Isaac O. Best, History of the 121st New York State Infantry

“ [71] are all shot and dead.” I went back through the woods helping along a Company F man who was wounded in the shoulder. Where I came out of the woods was farther to the left, and near where the 96th Penn. went in, and a little way out in the field was a pool of water where we stopped and filled our canteens. A great many men were scattered about in the fields all going back. I thought the 96th Penn. was still in the woods behind us, but found it was not so, when Captain Wilson came riding up and ordered us to go over to a house some distance away where our regiment was assembling. He said the enemy were now advancing through the woods and if we remained there five minutes we would all be captured. Well now, the way we got up and moved away from there must have convinced the Captain that we believed him. I went across the fields toward the house he had spoken of with a number of others, one of whom was an orderly sergeant. We kept to the left as the Rebels were firing some from the right, and got a canteen of good water from the spring near the house. A little while after I reached the regiment one of Company H's men was killed and he was the only man shot while we were there. The regiment looked but little larger than a company had looked in the morning. After dark we moved back about half a mile, and that night slept on our arms. The next morning those who had got lost, and those who had been back with the wounded and prisoners came up and increased our number considerably, but there was an awful gap in our company, more than half had been killed and wounded. I had very fortunately escaped, and with the exception of a bullet hole through the visor of my cap tearing the cloth and scratching my head, I had no mark of the conflict upon me. There was great