A. Taggart of Co. B sprang forward and secured the colors, for which act of bravery he received a medal.* One brave corporal becoming somewhat separated from his comrades encountered a Confederate officer whose surrender he demanded and on receiving a refusal shot him, inflicting a fatal wound. As the wounded man fell the corporal bent over him, saying: "I am sorry that I had to shoot you! I am a Christian, and if you wish I will pray with you; it is all I can do for you now." The offer was thankfully accepted, and while the tempest of battle raged near them the earnest voice of prayer rose in behalf of the departing spirit. At its close the dying officer joined in the "Amen," gave his sword to the young soldier with a message for his wife, when the latter, who had been fired at on the supposition that he was committing a robbery, resumed his rifle and continued the battle. Though the loss was severe, it was found to be far less than might have been expected from the ferocity of the conflict. Nine had been killed and thirty-one wounded, several of the latter fatally and nearly all seriously. The killed were: Co. B-Corp. Henry L. Messinger and Edgar N. Phelps. C-Sergt. Samuel M. Bolton and Charles Blakesley. D-Corp. Timothy D. Smith. E-William H. Henderson. F-William F. Leggett. H-Sergt. David B. Miller. K--Timothy Mullin. Capt. Walter B. Smith and Lieut. Harrie A. Cushman were severely wounded in the early part of the engagement-the former by a charge of "buck and ball" in the thigh received at short range. The loss in non-commissioned officers was especially Four first sergeants were wounded -Warner of E, Cowles of D, Freeman of B, and Partridge of H, the three latter fatally. Sergt. Bolton of Co. C, who was killed, was one of the transfers from the 10th, a fine soldier, who in the closing battle of the rebellion crowned nearly four years of faithful service by the supreme sacrifice. severe. * These medals had been authorized by a resolution of Congress approved July 12, 1862, "to provide for the presentation of Medals of Honor to the enlisted men of the army and volunteer forces who have distinguished, or may distinguish, themselves in battle during the present rebellion." On the back of the medal was engraved, "The Congress, to Private Charles A. Taggart, Co. B, 37th Mass. Vols." That these medals were not promiscuously distributed is sufficiently attested by the fact that but eighteen were bestowed on Massachusetts soldiers. That night our boys camped near the battle field, and the succeeding two days were occupied in following up the retreating fragments of the Confederate army. On the night of the 6th Lee had retired across the Appomattox at High Bridge with what was left to him of the hungry, broken, dispirited army, but before the bridges behind him could be destroyed the 2d Corps was rushing across and the pursuit was unbroken. The 8th found his forces hopelessly hemmed in at Appomattox Court House, the Federal troops closing in resistlessly and General Grant demanding his surrender to save the further waste of life. There was one more desperate attempt on the morning of the 9th to force the thin lines through the cavalry environment which Sheridan had placed between the Confederates and further retreat, but the pushing back of the dismounted horsemen only disclosed the advancing bayonets of the Army of the James, and the white flag which preceded formal surrender took the place of the Stars and Bars. As the fact of Lee's surrender became generally known through the Union army that afternoon there was joy too wild, too deep, too sincere for utterance in formal words. Cannon thundered, men shouted themselves hoarse, then pitched their shelter tents for the first time since leaving winter quarters and lay within them with the strange realization that there was no longer an opposing army to be watched and feared. Our regiment enjoyed a night and a day of unbroken rest and were then ordered to report back to Burkesville, for which place they started on the morning of the 11th in a drizzling rain, marching twenty miles toward Farmville over the road by which they had moved toward Appomattox. Both the rain and the march continued for two days longer, camp being pitched near Burkesville on the afternoon of the 13th in a beautiful pine grove. There the regiment remained for ten days, during which time every heart was inexpressibly saddened by the news of the assassination of President Lincoln. During this time occurred the last muster of officers - Dr. Charles E. Inches, of Boston, on the 13th as assistant surgeon, and on the 15th 2d Lieut. James O'Connor of Co. G as 1st lieutenant of Co. C, vice Jones, promoted. Surgeon Inches was a young man, enthusiastic and ambitious in his profession, with a heart overflowing with kindness for his fellow-beings; and brief as was his service and happily free from the ravages of battle, his tender humanity won prompt and heartfelt appreciation from every member of the regiment. Meantime in every direction the end of the armed rebellion