Return The Flags !

 When I see photos like this one I wonder if Great Grand Dad is in it !

I know he was there !

I'm sure he prayed here !

So I guess you could say I have a valid interest in what happens !

God Bless all the men who were there !

The Bloodiest Fifteen Minutes of the War.

COLD HARBOR AND THE DEFENSE OF RICHMOND

By

WILLIAM MEADE DAME, D. D.

Private, First Company
Richmond Howitzers

The Bloodiest Fifteen Minutes of the War.

In our front, this artillery fire kept up for a while, then it stopped! The next moment, there was an awful rush! From every quarter their infantry came pouring on over the fields, and through the woods, yelling and firing, and coming at a run. Their columns seemed unending! Enough people to sweep our thin lines from the face of the earth! Up and down our battle line, the fierce musketry broke out. To right and left it ran, crashing and rolling like the sound of a heavy hail on a tin roof, magnified a thousand times, with the cannon pealing out in the midst of it like claps of thunder. Our line, far as the eye could reach, was ablaze with fire; and into that furious storm of death, the blue columns were swiftly urging their way.

Straight in our front one mass was advancing on us and we were hurling case-shot through their ranks,—when, suddenly! glancing to the right, we saw another column, which had rushed out of the woods on our right front, by the flank, almost upon us, not forty-five yards outside our line. Instantly we turned our guns upon them with double canister! Two or three shots doubled up the head of that column. It resolved itself into a formless crowd, that still stood stubbornly there, but could not get one step farther. And then, for three or four minutes, at short pistol range, the infantry and our Napoleon guns tore them to pieces. It was deadly, and bloody work! They were a helpless mob, now; a swarming multitude of confused men! They were falling by scores, hundreds! The mass was simply melting away under the fury of our fire. Then, they broke in panic, and headlong rout!

Many fearing to retreat under that deadly fire, dropped down behind the stumps near our line, and when the others had gone, we ordered them to come in. Several hundred prisoners were captured in this way. To show what our works were,—I saw one tall fellow jump up from behind a stump, run to our work, and with “a hop, skip, and a jump,” he leaped entirely over it, and landed inside our line. And a foolish looking fellow he was, when he picked himself up!

Just as the enemy broke, Ben Lambert, “No. 1” at “4th” gun, was severely wounded, in the right arm, just as he raised it to swab his gun. One of the boys took his place, and the fire kept on.

The great assault was over and had failed! Only ten or fifteen minutes was its fury raging! In that ten minutes, thirteen thousand Federal soldiers lay stricken, with death, or wounds. In those few moments, Grant lost nearly as many men as the whole British Army lost in the entire battle of Waterloo.

That's all folks !

Well folks, that's the the last letter that I have that is complete from William.
I hope that everyone has learned something from them.

I do have some partial, letters and diary entries but it will take me a while to present them in the proper fashion.

Y'all have a good Day !

June 2 1864

Well folks, this letter is my personal favorite, It lets me know how lucky I am to be here !

June 6 1864, A sad day for the Howitzers.

William Mead Dane, of the First Company Richmond Howitzers writes---

Death of Captain McCarthy

About six o’clock, there fell the saddest loss, to the battery, that it had yet been called to bear. Captain McCarthy stood up at the work to watch what was going on in front. One moment, I saw him, standing there;—the next instant, I heard a sharp crash, the familiar sound of a bullet striking, and McCarthy was lying, flat on his back, and motionless. We jumped to his side! Nothing to be done! A long bullet from a “globe sight” rifle had struck him, two inches over his right eye, and crashed straight through his brain. He lay without motion two or three minutes, then his chest rose, and fell, gently, once or twice, and he was still, in death.

And there, on that red field of war, with shells, and bullets whistling all about, over his dead face, dropped the tears of brave men, who loved him well, and had fought with and followed him long! We had seen his superb courage in battle; his patient bearing of hardship, his unfaltering devotion to duty always; his kind,[Pg 210] cordial comradeship! We knew him to be a soldier, every inch, and a patriot to his heart’s core!

We knew, and said, that among all her sons, Virginia had no braver son, than this one, who had died for her. Sadly we lamented—“What shall we do, in battle, and in camp, and on march, his form and face missing from among us?” There was not a sadder group of hearts along that blood-drenched line that evening, than ours, who bowed deeply sorrowing over the form of our dead captain. We took his body in our arms, and bore it to where we could place it in an ambulance.

It was sent to his home, and family, in Richmond, and buried in “Shockoe Cemetery.” And now,—after thirty-two years have passed, we, the old “Howitzers,” still carry the name of “Ned McCarthy” in our hearts! We keep his memory green; we think of him, and rank him as a typical Confederate Soldier. One who by his splendid courage and devotion shed luster upon the name.

His stalwart form has gone to dust. The light of his bright, brave face has long gone from our eyes; the soul-stirring war time—when we were with him—has long passed away. The changes and chances of this mortal life have brought many experiences to us who survived him. Our feet have wandered far, into many paths. We have toiled, and thought, and suffered, and enjoyed much, in the long years, since we last looked upon his form dead on the red field of[Pg 211] “Cold Harbor.” “The strong hours have conquered us” in many things. But—the noble memory of this man! as a patriot and a hero!

