562

IN THE CRATER.

pulling men up and forming line ; "but time wastoo precious to wait for this, and Colonel Marshall,who was standing below within our works, called tome to go forward. This was done very quickly andour colors were the first to be planted on the ruinedfort. We captured several prisoners and two brassfield-pieces, light twelve-pounders, which were inthe left wing (their right) of the fort and had notbeen buried beneath the ruins. Prisoners statedthat about one thousand men were in the fort. Ifso, they were massed there over night, expecting anattack, as the fort could not accommodate so manymen; but nearly all who were within it were killedor buried alive. We succeeded in taking outmany — some whose feet would be waving abovetheir burial-place; others, having an arm, hand,or head only, uncovered; others, alive but terriblyshaken. Being convinced that a magazine wasnear the two pieces of artillery, I detailed a ser-geant and some men to search for it and to manthe guns. The magazine, containing a supply ofammunition, was found. We then hauled back thepieces of artillery to get a range over the top ofworks on a Confederate gun on our left that wasthrowing canister and grape into us. We loaded.and fired and silenced the gun, and at our firstfire forty-five prisoners came in, whom I sent toour lines. We loaded and placed the other piecein position to use on the advance of the enemy ifa counter-charge should be attempted. A chargewas made upon us, and the fire from this piece didterrible execution on their advancing lines, andwith the fire of our men they were repulsed. Onthe repulse of this charge we captured a stand ofcolors. Sergeant James S. Hill of Company C ofour regiment secured the flag in a hand-to-handencounter. J At this time General Hartranft, whostood within the crater, called for three cheers forthe members of the 14th New York Artillery whowere handling the guns, at the same time request-ing me to continue in command of them. Butother work had to be done. We charged and cap-tured the works behind the crater, but our sup-ports had not come. The delay in getting themover our own works gave the enemy a chance torecover their surprise and resume their stations attheir guns, which they opened upon our men thencrossing the field. When the colored troops ad-vanced they could not be forced beyond the “cra-ter” for some time, and when they were, weredriven back to our lines, or into the pit.

When our brigade line was forced back from theenemy’s breastworks to the crater, the coloreddivision and other troops having previously fallenback, I stopped at the crater. Only a few of the14th were there, most of them wounded. I wentthrough the crater to the wing of the fort where Ihad left the guns in charge of a sergeant, and whileI was passing through a narrow entrance GeneralHartranft, who had preceded me, called to me todrop down and crawl in, as sharp-shooters were

picking off every one passing that point, which wasin full view of the enemy. I escaped their bullets,but the next officer who came received a serious ifnot mortal wound. In this wing of the fort wereGenerals Potter, Hartranft, and S. G. Griffin, andmyself, with one or two other officers. Bartlett,who was in the pit of the crater, had received ashot, disabling his artificial leg, and he could notbe carried to the rear. Colonel E. G. Marshall, com-manding our brigade, was then on the outside of thefort. After remaining there some time and know-ing that if the stay was prolonged we would go toRichmond and to Confederate prisons, or be killed,as the enemy were on the right flank and front ofthe crater then, I decided to get back to our works.The generals tried to dissuade me, predicting suredeath to any one crossing that field, which wasswept by both artillery and infantry fire of theenemy from both directions and was so thicklystrewn with killed and wounded, both white andblack, that one disposed to be so inhuman mighthave reached the works without stepping on theground. The generals thought that a covered wayback to our lines could be dug, or if we could holdthe breach till night we could escape. The sun waspouring its fiercest heat down upon us and oursuffering wounded. No air was stirring within thecrater. It was a sickening sight: men were deadand dying all around us; blood was streamingdown the sides of the crater to the bottom, whereit gathered in pools for a time before being ab-sorbed by the hard red clay.

Corporal Bigelow of Company L was that dayserving me as orderly. When asked which he pre-ferred, to remain in the crater or attempt to reachthe works, he replied that he would follow his com-mander whichever way he decided upon. So wepassed through the embrasure looking towardour own line to prepare for the attempt. ColonelMarshall asked what I intended doing, and wheninformed, he also said it was sure death to go.I replied that it would be sure death or starvationin Confederate prisons to remain, and that if Icould reach our lines I could release all of themby opening fire so that the smoke would obscurethe field and all could come out. I gave the wordthat when the next shell came, Corporal Bigelowand I would start, keeping a little apart. We didso, and, passing through showers of bullets, wereached our line in safety and I ordered my mento open fire on the enemy’s line. They replied bya furious fire, and soon the smoke settled over thefield, and under cover of that fire all the generalofficers but Bartlett escaped. Bartlett and ColonelMarshall were captured.

The loss of our regiment that day was as follows:One lieutenant (Hartley) killed, two wounded;Colonel Marshall and Lieutenants George H. Wing(Company L), Fauss, and Grierson prisoners; and126 men killed, wounded, and missing—this fro®less than 400 taken into the charge.

) Adjutant C. II. VanBraekle and Sergeant Hill pre-sented the flag to General Ledlie to he forwarded tothe War Department , and then returned to the front.When the regiment was forced hack to our own works,Sergeant Hill was missing; he was probably killed.

For his bravery that day he was awarded a medal byCongress, which was afterward presented by GeneraMeade, in person to his company for him. He was alsocommissioned a lieutenant in the regiment. Bothmedal and commission were sent to his m other.—C. H. “ ■