Chapter 78

CHAPTER LXXVIII

At this juncture our regiment was ordered to relieve a reg­iment belong to the  1^st Division, and which was in an open field, within short range of the enemy’s works, and when we came in sight they opened a heavy volley on us, but the boys moved onward with the precision of veterans.  When we reached the regiment which was sheltered in a small ravine or gully, we saw a sight we shall never forget, at least 50 men of the regiment lay stark in death, a majority of them shot in the head while the brain was oozing out of the wounds.  The sight was a sicken­ing one, none of us knew how soon we might be stretched out in the same manner.

A detail was made from the head of the company, amongst which were Jerry and Solly App, Asa B. Churchill, and others and placed under command of Serg’t Schroyer and sent out front as skirmishers.  From their advanced position the skirmishers had a full view of the rebels and their works, and at once opened up a lively fire upon them.  The fire was promptly returned and for a while our position was anything but a pleasant one.  Col. Craig had taken up his position behind a barricade of rails, and when the firing had grown warm, he called out to the Sergeant:

“Schroyer, what are you firing at?  I don’t see anything to fire at.”

“No nor you won’t if you stay behind that rail pile all day,” was the Serg’ts laconic reply.

The Colonel at once went to where Schroyer was, and taking his field glass out from its case to scan the position and see what the men were firing at. “You can them without that,” said Schroyer, when at this moment the rebel skirmishers discovered him, and then not more than 150 yards to his front the Colonel noticed a dozen or more puffs of smoke and simultaneous with the discovery came whizzing the deadly rifle ball, although he made a narrow escape, the Colonel did not stay  long enough to have them try it over, but gladly sought protection behind the friendly pile of rails.

About this time. Asa B. Churchill who had taken up a posi­tion behind an old stump, although warned by his comrades as to the danger he was in, a number of balls having struck the old stump, he raised his head above the stump to fire, and almost at the same time that his gun cracked, a rebel sharpshooter, who had range of the stump, fired at him and the fatal ball speeding true to its aim, entered poor Asa’s forehead and he stretched himself out in death without a moan.

Jack Grant, one of the substitutes of our company, and who was not quite balanced in his mind, owing to a fall he had received from a car whilst being transferred to the Western Army, walked up boldly to where Churchill was lying and picking up his rifle and facing the enemy, he shook his fists at them and then turning to the regiment cursed the officers and men, for leaving Churchill lying where he fell.  The rebels appeared to be thunderstruck at Grant’s reckless bravery, and not a shot was fired until Jack returned to cover again.

We remained in our position until nightfall when we were relieved and taken to the rear, where we were enabled to cook a cup of coffee, the first we had taken for eight hours.

After refreshing ourselves we were moved up to the remain­der of the Brigade and ordered to lay on our arms, and be ready to repel any advance that the enemy might make on us.  Everything was quiet as the grave and nothing was to be heard save the heavy breathing, with an occasional snore from the tired veterans, when at a little after midnight, without any previous signal, we were roused from our slumber by the rapid discharge of artillery and the grape and canister were flying over and among us in reckless profusion.  We seized our gun and awaited the onslaught, but the enemy did not advance on us.  Finding that they did not advance upon us we again stretched ourselves upon the ground and soon were asleep again.

When the morning dawned we found that the enemy had disappeared leaving us masters of the situation.  Our Division having captured a battery which the enemy had abandoned, fearing to remove it lest we should hear the noise and discover their intended flight.

The battle-field presented a sickening spectacle, scores of human beings were scattered over the field, many of them disfigured beyond recognition, whilst the ground was strewn thick with the equipage belonging to those who had dropped them during the day.

After breakfast, knowing full well that we would be compelled to follow the enemy, we proceeded to dig a grave and buried Asa B. Churchill, W. E. Fausnacht took a cracker box lid, and in an artistic manner painted his name, company and number of the regiment and nailed the same to the tree under which we placed Asa to rest.

On the morning of the battle Asa had expressed himself as feeling certain that he would never come out of the approaching battle alive.  Before leaving our position at noon he wanted Henry Brown, one of his messmates, to take charge of a package done up in a red silk handkerchief, with the request that if he should fall it should be sent home to his wife in Bedford County.

Brown refused to take it, saying that Churchill’s chances were just as good as his own to come out all right.  After he was killed, Brown took charge of  it, and upon opening it, we found his pocket bible, with the photographs of his wife and three children, seventy five cents in money and a letter written to his wife, which would be, as he said in it, the last she would ever receive from him.  The closing up of the letter, in which he committed his children into the hands of Him who promised to be a father to the father­less, as well as a husband to the widow, was truly affecting and the reading of it caused the tears to course down the weather beaten cheeks of many a stout hearted veteran.

The things were neatly packed up and together with a brief account of his death, place and time of his burial, were sent to the widow by the first outgoing mail.

Among the wounded men belonging to the regiment was Jeremiah Hathaway of our company, who was only slightly wounded on the arm, and who had come out of the hospital to see us start in pursuit of the fleeing Johnnies, and appeared to be in the very best of spirits, saying that he would be back in our ranks again.  Little did we think as we bid him good bye, that it would be the last time that we sho’d ever see him again.  Yet such was the case, he took gangrene in the wound, and died in a short time thereafter, and was buried in the National Cemetery, New Albany, Md., Section B, Grave 587.

Thus our loss in this engagement was two brave soldiers, men who never shirked any responsibility but always ready to go where duty called.

By 8 o’clock, a. m. we were moving in rapid pursuit of the enemy, over the route on which he had retreated and the sight which met us was anything but a pleasant one.  A large number of dead rebels were scattered along the road.  Having died while being conveyed towards the rear, they were just pitched out into a fence corner from the wagons in which they were being taken to the rear.  We passed a number of places where the enemy had put up field hospitals and the boards covered with human blood, attested to the number of victims who were deprived of limbs to appease the bloody God of war.

Where we halted at noon had been a hospital and the large number of limbs lying around unburied attested the accuracy of our aim.  In hunting around in the woods some of our boys found a wounded Johnnie completely covered with brush.  They got him out, gave him a few swallows of water, got a Surgeon to look after him, and had the satisfaction of learning that he might recover.

After dinner we crossed Costanaula River near New Echota, and continued in pursuit of the Johnnies, crossing Oothkalooga Creek a little before dark and went into camp having made a tedious march of about 11 miles.