Connecticut western news., 1911-08-31
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low men or horses time to stop and drink. Sheridan, who had preceded us day or two, was urging haste. Horses were constantly dying and oar ranks were being depleted by struggling; but we were got up in time for tile ordeal before us.
 We were now almost in sight of the spires of Richmond and facing what proved to be the most formidable posi- tion.yet held by the enemy, Between us were woods, open fields, swamps and every conceivable method of obstruction, against which you were hurled. This IS something of the situation confronting you as you were led into what history tells us was one of, If not the worst bat tie of the war.
 General Grant said in his Memoirs, " page 276, Vol. 9: II have always re- gretted that the last assault at Cold liar bor was ever made" And again he says ''Cold Harbor is. think, the only battle ever fought that l would not fight over again under the circum- stances" (''Around the World with General Grant," by John Russell Y oung, Vol. 9, chap. XxXIV, page S04.) This battle-lt was reserved for the Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery's first, and how we'll it filled it's mission may be told by the slaughter of about 375 of it's men. including it's much loved Colonel Kel- logg.
 General Martin T. McMahon, whom many will remember as delivering the Memorial address at Cornwall Hollow, Conn.,, on the occasion of dedicating the Sedgwick monument, said of the part taken in the battle of Cold Harbor by the Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery: "The field in front of us after the re-. pulse of the main attack. was indeed 8 sad sight. I remember at one point 8 mute and pathetic evidence of sterling valor The Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery. new regiment eighteen hun dred strong, had joined us but few days before the battle. Its uniform was bright and fresh therefore its dead were easily distinguished where they lay. They marked in dotted line an obtuse angle covering wide front, with it's apex toward the enemy, and there upon his face still in death, with his head to the works, lay the colonel, the brave and genial Colonel Elisha s. Kel- logg." .l d. ] See Battles and Leaders of The Civil War, Vol. ", page 219. And again General McMahon says that in this bat tie, the greatest slaughter of any battle of the war and in the shortest space of time can be easily verified. Lieptenant Colonel Hubbard was commissoned Col onel to 1take.the place of the lamented Kellogg But thinking if this, our first, N as only sample of what we were to go through, he did not care to assume the responsibility of leading our regi- ment into such slaughter. No tongue or pen can begin to express the horror or this day. And any one that went through it knows that this, our first was the worst one that we saw dur ing the war, and we went through the many battles of the army of the Pato- mac as we'll as the battles of ofWinchester, Cedar Greek and Fishers Hill and many skirmishes in the Shenandoah Valley. Our losses were more June 1st than any other battle of the war. June 2d and Sd we lost many. We continued under a severe fire for twelve days. It was not safe for man to stand erect, much less to move about. On the morning of the Sd we were gotten into line and General Upton led us 8. short distance in the pines The enemy saw the move and they opened their batteries upon us and threw railroad iron and shot and shell through the trees terribly, and cut the limbs off and many men were in- iured by the falling limbs and many were killed and wounded by the sweep ing fire that the enemy raked us with.
 It was almost an untenable situation, not what historians would call battle, but it was one of the doses that we re. ceived daily for twelve successive days We had been moved into this position to await an order for another charge. Here we lay down for better protection. for a perpendicular attitude was pretty sure to draw shot. Even while lying down many were hit, You will remember poor John McGraw, how he dld roll and tumble and groan when he was shot through the bowels. His father and two brothers lay close by, but could do noth. for him. He was carried off the field. We never saw him afterwards. Waiting here was very little better than fighting We had to take it without being allowed to strike back. This was our part of the !, battle of June 3d.
 To be continued.
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