The Maine bugle ... campaign; 1-5 Jan. 1894-Oct. 1898 - Maine.gov

138 THE MAINE BUGLE.
served in Maine rejjiments and look liack to the northern state with pride for her noble
sons, given in defense of the nation. The Maine soldier, wherever living, is proud of
the record made hy the Maine men. Keep sendinj^ the lUc.i.K and T will respond to
its call.
SOUNDINC TO-MCIIT Cl.IvVR AND DISTINCT.
LuTHKR TiBBF/rrs, Co. I. 1st Me. Cav. of Limerick, Me. writes:
I have just received the January number of the Bfci.i"., which I prize very much, for
it is very interesting. The First Maine Cavalry is very dear to me and I feel proud to
think that I belonged to so good a regiment. Now, General, I suppose you well re-
meml)er our roll call in winter quarters; early in the morning every member of the
company as his name was called would sing out, "Here!" quite often some of our
tent mates would be absent at roll call, so some of the company knowing where the ab-
sent one was would answer for him saying, "To the rear." Now I must answer the
same for myself, 1 am to the rear and have been for a long while, but I am gaining on
the column for I have been hearing the old First Maine bugle notes sounding tonight
clear and distinct. Yes, I got so near that I have even heard your own voice calling
on nie to hurry up.
THK FIRST EXl'EKIKNCE OF A K,\W RFCRl IT.
LirniKR TiHHKTis, Co. I, ist Me. Cav. of Limerick, Me., writes:
Agreeable to promise, I will give you my experience as a new recruit, while on the
transport from Boston to City Point. I was thinking how I could go into l)attle and
stand up as a deliberate object to be shot at. I thought it all over and at last decided
on a good way out of the dilemna, vi/. : to keep as near the captain of the company as
I could, believing he would not expose himself to danger. The next day after joining
the regiment we met the enemy and soon I found out that I was following the wrong
man to escape the thickest of the fight. I kept near him until he got his revolver
knocked out of his hand, letting one of his lingers go with it, yet after he lost his finger
he sang out "Close up there on the left ! forward ! " that cool order gave me to under-
stand that the man I was following was liound to win or die in the attempt. This was
the last I saw of our brave captain until the next morning. The fight during the day I
called a savage one, our regiment losing over eighty men in killed, wounded and miss-
ing. Well, the next morning I met our wounded captain at or near the Weldon R. R.
He came to me and asked nic how I liked ihc fun the day before. My answer was, " I
said before I left home I wanted to see one good fight, and I had seen one and I was
all ready to go home." Imagine my feelings when Corp. Webber, hearing our conver-
sation, stepped u]) and said that was not a fight, only a skirmish. " Well," I said, " if
that is what you call a skirmish it was only a skirmish that I wanted to see. I have no
hankering to see a light." I thought it was rather rough on a raw recruit, putting him
into such a skirmish, the next day after joining the regiment. The l)oys called the
fight the " liull Pen." It was rightly named, for it seemed to me we were in the pen
and the Johnnies all around us. Our brave Cajit. Chadbourne, or I should say major,
has gone to join that grand army ai)ove. (iod bless him. I'.nclosed please find one
dollar for the Maink Buci.f.. I will send you one dollar each ([uarter until I catch up
with the column for I do not like to be at the rear. Cleneral, hold the fort for I am
coming. Next month I will do what 1 can. 1 will also try to renienii)er something of