Quiner Scrapbooks: Correspondence of the Wisconsin Volunteers, 1861-1865, Volume 3

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their work.s, came  in   sight  of tbeir  rear |.>" tho breast or pit of the stomach with a   | ^^y,^ -f j jon't have another pull back.
This morning,  before I  found our regi-
guard about 10 A. M., on Sunday, but ibcy left too f;i.?t for oar men, and eould not get at them. Our forces followed ihom all day and bivouacked in line of battle. ~ I had beon sick since we had the fight of the Kith
bullet, but be had on a buUot-procf vest- thc ball knocked him down aud made a dent in il, about an inch, but did not go through it, but it broke tbe skin and made rather a dangerous  woupd^    ^ad  he  not
of April, but I started wilh them in the i had on the vest, il would have killed him j morning, marched about si.x uiilos and dead. I could tell you of a thousand nar- gaveout; was uot strong enough lo stand Vow escapes from death which arc- tilmost I it. I got iu un ambulance and rode up wonderful, but I have not time or space lo with the bagirage and was iu the rear wilh '^•'> i^ ^"- Kvery man from colonel lo pri- them until this morniug; was not in tho -vute behaved iu the bravest manner, fight of yesterday. I came up with tho Captain Wheeler drew h'.; sword and ambulance train thia morning, but will showed himself a brick. Says he,''Oo ii; give you the particulars as near as I can boys,—give tbem h—11 Don't run for the gel them from the boys. I hope if mv devils," at the same time they were udvanc- company  ia  in another  battle  to he with    ing on ua si.'? to one, and they were driving
them, but I assure you I would at ihe same lime desire to come out safe.
Our forces started at daylight in the morning, and formed ready to advance. Companies A, G and E were ordered ahead as skirmishers ; advanced up to within about 800 yards of Fort Magruder al 12 M, and laid there until i P. M., and the ene¬ my then attacked us. Our men were not strong in force.    The  5th  V/isconsin  was
us back as fast as maa could retreat and fight; but they having poor aims and our men the best kind, our men drove tbem back after two hours hard fighting, taking about 200 prisoners, and about 100 killed, which wc buried to-day ; we have abaut :">0 of their .'* wounded here, and any amount ol aiiui. of all diacriptions aud kinds. Our Sergeant Uathaway, a.s   the enemy  was   advancing,
ment, I beard every lime that I enquired for them that they were in the hottest of tho battle, aud did the best fighting of any regiment. They took nil tho prisoners, 187 iu all—ItJO well and 27 wounded—and about 150 dead, whieh our pioneers buried to day.
Jo Rogers has just come in hero and giv¬ en me $(>0.50 to give to Mrs. Horn na a to¬ ken of esteem from uur boy.s.
Lieut. Clum was here tonight, and is going up »he York river ; was well, and he gave$<Ofc» Mrs. Hern, I gave $10, the Captain will give $10. and our hpvB will give enough to make it up to $100.00, a to¬ ken of esteem for Mrs. Uern. By so doing we wish to show our sympathy for hor loss.
I am here writing and as I write our bi\nds aro playin;;, it is thc first lime they have played in three weeks and over.
J. M. 4iori'ci>l»<>ii<trii«-c of  file  Tribuiio I'roin (tie I'lnii IteKlinriit,
ISEAI
IU \Vii,i,iA>i-nLOii, Va. ) May Oih   18G2. S
received li bullet in his knapsack, but il did ; ^^^^ Tfibune .—I hasten to give you in the center, and had the fighting to do ;1 not go through, but it went through six ^n account ofthc battle we had yestcrd^.y tho Gth Maine on our left, and the 7th thicknesses of a double blanket, striUing a ^jiij ,i,e enemy. After Ihfy cvnc'jsalcd Maine on our right. The batUe was fierce copper rivet and giving him a good start ^-j^^^j^ atrong.ioiu at to/<itown oar army fjl- ou both sides: they came out into a wheat t ahead, but '' Old Snapps,'' as Uie boys call .j^^.^.j ^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ possible, they hav. field with six reglmonts of rebels, our men    ' ' '
contesting the ground about two hundred yardfi to rear, fighting them wilh fury j and iu falling back..our force got them out of the woods and elTectually checked them, and finally drove them from the field.
Our company was deployed ahead in the woods as skirmiahers,  with  compauies   A j and G.     The enemy coming upon us with  I six  regiments  in  force, and drove in our j skirmishers.    In  that chaso  Orderly  Ser- ] geant   Hern,  of our  company,   was   shot through thc head, just abovo his ears, kill- \ ing   him  instantly.    He   was  buried   this  I morning.    Ue died fighting aa  bravely as  \ brave could be ; he was loved and respect-  ' ed by our whole regiment, nnd his plaoe is  j hard  to fill.    I havo  rc-s'-ned and he was lo have taken my place, wUhough   I   have not  got  ray  discharge  yet, but  expect it soon.    As yet, we here do not kuow the re¬ sult of yesterday's battle along our  whole lines.    You can get the report of the battle a% it comes through the press, because one m&u can sec but a small part of a battle.
