Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-10-07
SLEPT DURING THE BATTLE.
When Massachusetts, Veteran Awoke
ie Found His Regiment Had Gone.

i-ie Found His Regiment Had Gone.
The bays in blue in theecisil. War did
not always face the enemy, without
turning tail, thus illustrating the old say
ing. He who fights and runs away will
I've to fight another day and one of
tie local veterans tells a remarkable
story of his own experiences in this re-
s2ect at the battle of Williamsburg on
Nay ). 1852.
Orders were given to advance early on
the morning of May 8, and the army
reached point before Williamsburg at
about oclock, Hooker's Division being
directly in front of Fts Magruder. the
principal fortress in The outer line of
f.iehmends defense The fort was
aanked BY a line of redoubts extending
across the peninsula from the James
River to York River 1.-THE ground in
font Of the fort" says the Springfield
man. was open and level, but further
TO the front il was heavily wooded. This
timber had been slashed down TO impede
tie progress of the Union troops and
lockers Division formed in line of
battle in this fallen timber and then ad-
va1feed to the edge of the open ground
within range of the enemys artillery,
but out of range of their msuketry.
Our artillery was posted just beyond the
edge Of the timber and opened fire with
the infantry supporting it Immediately
in the rear.
soon the enemys shells Were hurting
among the fallen timber. and we were
ordered to lie down and cover ourselves
behind tree trunks as well as we could.
1T thus happened that only a general
line was preserved. although all were
ready to fall in at moments warning.
I selected a particularly large tree trunk
for my cover, some 10 or 10 yards in adj
vance of the general line, and. behind
this / lay down, taking off my KNAPP
sack and using it for a pillow. was
not fully recovered from my wound OF
the year before. and was exhausted from
the "a hours duty and the long march
with the heavy load, and after an hour
or two 1 fell asleep, although the battle
was raging.
81 never knew how long / slept, but 1t
must have been an hour or two. When
[ awoke / stood up and looked about
me- The rain had ceased, and heavy
fog mingled with the smoke hung over
the field, but curiously. 1t did not quite
extend down to the ground, and by
stopping | could see under 1t. None
If my regiment nor any other was in
sight, but out in front about SO yards Off
was the battery which we had been sup
porting several guns dismounted. car
riages and caissons wrecked and great
number of, horses lying dead on the
ground. Scattered about, among the
wreckage were about 70 men with mus
kets in their hands and gray oyercoats
on. 4ag
Now, my regiment and another regi-
ment i'm the same brigade were wearing
gray overcoats. and it never occurred 10
me for a moment that the men We're not
of these two regiments. So l shouted 20
them, DO you belong to the - Regi-
nent' and greatly to my surprise their
nuskets went up to their shoulders ana
they yelled, Come in here, you Yankee.
las have said, was only three months
tut of Libby Prison, and the only thing
I thought of was the dread of gong
back there, so I grabbed my musket IN
one hand and my knapsaclS in the other
md started to run for the rear.
ar the way had been open probably !
you'd have run in straight line. but in
he timber / zigzagged about, jumping
,ver. crawling under or running arouna
allen logs, so that when they hreo q.
ne not a bullet touched me. But
thought I heard million of them apou'
nv ears. / was scared into pane.
| ct 90 my knapsack, but hung 70 my
! nusket. and with my wet overcoat nap
] ling about my legs continued to run
,tterlv dernoralized and with only one
I tboupht-to get away If the enemy nae
l ,ad breech-loading or magazine riiles
l hey would haven fired again, and prop
,b,v would have got me. But as the.
were armed with only muzzle leaders
ook time to load again, and this wa
my salvation.
did not realize that I had got into
zone Of safety and kept on a haif mii
more. when / ran into line OF caviar.
5eployed in the rear of our line 20 ariN
| m stragglers of which there We're
| ,reat number as always happens Wit
I'm army-men who had fallen out peIor
| sattine, TO the front and others who ma
/ k,ll<ed behind, and still others who ha
/ zone back to help the wounded
| GEMS that the battery which we ma
| ,een supporting had been put out OF ae
ton and that the enemy had turned IN
lank of Hooker's division, and my fesi
nept and brigade had been hurried owe
j "a re-enforce the left. SO that when
Invoke l was alone.
"officers of the cavalry had rallie'
about 1000 men, and after getting into a.
open space organized them into regl
nent under officers Of the ,eavairy an'