The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-08-15
Roscoe
fisher
Tuesday, Aug. IS,
Charles Jerome Stockwell

burg, MarNe helgntS, oalem 1elSntS,
Fredericksburg again, Gettysburg, to
New York on the draft riot service, the
Mine Run reconnaissance and to the Will
derness. There he had an opportunity
for distinction.
1t was fine morning as the regiment
and brigade was marching along.
staff officer dashed up to the command
ing officer and handed him orders from
General Grant. They were to the effect
that the general commanding anticipat-
ed social with General Lee and desired
the Vermont brigade to lead. The order
to load and march was given and it
was the last Mr.. Fisher heard that day.
About 4 clock in the afternoon the
brigade was out of ammunition and Mr..
Fisher started back for the ammunition
trains to order more forward. On his
way back he met Generals Grant and
Hancock riding along. General Grant
inquired what troops were in his i'm
mediate front and Mr.. Fisher proudly
| il formed him. To this General Grant
replied: - guess everything is all
right if the old Vermont brigade is
there.
Mr.. Fisher felt that he knew the i'm
mediate situation better than the COM
handing general and took the liberty
of expressing emphatically his opinion
| that 10 minutes at the outside would
witness the breaking up of the line in
! front unless reinforcements and more
| ammunition were sent in at once for
| the COnfederates were constantly send
! ing fresh troops against them.
| General Grant, without an instant 5
| hesitation, ordered General Hancock to
| get some reinforcements forward at
once and promised to see that the am.
munition was rushed forward. Col
Pratt of the 4th regiment afterwards
told Mr.. Fisher that there was no doubt
that his information saved the day fol
the men were fast being annihalateG
because of the weakened line and the
fact that they had exhausted their am
munition, even to that in the cartridge
boxes of their fallen comrades
For IS hours Mr-FisheF S regiment
fought almost hand-to-hand at Spott
sylvania court house. A souvenier OF
the terrific fire on their front is to be-
seen in Washington in the shape of tn,
butt of a % inch white oak tree tina
was severed by bullets. 1t was no
long after this, on June %, 1864, while
engaged in destroying the Weldon rail
road, that Mr.. Fisher and about 3Ol
others were captured.
They were taken to Petersburg an,
stripped of everything in the way o
valuables, one Confederate SHINING tn
. knuckle of a man s hand in order t
secure a ring he coveted. From Their
they were taken to Richmond, wher
they were placed in Libby prison fo
two days, thence to Danvile prison 70
two days and nights and finally place
in box cars, 90 prisoners to a car wit
5 armed guards on top and without foo
or water travelled in that way for t
r hours before they were turned into tn
prison pen at Andersonville where 80
r. 600 Union soldiers were confined.
f The general story of this prison he
r is known to every man, woman an
n child in the country, if not in the civ
+ lied world and Mr.. Fisher s individus
l. experiences vary not one whit frol
y others told in history. The raw bear
Y served for food which the men coul
not eat as soon as the scurvy had d.
s prived them of their teeth, the carr,
|. ing out by details of those who die
O each day, the shooting of prisoners WI
t stepped over the death line, the coun
e less other tales of cruelty and depriv,
f tion that have never been successful
y refuted.
e Mr. Fisher tells of the bringing I'M
n the pen of sack of black beans
L votes for Lincoln and of white beal
4 for Mcclellan and says that there We
r not enough white beans cast to NAL
> an impression on the sack. Soon aft
TT that fear of Sherman s approach eau
o. Ell most of the prisoners to be sent
is Milan, Ga, thence to Savannah, ne
lie to brownsville and then by train
ne Albany, Ga, and then march of
ne miles on rations consisting of thr
as pints of raw meal " All of us we
barefooted and most of us naked. v
Il were again turned into the pen at A
s Jacksonville on Christmas eve. 1t hi