The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-12-25

the field was, indeed, revolving, close
beside a dead rebel / observed a rifle
and bayonet, and asked an officer
who stood near me, if 1t was prob
able that this weapon had been car
ried by the rebel before us. He re-
piled that he should judge that it
had, and picking it up and examining
it, we soon found a Springfield rifle
on the breech of which was the mark
of I'D Regiment, Alabama" which
satisfied us that it had surely come
from rebel hands. We found that it
contained a load with a mimic bullet
about two-thirds of the way in the
barrel. 1t was supposed that the
rebel who used the rifle, after pour
ing the powder and dropping the
bullet into the barrel was shot be-
fore drawing the Tamrod to force the
ball home. He lay with his breast
bone shattered by a mimic bullet,
and had apparently been instantly
killed. He was dressed in coarse
white flannel shirt, very dirty, and
destitute of buttons; pantaloons of
Kentucky jean, badly soiled, and
much the worse for wear; one shoe
quite good, the other in very i'm
perfect state of preservation. This
In the front part of his cartridge
box was a slice of raw pork, some
four inches square and half an inch
thick. His equipments were so dirty
that | had no desire to bring them
away as trophies, but took from an
other rebel nearby cartridge-box
which appeared to be in better con-
dition and after buckling it around
me filled it with cartridges from the
box of a third close at hand.
Another gruesome sight never to
be forgotten on the Cornfield were
the trenches of half-buried rebels
and union soldiers, owing to a hasty
retreat. Also at stone wall where a
desperate charge had been made and
the dead of each army lay side by
side and over each other awaiting
burial.
Thus equipped l made my way
from the field and returned to
Hagerstown in the ambulance which
l had left waiting for me. / was
joined at the ambulance by several
who were carrying home relics SINH
lar to my own. On reaching our
pickets, however, these persons were
deprived by the guard of all they had
brought from the field; but the blue
clothes and army buttons of the
Surgeon" proved a sufficient pro-
lection to me and / passed on with
my relics unmolested and reached
Hagerstown about eight O'Clock p. m.
nearly exhausted.
On my arrival l found that our
regiment had left during my alb
sence, but by a lucky chance | met
" hn n fn q
the regiment had moved forward to
within arms, very much fatigued.
The line of infantry, within sight, ex-
tended about mile, with artillery
in front, and l was told that our
whole line extended about three
miles.
Here l saw Gen. Sumner and staff
and Generals German, French and
Williams. The latter was in com
mand of the portion of Banks corps
them that Gen. Mcclellan had very
lately been on the field, and the men
were hoarse from cheering him. All
had the utmost confidence in him.
One remark made to me was, :" If
Mcclellan is not sharp enough for
| StOnewall Jackson, they did not
/
ed to be the feeling generally.
l learned from some officers here
| the route to those portions OF the
! field which / most desired to visit
| and was shown the spot where Gen
Mansfield received his death wound
| 1t was about fifty feet from a piece
of woods, held by the rebels at the
commencement of the battle. / was
/ oil ch hn tfrbn nTn
| Crawford fell founded at the head
ing from the field, that the body oi
Gen. Mansfield then lay in a white
house which ! could see in the dis,
! tance, being embalmed.
In conversing with various officers
| learned many particulars of the
battle. The major of the seth New
York regiment told me that he went
into battle with 372 men and "a Off
GERS, and came out with 146 men ant
2 officers. A captain in the same
regiment told me that on going into
| battle his company numbered 4.
men, and when the firing ceased hC
found but / 0 of them on their feet.
While conVersing with these Off
GERS, a lieutenant informed me tina
battlefield before Sharpsburg, OF
Wednesday, and that Longtsreet haC
been taken prisoner. / fear, how
ever, that this latter piece of intel
ligence will prove of the same char
acter as the news we received Thurs
day morning of the surrender o
Jackson's army. The officer alsC
told me that Lieut.. Col. Stetson, o
his regiment, was killed and hi
body found robbed of sword, pistols
watch and money, and stripped o
all his clothes excepting shirt.
major informed me that the 1914
New York and 18th New Jersey
coming on the field fresh, "skedad
died"
Leaving these troops, 1 went fur
ther forward, and soon came upol
the cornfield where the battle hat
ragged most fiercely. Here the 28th
109th. and 18th Pennsylvania, 81