was approaching. General Sherman after tarrying at Savannah for some weeks had moved forward in resistless force to Columbia, S. C., whence he swept straight through the Carolinas toward Richmond, driving before him the remnants of the Confederate forces which General Johnston was striving to gather somewhere for a determined stand. Fort Fisher, guarding the harbor of Wilmington, N. C., having fallen before the determined assault of General Terry, and Wilmington itself before General Schofield's 23d Corps, which had been brought to the Carolina coast by way of Washington, these forces were transferred to New-Berne, and moved--though not without opposition. and some sharp fighting-toward the center of the state to intersect the line of Sherman's march. Hardee had evacuated Charleston on hearing of Sherman's movement, lighting fires which burned most of the city and killed two hundred of the inhabitants by an explosion, and at Averasboro had a sharp engagement with some of Sherman's forces on the 16th of March. This was followed by the more determined battle of Bentonville, three days later, in which Johnston succeeded in checking the column uuder General Slocum from the 19th to the 21st, when Sherman having concentrated an enveloping force the Confederate commander retired during the night and the march of the Union army was resumed. At Goldsboro, Sherman formed a connection with Schofield, and halted to rest his exhausted troops, communication being opened by rail with New-Berne, but on the 10th of April the campaign was resumed. Next day the tidings of Lee's surrender were received, and Raleigh was occupied on the 13th; the day following Johnston sent in a flag of truce and from the armistice which resulted his surrender ensued on the 26th. In his case as in that of Lee, the hungry Confederate soldiers were supplied with rations by the government they had so long fought against, and at once started for their homes to resume the pursuits of peace and begin the great task of repairing the ravages of war. Meantime the 6th Corps had been ordered from Burkesville to Danville, on the North Carolina border, one hundred miles away, and on the morning of the 23d set forth. The roads, fol lowing the general direction of the railroad, were good and the weather was quite favorable, which with the encouragement received from recent events gave the troops great heart and strength for whatever trials might be deemed necessary. Twenty-five miles were made the first day and twenty the next, bringing the corps to bivouac on the banks of the Staunton river. Soon after dark of the 27th our regiment as rear guard of the corps passed through Danville and a mile beyond went into camp. As the corps approached the city, which is situated on the south bank of the Dan river, an attempt was made by some of the bitter inhabitants to burn the bridge, but the mayor and the more sensible citizens protested so vigorously that the purpose was abandoned. To the right on an elevation a fort with six guns commanding the bridge looked grimly down, but it had no garrison and was simply a reminder of the days which had passed. The city had also been a depot for Union prisoners, but such as were there had been released and with joy had hurried to the now all-potent protection of the triumphant Stars and Stripes. Reliable intelligence of Johnston's surrender, which had been prematurely rumored, was received on the following day, and then it was even more vividly realized that with the dispersion of the last formidable armed force the existence of the rebellion practically ceased, that the long looked for day had come when there was in reality but one Country beneath one Flag. A TOWN OF RUINS. How Harper's Ferry and its Romantic Surroundings Now Look. BATTLE FIELDS OF THE VALLEY. * Antietam from Bolivar Heights.—Kernstown and Cedar Creek. By C. H. H. @ HARPER'S FERRY, July 15, 1886. ERY desolate is the appearance of this town at the present time. It is like a country cemetery with half the gravestones knocked down. It is a town of ruins. Everything is in decay. Everybody is asleep. In years past the roar of artillery about the mountain peaks kept things in a tolerably lively state. In these days the nearest approach to a warlike sound is the occasional crack of the sportsman's rifle. The puffing of an engine is about the only noise which awakens the echoes. The only excitement is when the express trains from Washington draw up to the little depot. Then every boy in town swarms upon the unsuspecting traveler like a hive of bees and insists upon disposing of a basket of cherries and hardboiled eggs and indigestible pies. In a moment more the train scoots up the bank of the Potomac and threads its way through the mountains to the west, or follows along the Shenandoah and rushes up the fertile valley of Virginia, and Harper's Ferry sinks back into its sleepy state and waits for something else to turn up. There is not another such tumble-down place on the earth. The main street runs up hill at an angle of forty-five |