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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1888)
THE WEST SHORE. 133 ried to the field hospitals, improvised some distance in the rear, out of range of shot and shell. Field hospital 1 What scenes the bare mention of that charnal place brings to the mind of the old sol dier ! Here men were brought from the front, with wounds of every description, and in eveiy conceiv able part of their bodies. Many of those poor fel lows died, either from the wounds, or, worse still, by the knife of some ineiperienced surgeon, who had secured his appointment through inflaenco, regard less of the fact that he had had no previous knowl edge or experience pertaining to the business in which he was engaged. But he was only practising on a private soldier, upon whom he could, with im punity, use the keen blade of his knife, and with the aid of his saw, sever the limbs, which, with proper treatment, might have been saved. How many brave men would be alive to-day, but for the brutal butch eries of those incompetents, who styled themselves surgeons ? We pause for an answer, and call upon the ghosts of the departed victims to rise up and give testimony in their own behalf. We know their num ber would be legion. The batUe continued with unabated fury, both ar mies fighting heroically until night spread its mantle of darkness over the combatants, compelling them to stop the further flow of human blood, for the timo. The Union general now found his lines driven well bnck on either flank, leaving them, at the close of the first day, in the shape of a horse shoe, with the con vex side toward the enemy, the right wing resting on the Nashville pike, facing west, the left wing facing east, while the center held the enemy in check from the south. Thus was the noble Union army bivou aced on the night of December 31st, 1802, watching the enemy,' who, they knew, on the morrow, would re new, with increased fury, the battle of the previous day. The following day, however, was to bo one of victory for the Union forces. During the night, large re-enforcements arrived, and on the following morning, just as the sun com menced the ascent of the eastern sky, dispelling tho heavy, black clouds, which had hung like a pall over the battle field all night, the order was given to ad vance. Nobly did the gallant heroes resjxjnd to the command of their officers, and with yells of defiance, they charged the first line of tho enemy, forcing it back upon the second, leaving hundreds of its dead and wounded on the field. Tho scenes of tho day bo foie were intensified tenfold. Near the center of the Union lines, and immedi ately to the right of the Nashville pike, in front of the -th Ohio regiment, to which Captain Norwood belonged, the rebels had stationed a battery in a thick cedar woods, with which they were making sad havoc among tho Union ranks. It becamo apparent that this battery must bo dislodged, or tho position held by the Union troops abandoned, in order to stop the awful carnage among tho men. After a consul tation, it was decided to attempt tho capturo of tho guns, and Captain Norwood's regiment was selected to perform tho hazardous undertaking. Tho battery which they were about to assault was a favorito ouo in tho rebel army, and was known as tho Now Or leans " Board of Trade Battery." Colonel Walker, in a fow brief remarks, informed his men of what was expected of them, after which Captain Norwood said " Men, in yonder woods is a rebel battery, which wo aro about to charge. Remember your formor vic tories, and let this day add yet another to tho num. ber." When tho gallant young officer finished shaking, tho men refilled their cartridgo boxes, in readiness to bo led against tho enemy. As the command was given to advance to tho at tack tho men closed up their ranks, and with set teeth and fingers firmly claspod around tho stocks of their muskets, moved forward into tho open field, knowing as they did so that many of them would not return. They moved silently forward, with unfalter. ing step, to meet tho death which was to como to many of them. As theso heroic men reached tho edgo of tho woods they raised a yell, and with fixed bayonets, and a determined look npon their faces, dashed forward, discharging a volley of musketry at tho artillerymen, as they neared the guns. Iustantly, tho cedar boughs which concealed tho guns fell to tho ground, and there belched forth from thoao terri ble weapons now double-shotted with caunUter round after round, dealing death and destruction in tho ranks of the advancing column. Although many of tho bravo boys went down, from this murder ous fire, their chargo was not checked, or, if so, for but a moment; then, with renewed yells, thoy charged up to tho very mouths of tho guns. It was a dcaprato strugglo now between tho con tending force, each fighting with a desperation never surpaed by men. Both sides fought for tho mas tery of tho guus-ono for their capture, tho other to prevent such a disaster befalling their favorito bat tery. Men were falling all round, either from tho thruat of tho deadly bayonet or tho clubbed mu ket Tho battery had now U-como useless to tho rebels, as tho Union boys were right among tho guim, giving and receiving blows a they struggled to over, como their opponent. In tho terrible encounter, Captain Norwood, with a ortion of hU company, l camo separated from his regiment, and was surround td by tho rebel. His men were falling around him,