The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-08-04


Gettysburg were on the left, protecting
Washington, near the Monacacy river.
After the battle they Joined the sixth
corps and were put into the third di-
vision, first brigade. Then they march
cd after Lee and were in all the cam
paigns from there until on or about
the middle of September, when they
arrived at Culpepper, Va. From there
Mr.. Howe was sent to the hospital and
on becoming able was detailed in
charge of the bakery, remaining there
nearly nine months. During the bat
tie of the Wilderness the bakery turn
ed out as high as 5000 loaves of bread
a day to supply the wounded who
were brought to the Fairfax Seminary
hospital.
After joining the regiment at Har-
per's Ferry Mr.. Howe was appointed
ambulance driver, in which capacity
he served through the battles of Win
chester, Cedar Creek, Fisher S Hill and
up through the valley to Strasburg.
During the battle of Cedar Creek, af-
ter General Wright of the sixth corps
had formed the line after the retreat,
Mr.. Howe was with the ambulance
train in the rear of the army and
with others was sent between the two
lines after colonel who was badly
wounded. When they had placed him
in the ambulance a six-pOund rebel
battery opened on them They started
for their line, which began returning
the fire, and soon were between two
armies which were firing at each other,
but Mr.. Howe went through without a
scratch. At Cedar Greek he saw Gen
eral Sheridan when the latter arrived
at the scene of action on a coal black
charger.
Mr.. Howe remained in the Shenan-
doah valley until February, staying
through the winter with the ambu-
lance, with the artillery brigade. He
reached Washington on Washington s
birthday, turned the ambulance over
to the government and reported to his
regiment at City Point. On March %
Grant ordered 4 reconnaissance to keen
the rebels back Troops were sent
down to Five Forks, where Sheridan
was stationed, and charge of picket
line against picket line was ordered
MIR. Howe was picket and after the
first charge it was found that every
fourth man in his company was dead
Late that afternoon another charge
was made and the rebel works were
taken without his company losing a
man. That evening Mr.. Howe was
sent out to dig a vidette hole, leaving
his gun sticking in the breastworks
1t was then that he ran on to q rebel
picket with a gun, but the rebel was
so scared that he obeyed the command
to " About face, forward march, trail
your gun - although Mr. Howe haf
only a spade.
Mr.. Howe was in the front line OF
| the battle in front of Petersburg. "IT
| double quick time he says, "wt
struck the rebel picket line and tn,
whole line surrendered. We never
stopped, but left them for the line
behind us. We charged double quicl
| and to the left and when we struck tht
rebel line they thought we were thei1
| picket coming in and fired overhead
| They had Il bridge laid over the ditcl
so that we could walk right on to tn,
| breastwCrks. | was next to the col
ors, and in crowding on the bridge tn,
| colors were crowded into the ditch an,
| l with them, and /, with my bayone
| stuck into the ground, assisted tn,
| color guard to place what / think wa
| the first colors on the main works il
front of Petersburg that morning. -
Then followed the use of bayonets
| clubbing with muskets and the rebel
were driven from the fort Mr.. How
captured rebel flag, but on bein,
| ordered to help form skirmish lin
to locate the rebels he had to throw
the flag down. A few days later tn
division was called up in line and /
men who had captured rebel flags wer
| presented medals of honor from Wash
ington, a 30-days' furlough and FIRE
transportation to any place in tn
United States. One of the IA was
New York man who had picked up tn
lag that Mr.. Howe had thrown down
The skirmish line was formed and
charge made, but the Johnnies nearl
| surrounded the line and a retreat wa