Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1913-07-30
STORIES
g IA MNST
AND VAR -
AWAITING A HORRIBLE DEATH
chlcaqoan Recalls Terrible Battle OF
Frederlcksbure-W Then Boy
of Only Sixteen Years.

The suspense of awaiting death for
which preparations were made again
and again, deliberately and In full
view, is told by H II. Walton, 1918
East Seyenty-fifth street, Chicago,
who was a boy of sixteen years al
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
a member of Company K, Thirty
fourth New York infantry. of Cor.
mans brigade, Sedgwicks division
The story of his experience before the
stone wall af Fredericksburg is told
as follows:
Late In the afternoon Of Decem.
Der Is our regiment, with others, was
hurried from w;tnin 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 / remember it, we had no
more than come to a halt when the
shells from the Confederate cannon
were bursting all about us.
AT this moment, behold! an officer
riding white horse dashed up to a
Confederate cannon on the hill at Gus
right. He pointed peremptorily
straight toward u.s. 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.
1t 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 II
came. This time the she'll burst
farther down the line near the middle
of the regiment, and another score or
more were either killed or mutilated
ments of agony and suspense! This
gun is swabbed. The charge Is
placed and again we see the gunner
with his thumb over the vent. Tia
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 thisi
in one second our company was
rent and torn like piece of cloth In
a hurricane. The she'll had burst ex.
actly in our midst. 1t took one man
with 1t 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 / believe / never jumped
quicker or so far. / landed right be-
side the captain, and at the same In,
slant bunch of brains as large as
butternut fell on his sword
Eat this moment we witnessed the
most glorious sight of our lives.
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
was sent with him to help.
We took him to a 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, l 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. stayed with him and did what
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 improyised. On one
the lacerated and wounded were cared
for. The other was used for amputa
tions only. / 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 1t was in
Gods own country and that he was
looking on.