Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1921-05-06
LITTLE SONGS OF SAFETY
FIRST.
WAR "REMINISCENCES
(By ]. w. Bakery
1.-THE Bloody Angle"

@'1'yJ 1OOf " LilG tOuE WHGH
| Mr. Fitzhugh was wounded. He
wrote soon after the war when the
incidents were new.
That morning we wero obliouely
in rear of the bloody angle. 1t had
rained that night. About daylight 4
heard some scattering shots. Had no
idea that n fight was going on. At
forwards heard that boys had let the
powder get wet. Western men under
Hancock IAN for Prcsident) Indian
fighters, | was told; slipped in be-
; hind our pickets, gathered them in.
and then walked into the Bloody
Angle when no man expected them.
am sure there was much truth in
this
We We're called together. heard
the talks, saw the old Georgia Ser
geant lead Traveller General Lees
| horse) to the rear; then followed
General Gordon. At the first line nv
company had one man killed and
two wounded. | know not to this day
how many were killed and wounded
at the second line. only know that
in % days. we had IS men killed and
wounded out of ~.
| But to go back to this second line:
/ We came close behind the men that
we had driven from the first line.
When they went over we were ut
hand. Just behind me Sam Hale. an
aid on his horse, cried out, "Forward
boys" (That was the last order he
ever gave. Peace to his ashes. He
. was fine.) We went ovcr-the first
that went-nnd mixed with the boys
| in blue as thick rs four in a bed The
smallest man in my company order
cd a great towering German to sur
render: When he would not Nat
Nuckols had to shoot his brains out
This man. I believe, fell on my feet.
The fighting was hand to hand, and
every foot contended for. Remember.
these were western men. No time to
load guns, and the fighting was
breast to breast. Many n fellow had
his scalp Knocked loose by a gun
| stock.
One of my company with his head
and neck all bloody. came to me after
the fight and explained to me what
: d-n fool he had been risking his
life for JEFF Davis or any other
Davis. assuring me confidentiallv
that that was the last time. Funny
things in the war. We captured moro
OF the works than we could fill.
There were two salients. My COM
pany filled the sharpest and most
extended. The other salient to our
left. in the woods, was never recap-
tured. When four men were CARRYING
me from the field Harris Mississippi
Brigade (our Major Henry was with
~ CALAMITY charged the salient but
it failed. They passed in ten feet of
me and l saw the effort. But let us
go back to the salient before 1 was
wounded:
| If uhn,f hA
the line. I could see that the enemy
in the woods to our left w ere MAX
ing ready for something. Our Colonel
j.. b. Terrill was some distance away
on the right of the Reg; so I asked
If any one could tell me where I
could find our friend with the yellow
streak. One fthe boys told me he
was in hole in the ground that had
been dug in bank for our shells. /
went and looked down into the hole
and there he was-he and a captain
wit hhim. told him what was doing
in the woods to our left-advised
him to go up there or something bad
might happen. He made me no
answer. | suppose he thought that I ;,
a sergeant, had offered him a gross
insult in speaking to him in that
way. This yellow colonel asked tn,
captain to go, but the captain shoe:
his head-evidcntly he wanted none
of it in his. Seeing I was WASTING
my time, / went back where the bows
knew nothing of yellow.
Soon the enemy came rushing
down through the woods. We waited
until they got in tire open then we
gave them n volley. The leaders turn
bled { you see our boys could shoot
off a squirrels ear) and the others
went back home.
Then I sent for our Colonel ]. B.
Terill. When l pointed to where the
enemy came out of the woods he
said must be mistaken. Then / took
him to see the dead. He praised us
every where for this days work and
for what we did six days before. In
those days no medals were given.
else we would have gathered IN
enough. Please understand that the
fight went on the whole day. On this
day the man touching shoulders with
me on the left was shot between the
cyes-six days before the man il
'ouch on my right, was shot throug',
the head. But these things wcrc
hapnening all along the line. so why
mention it?
have leg shorter and smaller
than it should be from this fight.
Tendons cut-ncrve by the side of
the fermoral artery much damaged
to this day. This was my last fight.
ice Sanner, our lion-hearted friend I