The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1913-07-24
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AWAITING A HORRIBLE DEATH
chleagoan Recalls Terrible Battle Of
Frederleksburg-Was Then Boy
of Only Sixteen Years.

The suspense of awaiting death for
which preparations we're made again
and again, deliberately and in full
view, is told by H. H. Walton, 1919
East Seventy-fifth street. Chicago,
who was a boy of sixteen years at
the time OF the battle of Fredericks-
burg In December, 1862. but who al
ready had more than year of mill
tary experience behind him. He was
member of Company X, Thirty
fourth New York infantry, of Cor
mans brigade, Sedgwick's division.
The story of his experience before the
stone wall af Fredericksburg Is told
as follows:
Late in the afternoon of Decem-
berr 13 our regiment, with others, was
hurried from within the city Of Fred
ericksburg to support the troops
charging up Marye's hill in a vain
endeavor to reach the famous stone
wall. AS l remember 1t, we had no
more than come to a halt when the
shells from the Confederate cannon
"OAO Jul StAA6 Gil hDOub uo'
"At this moment, behold! an officer
riding a white horse dashed up to a
Confederate cannon on the hill at our
right. He pointed peremptorily
straight toward US. We could see
every movement of the gunners and
we could see the cannon and every
one of us knew what was coming.
We saw the loading Of the piece In
every detail, saw the gunner thumb
the vent, saw the lanyard placed and
then the gun sighted and every man
and boy of us knew that death in
an awful, horrible shape was coming
straight from that cannon mouth
us US.
ut did come. The first shot struck
and burst at the right Of the regi-
ment, killing and mutilating a full
score. Again we watched the gunners
and waited for death and again 1t
came. This time the shell burst
farther down the line near the middle
of the regiment, and another score or
more were either killed or mutilated.
again we watched. Oh, those mo-
ments of agony and suspense! The
gun is swabbed. The charge Is
placed and again we see the gunner
with his thumb over the vent. The
shell is rammed home and now the
lanyard is in hand. The man is sight
ing the gun and death again stares
us in the face. Oh, the mockery and
emptiness Of words to tell of horrors
like this!
'In one second our company was
rent and torn like a piece of cloth in
a hurricane. The shell had burst eX-
actly in our midst. 1t took one man
with it as 1t entered the ground,
bursting, and tore both his legs away;
1t killed five outright and MANNED
and crippled / cannot now remember
how many. l believe / never jumped
quicker or so far. l landed right be-
side the captain, and at the same in
slant bunch of brains as large as
butternut fell on his sword.
"At this moment we witnessed the
most glorious sight of our lives. A
shell from General Hunts federal
guns an Stafford's heights burst beau
tifully and exactly under the muzzle
of the gun that had wrought us such
destruction. The gun disappeared as
If it had been swallowed up in the
earth.
Andrew Smith, third from me in
the ranks, had one arm and one leg
nearly torn off by the last explosion.
Two of the men were detailed to car
ry him into town to hospital, and I
was sent with him to help.
We took him to church already
filled with the wounded. The two
others were sent back to our COM
pany, and I, being so young and look
ing it, suppose, was ordered to stay
and take care Of poor Andrew. There
was no hope for this bright boy. That
is all he was, just slim, pale faced
boy. l stayed with him and did what
l could for him until about midnight,
when he died.
where could l go then? Every.
thing in and about the city was abso.
lutely chaos. One of the doctors, or
surgeons, told me to stay there until
morning. The body of the church was
filled with wounded, They were ly-
ing close to each other on the floor
just as they had been brought from
the battlefield. The wide front vesti.
bule was the operating room. Two
tables had been improvised On one
the lacerated and wounded were cared
for. The other was used for amputa-
tions only. l found an empty box
and sat down on it in the corner and
watched them amuptate.
"That was night to remember.
They cut off legs and arms so fast
one could scarcely believe it was in
Gods own country and that he was