SOLDIER 41 



day occurred; still, though under a tremendous fire, scarce 

 a man left the ranks, till the order was given to fall back. 

 My former orderly, Holden, fell by my side pierced by three 

 balls, my sergeant lost his leg, my first corporal had a ball 

 pass through both jaws, cutting off his tongue, my second 

 one had a flesh wound in his thigh, and one of my men 

 was slightly wounded in the arm, as he stood behind me 

 and passed me a cartridge (for I used a gun all through the 

 action). There is scarcely a man in the regiment but what 

 has a bullet-hole to show in some part of his clothing, and 

 some have two or three. One had his life saved by his 

 metal tobacco-box, which received and stopped the ball. 

 Sergeant Goodwin of Co. A was wounded in his foot. It 

 is a wonder Colonel Bissell was not shot, as he constantly 

 passed up and down the line encouraging the men. Colonel 

 Birge and all four of his staff officers had horses shot under 

 them. But there was no use in our remaining under a 

 cross-fire, and we were ordered to fall back, which we did 

 while three other regiments advanced and drove our flank- 

 ers in; at the same time the 13th succeeded in flanking their 

 right and they decamped. 



"We halted for an hour, forming round the colors, and 

 then advanced by the road into the woods and here we re- 

 mained till 5 o'clock p.m., when the rebs burned their gun- 

 boats and skedaddled; but almost all the time we were con- 

 stantly annoyed by their skirmishers and shells from their 

 gun-boats and battery. Soon after entering the wood I 

 was ordered to the front with four men, to keep concealed 

 and send back reports of what the rebels were about; no 

 very pleasant job, for the balls were flying thick. I never 

 suffered so from thirst in my life as I did during the con- 



