124 



HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY, NEW YORK. 



" Company F occupied a position directly across an open 

 road that led through the woods, and from its increased 

 exposure suiFered more than any other company. Brave 

 Capt. Knox, who commanded it, was far ahead of his men, 

 waving his sword and endeavoring to cheer them on, when 

 he was struck by a piece of shell and fell mortally wounded. 

 In quick succession fell its first and second lieutenants, 

 the former severely wounded, the last dead, while at the 

 first volley fell nearly one-half of the entire company. And 

 so along the line men and officers were falling like grain 

 before the reaper. But, praise God 1 the gallant old regi- 

 ment stood fast, and went not backward a single step. The 

 broken I'anks close up, the line blazed forth its volley again 

 and again, and though the hell in our front vomited out its 

 fiery discharges thick and fast, there was no confusion or 

 disorder. The gaps caused by our falling men were quickly 

 filled by the survivors, and the ranks, though fearfully de- 

 pleted, remained unbroken. We should surely have relief 

 soon, for ammunition already began to fail, and this un- 

 equal contest could not last long. But nearly an hour 

 passed, and no relief came, and still the contest went on. 

 The line of the regiment had become such a mere skeleton 

 that the men found a partial cover behind the trees, and 

 replenishing their cartridge-boxes from those of their fallen 

 comrades, kept up a steady fire upon the enemy's position, 

 striving, by watching the flash of his cannon, to pick off" the 

 men who served them. Col. Crane now dispatched Adj. 

 Benedict to Gen. Ruger, who commanded the brigade, with 

 the message to hurry up the relief, as his line was a mere 

 skeleton, and nearlv out of ammunition. Back came the 

 adjutant with the stern command from the general, ^to 

 have his men fix bayonets^ and hold the ground at all haz- 

 ards!' If the enemy should make a sally and charge 

 upon our shattered line, nothing could save us from disas- 

 trous overthrow, for there was no force within supporting 

 distance. Fortunately, however, the enemy, either from 

 being too much crippled himself, or from an ignorance of 

 the condition of aff"airs in his front, did not venture from 

 the cover of his works, and we were thus saved from com- 

 plete annihilation. 



" The gloom of night began to gather around the devoted 

 regiment, and we could distinguish the enemy's position 

 only by the flashes of his cannon and musketry. Suddenly 

 a thrill of joy ran through every heart, as, looking back, 

 we saw the long-looked for relief. Never was relief more 

 welcome or more needed. The long line of fresh troops 

 came up, halted, and fixed bayonets, and took their position 

 where, for over an hour, we had stood and fought in the 

 face of a fire seldom if ever equaled in severity during the 

 war. Cautiously the scattered men were gathered in, and 

 slowly moving back, lying down occasionally to escape the 

 shells of the enemy, as he at times redoubled his fire, we 

 at last got out of range, and were safe. Soon after, as night 

 set in, the fire of the rebel battery slackened, and the fight 

 became a mere desultory skirmish fire between the two 

 lines. 



" It quickly grew dark, and, exhausted and heavy-hearted, 

 our men lay down to rest. Not a company but mourned 

 the loss of some favorite member ; not a man but had lost 

 some comrade dearly loved. 



" The morning of the 26th dawned with a clear sky and 

 bright sun, and under its cheerful influences the depressed 

 spirits of our men rose to their wonted level, and no active 

 operations being ordered, time and opportunity were given 

 to look about and ascertain the precise result of yesterday's 

 contest. Parties were detailed to bring in and bury the 

 dead, and the regiment was brought together and put in 

 line to the rear of the field of operations of the previous 

 day, and now we learned the actual loss during that fright- 

 ful hour's work. 



" Twenty-four of the regiment's bravest and best men 

 fell dead on the field. Twelve more of the wounded died 

 during the night. Beside these one hundred and thirty-two 

 crippled and mutilated forms found refuge in the hospitals, 

 there to linger for a few days in agony worse than death, or 

 to escape to a life of hopeless deformity and suff*ering. 



" Among the dead were the very flower of the regiment. 

 Company B lost three of its very best men, in the persons of 

 McGuire, Greves, and Yreeland, all shot dead, while among 

 those fatally wounded was the tried and trusty Corp. Mun- 

 son, well known to many friends here as a most exemplary 

 and Christian young man. Company D, in the death of 

 young William Yan Auken, lost a splendid soldier and a 

 faithful and beloved comrade. Company F, as has been 

 stated, was terribly cut up, and mourned, in the death of 

 Capt. Knox and Lieut. Hill, two as brave and accomplished 

 officers as ever drew sword. Company K lost another true 

 and Christian young man, Sergt. Eugene Thacher. Com- 

 pany A lost its noble First Sergt. Hammond, and by the 

 severe wounding of Capt. John M. Losie (who suffered the 

 amputation of a leg) were deprived of a brave and efficient 

 commander. Two other fine soldiers were Sergt. Ben Force, 

 of Company H, and Corp. Charles Newberry, of Company 

 I. Both fell dead while bravely fighting ; men that could 

 illy be spared, their death caused a vacancy hard to be so 

 well filled again. But among so many gallant ones fallen 

 it is useless to attempt a mention of all. Each fallen one 

 was a hero, and will be ever remembered as such by his 

 surviving comrades, and a nation's gratitude will, we trust, 

 ever be accorded to them, as a part of that great host who 

 laid down their lives that the nation might live. 



" The ranks of the regiment, though so fearfully depleted, 

 were now fully reformed, and its gallant members were ready 

 for the next ordeal that the campaign might develop." 



Fighting and skirmishing were continued on the following 

 day, and, although the enemy was intrenched, on the 5th 

 of June he retreated. Sherman lost no time, but followed 

 hard upon the retreating foe. He crowded Johnston from 

 one position to another, and from June 6 to 14 was a series 

 of marches, countermarches, and skirmishes. On the 15th 

 the enemy opened an attack on our forces at Pine Knob, 

 and, after a hard fight, was repulsed with heavy loss. 



Again there was a retreat by the enemy, and again the 

 victorious trmy of Sherman followed in hot pursuit. The 

 battle of Gulp's Farm was fought on the 22d, and on the 

 27th followed the battle of Kenesaw. 



On went the flying foe before the intrepid Sherman. 

 Peach-Tree Creek battle was fought the 20th, and here 

 the gallant Major Baldwin was mortally wounded, June 

 22. After hard fighting, Sherman secured a position in 



