The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1914-07-14


Go with me, reader of today, in
if you can and pause to
reflect what that order meant to that
handful of Minnesota boys, impatient
as they had been of Sick
es repulse. Two large brigades, each
several regiments, had
repulsed the greater part of an army
corps of veteran and tried soldiers,
and were advancing on an important
position of the battle field, and, flush
ed with their victory, were confident
of success.
They had invaded the stronghold
of the enemy in the great State of
Pennsylvania, and victory for them
might mean the turning point of the
long hard conflict. But they had not
reckoned on this handful of Mime
sofa boys in reserve there.
And what of these heroes of ours.
Every man realized in an instant
what that order meant, and was ready
for it.
"Their's not to reason whyl
Theirs but to do-and die"
No hesitation, no stopping to fire,
though the men fell thick and fast
before the concentrated fire of the
whole Confederate force, as soon as
the advance was seen and the rapio
cross fire at once became terrific
Silently, without orders and almost
from the start, double-quick hac
changed to utmost speed, for 'In ut
most speed lay the only hope,' sale
one of the survivors, "that any of Us
had of ever passing through that
storm of lead and striking The
enemy"
"Charge," shouted Col. Colville a.
we neared their first line, and will
| leveled bayonets, at full speed WI
rushed upon it, as fortunately fol
us it was slightly disordered in cross
ing dry brook or ravine at the foo
of the slope. The men were nevel
made who will stand against levelet
bayonets coming with such momen
tum and evident desperation.
The first line broke in our from
as we reached it and rushed bacl
through the second line and stoppe,
the whole advance We then poure'
in our first fire and awaiting ourselve
of such shelter as the low banks o
the dry brook afforded, held tn
whole force at bay for a time unit
the reinforcements appeared on tn
ridge we had left.
| Had the enemy rallied quickly t
counter charge, its great number
would have crushed us in momen
and we would have made but Sigh
pause in its advance. But the ferocit
of our onset seemed to paralyze Their
for the time and although they poure
/ upon US a continuous and terrific fir
from the front and enveloping flank:
they kept at respectful distanc
from our bayonets, until, before tn
added fire of our fresh reserves the
began to retire, and we were ordere
back
i What they had been ordered to d
they had done well, but at terribl
cost. Nearly every field officer wa
dead or lay yeltering with blood
i wounds, Col. Colville among them
of the two hundred and sixty-tw
who had made the charge, two hur
dred and fifteen lay upon the fell
cut down by rebel bullets; forty
seven were still in line and not
man missing. The annals of war cor
tain no parallel to this charge.
its desperate vaIor, complete execu
ton successful result and in los
of men in proposition to the nun
Der engaged, authentic history ha
no record to compare with it.
Col Fox in his very carefully pre-
pared work on "Regimental losses j
American Civil War" says, in SPEAK
ing of the second corps in this battle
THE fighting was deadly. in the ez
treme; the percentage of loss in tn
i First Minnesota, Gibbons Divisio
being without an equal in the record
d OF modern warfare
Il Gathering up their wounded com
rades under cover Of the darkness
1 and getting them to field hospital
but not able to bury their dead, thi
intrepid little band of forty-seven la
4 down on their arms exhausted an
]; almost worn out, near the plac
where they had been guarding tn
I battery in the morning.
| On the morning Of the third the
]. were joined by the absent Co It