- which is the post of honor.
Our next battle was at Rappahanock
Bridge, Virginia. In this encounter the
Louisianians and Hoke were overpowered
and we had about half of the brigade cap
tured. Orders came for the Ninth Louisi-
ana to get out as best we could, but our
company was the left color company, and
never received the order-being holly
engaged with the enemy. Finally we beat
them back and we then took to our right.
We found the right wing of the regiment
gone. 1t was now nearly dark and we
took advantage of the river bluff and
crossed at the railroad bridge below us.
A few days afterwards Meade, flushed
with with what the Yankees called "vic-
tory" crossed the river and met Lee at
Mine Run, November %, 1863 Here, an
amusing thing happened. Gen. Edward
johnson had the Second Louisiana Bril-
gade, composed of the First, Second,
Tenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Louisiana
Regiments, and think, Dreux' Battalion.
johnson was rough and tumble fighter.
He struck the enemy on the left of our line
and he was not long in doing them up.
When the Yankee prisoners came into our
line one of them asked an 1rishman to what
command he belonged. You can imagine
how rough an lrishman can look when his
face had not been washed in a month or
two, and his hair all disheveled and his
clothing in like order. The Irishman re-
piled that he belonged to the Louisiana
Brigade. "Why,' said the Yankee, 81
thought we captured you all the other
n A ga