We, iu our regiment, lost ten killed, and forty wounded, some of them mortally. In our company Corpornl George Thorngate was wounded in the chin—he had on e st^l-plated vest, the hall striking him in tho breast glancing up, hitting him under the chin and coming out at the mouth ; T. G. Richardson, flesh wound in the leg; R. B. W. Webster, slight wound ip the cpine, , with buck shot; Rodney Johnson  was hitjj
him, turned around and shot the rebel cole- ,._^^   ^,^^^^^ ^ ^^^^^ ^,^^ ^j^^^ ^^ ^^,^ „j^^,,^.^
nel dead from his horse, saying, " Stop your  ,j.j^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^.^^^j ^^,;^,^ j^,^,^ ^,,^, ^^.^^^_
coming this way."    Several o. our boys say    j^,^ ^^5^,^ jj,^y ^.^^^ „^t   ^^^^ ^^ _,^^^ ;„
thev are certain that It was Hathaway who *.       .     .       .      . ...,,,.       ,_      .T   1 1-- *heir onsty retreat,
killed  hun,   but Hathaway  says  his  gum.    „,,    ,   .     , .,    ,-     r       -.r   , .
,    ,      ',   . . 11      »  . 11    I      .1 »      Ibc forls along   the hue from \ orklown
smoked so that he could not  tell what  the / "
effect was; but he meant to bring   him to    « •''« •^«"'"   '''''   «<^'e of tl.o   strongo.st
pay for Sergeant Hern's death.    How it is   J^bid. but the   stragclic   movements of our
that our lo.ss is so small, I  cannot tell, but''" yo""ff comman.kr" made then soon  tra-
hick was ou our side. f'^cl from behind their g^gunllc   stronghold.
,      Capt. Bugh,   of company G, waa wound- (^"   '^'^   «'"''   ^''''^ "'^   v.erc allowed   to
ed in the hip, the ball going  clear through (^^^"'' through such   a stronghold without
I him.    It is a dangerous wound and he wiM]^^'^ Griugof a shingle shot.    Sunday evcu-
I have lo be sent homo.    As Capt. Bugh lay }^Z ^0 ^^^ '» sight of  Ibe   enemy ready to
: on thc ground, wounded,   a  rebel came up 'fe'VC us bnttlc, behiud anolbcr chain of forts
! and waa about to bayonet him ; he  caught Equally as strong as Ihosc   wc   but   a few
I the bayonet and turned it away, and at that Ihours before  marched throngh.    'I he  lii;c«
j instant a rebel major came  up and   would .fCrc formed, nml the   men  were permitted
I not let the   rebel   hurt  him.    Capt.   Bugh ,to rest lor Ihc nifjhl on their arms.    Il ruiu-
j tbon drew his sword and gave it to the ma-  ed   all that night tuil thc   next day.     But
' jor, aud thanked him for  saving  his   life ; thnt did not  stop   us Irom  niohing the at-
! but as the major received it, he also receiv- 'tack.     Knrly it.vl inortiiijg the bull opened
ed one of our Austrian bullets, killing him i^uj continued all dny long.   Every inon of
instantly.    Were it in  my power to give a,^,,^ g^^y^,, ^.^^ contc.<=ted along  the whole
discription of the battio in full I would, but,,i„^     ^^^   brigade was   stationed   on ll.c
as it is, I cannot: not being present, I have   . ..       , »,    -. 1  .    .,   i .1     • <>
', .   ',       „       ,      .       ,    ,        ''ght nud U wns our duty tl> lurn   tho Icfi
to get the particulars from hearing the boys »,    ,       , .. i,      ,.,
,? ,   . ^    . , -.      -^.Ilank   of the enemy, fetcudiiy wc  moved,
tell tbeir own stories, as   each saw it,   and ""
they all tell the same story as near as men can lell.    I have no more at present.
Yours, JAMES MILLS
until our advance hove iu sight of a strong brl on thc top of a high hiil   wilh a   smal,
stream in    front, whieh was   dimimcd   up
Our boya are making up a purse to send'^•»^^^**'? U mtV.cr diflicult lo crc-^. Tbc to Mrs. Hern, and I expect to get my pa-l^^'lf''' Wircohsiu ftowj imnu-diotely orrlcred pers and go hom^ soon. I shall not be**'^*»«'"€« •" <»« foirt, cloEcly followed by able to march again il the regiment shouiil^bc rest of the bt'lgia'dc, but to our i-urprise