Echoes from the Sixties [Part 2]

Soon the shouts of the enemy immediately in our front, warned us that they were advancing, and every man stood ready to receive them, feeling that on him alone, depended the issue of the battle. The shock came at last, and almost in an instant, the regiment on my right was overpowered by numbers and obliged to give way, and before the situation could be comprehended, the enemy were swarming on both flanks of my regiment, and pouring a murderous fire into our ranks from right to left which was returned by my men with good effect. At this critical moment, I received orders to fall back, and giving them a heavy volley, retired slowly and in good order.

My regiment was obliged to retreat a long distance across an open field without cover, and here many of my men fell. On reaching the first cover, I rallied my command and retired in good order, the enemy having been repulsed by the batteries.

Notwithstanding the disadvantage of the position and the overpowering force of the enemy, all my officers and men fought with desperate bravery, and with an energy that deserved better success.

In this engagement I lost in killed, wounded, and missing, six officers and seventy men, making a total for the day, nine officers and eighty-eight men as follows:

Second Lieut. Cyrus W. Brann, Co. G, killed.

Capt. Albert L. Dearing, Co. H, wounded severely.

Second Lieut. Smith G. Bailey, Co. H, since died.

Second Lieut. John H. Stevens, Co. B, wounded slightly.

First Lieut. Wm. E. Stevens, Co. B, wounded and missing.

Second Lieut. Frank G. Patterson, Co. D, wounded and missing.

killed.

Private	James C. Higgins	Co.	E.
"	Albion Ross	"	"
"	Peter Reaver	"	F.
"	John Norris	"	"
"	James Miller	"	I
"	Samuel Y. Shaw	"	"

wounded.

Private	Isaac N. Linscott	Co.	A.
"	Rishworth I. York	"	B.
"	Oliver B. Adams	"	"
"	Elliott Moore	"	"
"	M. S. Roberts	"	"
Corp.	William Sawyer	"	C.
Private	Michael Thyne	"	"
"	John Cilley	"	"
"	E. J. Bryant	"	"
"	Wm. Larrabee	"	"
"	Thomas Stuart	"	D.
"	Collins P. Thomson	"	"
"	Wm. A. Walker	"	"
"	S. D. Hatch	"	"
Sergt.	Henry Murphy	"	E.
Private	Wm. E. Morton	"	"
Corp.	E. H. Milliken	"	F.
"	I. F. Rogers	"	"
"	T. McGorivan	"	"
"	Chas. Teiling	"	"
Private	Wm. Connely	"	"
"	James Smith	"	"
"	Wm. Tobey	"	"
"	John Lorrey	"	"
"	Patrick Conner	"	"
"	J. C. Manley	"	"
"	Edward Trimer	"	"
"	Henry Soule	"	G.
"	James G. Dow, since died.	"	H.
Corp.	R. B. Kimball	"	"
"	John Conlin	"	"
Sergt.	Washington F. Brown, since died.	"	I.
Corp.	A. M. Whitman	"	"
Private	E. G. Sturgis	"	"
Sergt.	Horatio Bumpus	"	K.
Private	Donald McDonald	"	"
"	Edwin A. Hackett	"	"

missing.

Sergt.	Osgood W. Rogers	Co.	A.
Corp.	F. B. Nesbett	"	B.
"	Edwin Meserve	"	"
Private	Prentice M. Cousens	"	"
"	William Stevens	"	"
"	Thomas Churchill	"	C.
Corp.	J. T. Bussick	"	"
Private	Chas. E. Mariner	"	D.
"	Thomas Jewett	"	"
"	Daniel Leary	"	"
"	George B. French	"	E.
"	Geo. Devine	"	G.
Sergt.	R. S. Twombly	"	H.
Private	John Benner	"	"
"	Martin Brannan	"	"
"	John Grant	"	"
"	M. C. Walker	"	I.
"	Thomas Adams	"	"
Corp.	Henry H. Hutchinson	"	K.
"	S. H. Hutchinson	"	"
"	Geo. W. Grant	"	"
"	Joseph Q. Edmunds	"	"
Private	W. H. Dwinell	"	"
"	Chas. Andrews	"	"
"	Chas. Frost	"	"
"	Hiram M. Cash	"	"
"	Chas. A. Richardson	"	"

On the following day (Monday) my regiment supported batteries during the whole day but did not become engaged, and at night was thrown out as skirmishers to cover the crossing of the river and was one of the last two to cross over.

Respectfully yours,
C. S. Edwards,
Colonel Commanding.

[Note—Col. Edwards has written an article concerning the battles included in the above report, in which he tells more of the Bethel men who participated in those bloody conflicts. We shall publish the same in our next issue.—Ed.]