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[102] take the boats quickly when all was ready, and after waiting about half an hour, we were told that the officers of the engineer corps could by no means induce their men to undertake the job. The proposition was then made that we man the boats ourselves. This proposition we also accepted, and, at a given signal, the men rushed to the boats, carried them to the water, jumped into them and pushed gallantly out into the stream, amidst a shower of bullets from the enemy which killed and wounded several of our men. Among the latter was Lieut.-Col. Baxter, commanding the regiment, and here the command devolved upon me. The regiment charged gallantly up the ascent, taking possession of the rifle-pits and buildings, also taking thirty-five prisoners. During this affair we lost five killed and sixteen wounded. We were afterward in two engagements, of which I have not time now to speak particularly.

It was said by the many thousands who witnessed this feat that it was the most gallant of the war, and I feel that our State should have the credit due her. I should not close without stating that the Nineteenth and Twentieth regiments of Massachusetts volunteers came to our support as soon as they possibly could, and we held the ground until the pontoon-bridge was finished and this wing of the army crossed, and did not ourselves recross again until the night of the fifteenth instant.

The following is a list of casualties of the Seventh infantry volunteers, on the eleventh and thirteenth of December, at the battle of Fredericksburgh:

killed--Lieut. Frank Emery, company G; Privates, Alonzo Wixson, company A; George Castner, company A; Corporal Joseph L. Rice, company C; privates, George Gibbons, company C ; Stephen Balcomb, company G ; Henry Crump, company I.

wounded--Lieut.-Colonel Henry Baxter, left shoulder, badly.

Company A--Corporal Patrick Furlong, arm broken; privates, Reily Falkner, hand; John G. Clark, head slight.

Company B--Privates, Ansil Billings, leg, slight; John Gibbs, hip; James E. Elliott, foot.

Company C--Lieut. Henry M. Jackson, arm broken ; Sert. Charles Oakley, hand; Corporal George W. Vaughn, hand and arm.

Company D--Privates, Jacob Lair, hip; Horace Roach, arm; Phineas Carter, leg; Edwin Gee, missing; Jacob Hinderleighter, missing.

Company E--Sergeant A. O. McDonald, limb amputated; Corporals, Ambrose Haines, face; S. S. Baldwin, shoulder; privates, Foster Blakely, leg, flesh; Daniel Dorn, face; Sanford Baymer, abdomen.

Company F--Sergt. Thomas T. Colwell, breast, slight; privates, James M. Greenfield, leg ; Eleazur B. Holmes, foot, badly; Joseph Crane, arm, slight.

Company G--Corporal John C. Sholes, arm, badly; privates, S. S. Basna, side, badly; Rodger Noble, lost a hand.

Thomas H. Hunt, Major Commanding Seventh Michigan Volunteers.


Colonel Potter's letter.

headquarters Fifty-First regiment N. Y. Volunteers, opposite Fredericksburgh, December 16, 1862.
my dear----: We started to attack Fredericksburgh and the enemy's works in the rear of it, on the morning of Friday, the twelfth, and experienced so much difficulty in getting the pontoons across, that at headquarters they began to despair. Finally, part of the Seventh Michigan, and I believe, Twentieth Massachusetts, crossed in boats, and driving the enemy from the buildings at the “tete de pont,” the bridge was completed. Gen. Franklin, I believe, had no trouble crossing his men, as he got his bridges over early and without much opposition. That day we lay in Fredericksburgh, having crossed early in the morning. On Saturday morning Couch's corps opened the action and attempted to take the enemy's works on the heights in the rear of the town by assault, but were repulsed. I was ordered at this time, about noon, to take my regiment to support a battery about to open, to cover the advance of our brigade, which renewed the attack on Counch's retiring. About half an hour after this battery opened, it was driven from the field, having suffered severely, but I held the position I had taken until nearly three P. M.

Both brigades of our division were now hard at it, and as ours, the second, which had the advance, were getting out of ammunition, I was ordered to its support. We had to cross an open plain right in the rear of the town, exposed to a plunging fire for near a quarter of a mile, intersected by two or three fences. At this time no other troops were advancing, and our fire in front was rather slack. The moment I appeared, it seemed as if every gun was turned on us — shell, shrapnel, grape, canister, round-shot, all came together and in a perfect storm. It exceeded all my previous experience and imagination, the shells bursting right in the ranks, and knocking over five or six files at a time; the ground was strewed with the dead and wounded of the troops who preceded us. We kept closed up beautifully, and came up with the rest of the brigade lying on a slight slope which formed a partial cover. We took the front and opened fire. It took scarce five minutes to get there, but about one third of my men were left dead and wounded in our track. In front of us the ground sloped down to a ravine, where I believe there is a canal. Here the enemy had rifle-pits concealed. Immediately behind rose the heights, steep and covered with brushwood on the face, crowned with earthworks and artillery, whilst sharp-shooters seemed to be concealed all over its face.

Fortunately, just where we were there was a slight elevation in the plain, from the crest of which it sloped toward the canal or heights, and by lying flat we managed to escape most of the enemy's fire, and to severely annoy his artillery


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