Ah! that lives in our hearts! The hearts of his comrades who, with their own eyes, saw him live and bear, and fight and die—for Virginia—and the South.

The battle of Cold Harbor ended Grant’s direct advance on Richmond. He drew off in confessed defeat and inability to go on—afterwards, he advanced by way of Petersburg.

May 23 1864

___________________________________________________________________________

I'm Glad my Great Grand Father was quick on his feet !

July 6 1864

______________________________________________________________________________


From the Richmond Times Dispatch July 6 1864----

Yankee depredations in King and Queen and King William.

A letter from a lady in King and Queen county to a friend in this city gives additional particulars of the recent depredations of the Yankees in that section. With a view to the preservation of a record of their mode of conducting warfare, we make some extracts: "The fifth Sunday in MayGrant's army commenced passing through the county, crossing at Dunkirk. For five days they were within two miles of us, near enough to see the camp fires and hear the drums and music; but only four visited us, took two mules and left. Our neighbors did not fare so well. Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Fauntleroy, Dr. Fauntleroy, Dr. Fleet and others were robbed of everything with the exception of a few negroes. Mr. Wm. Boulware's elegant residence they burned to the ground. From Mr. John Fauntleroy in King William they took all his negroes, but one child twelve months old, all his cattle, horses, sheep, corn, wheat, bacon and fowls; and Mr. Boggs they treated worse, for, in addition to the above they took his own, his wife's and children's clothing, and broke up everything in the house. They had a negro regiment encamped in old Mrs. Fauntleroy's yard. Mrs. Sterling had to cook for some of the Yankees for two days, and they were very insulting. They took forty-five negroes from Mrs. Smith, and twenty-five from Tom Fauntleroy.*** Grant's army moved on to the Chickahominy, and we were left in fancied security for nearly two weeks; but last Thursday we heard that Sheridan was at Newtown, making his way to the White House; and on Fridayevening not less than eight hundred of his gang were here. They broke in and took every piece of meat but ten, and four of those I begged them for after they took them on their horses; took every horse and mule on the place, seven in number; searched every room in the house five or six times; took every ounce of butter, two barrels of flour, all of our molasses and honey, and broke open the bee-hives; stole a great many fowls, and actually took a hen off the nest that she had been setting two weeks, and sucked the eggs! Yesterday evening we saw the scenes of Friday again enacted. Over a thousand were here, ransacking every hole and corner. They took nearly all of our corn, but found little to eat. Out of the two thousand I did not see more than two gentlemen. The officers were no better than the privates, and some were very impudent. I spoke my mind very freely to every one, feeling no fear, but gave them word for word. One said to me--"Don't you wish every d — n Yankee was in hell?" I told him "Yes, provided they could not get to a worse place; but my opinion was that hell was too good for them." He said "God had nothing to do with them; that they had neither souls nor hearts."

Freedom Sweet Freedom !

May 16 1864

____________________________________________________________________________
Thursday May 12 1864
It was around 4:30 in the morning when Hancock’s Union line opened its charge on the entrenched Confederates of Ewell’s corps. The sneak attack worked well, too--the Federals took some 4000 prisoners including two generals, and large numbers of artillery pieces, other arms and stands of colors. Wright attacked the Confederate left and the fighting went on until after midnight. Warren was supposed to attack the far left, but was late. This would not look good on his resume.

HEY "ANDY HALL" ! !

Andy Hall I’ve never ducked your questions and I hope you won’t duck this one!

VA State Law / (§ 15.2-1812)

 “it shall be unlawful for the authorities of the locality, or any other person or persons, to disturb or interfere with any monuments or memorials so erected, or to prevent its citizens from taking proper measures and exercising proper means for the protection, preservation and care of same. For purposes of this section, "disturb or interfere with" includes removal of, damaging or defacing monuments or memorials, or, in the case of the War Between the States, the placement of Union markings or monuments on previously designated Confederate memorials or the placement of Confederate markings or monuments on previously designated Union memorials.”

Now then, I took this picture Saturday right behind the VMFA, and sure as shootin there is a Union Flag on the grounds of a Confederate memorial !

Whacha think Bubba ?

Is this a violation of the law ?

Now then, I fully expect a song and Dance.

Or perhaps you will give me the answer to a question I didn't ask !

The Balls in your court Bubba !

Ya ain't never shucked and jived me before, don't start now!

April 26 1864

I guess their are no atheist in fox holes ! 

Take a Moment Today !

As Americans, North and South lets all take a moment today to put our different opinions aside.

April 4 1864

March 30 1864, JC gets into the swing of things.

Aug 8 2012

So I went flaggin today, and did some other stuff !

Flaggin at the VMFA, we had a few positive conversations, so I wonder why You Yankee bloggers are saying we have no effect, educating folks one at a time works for me !

______________________________________________________________________________

I also went to the Virginia Historical Society a few doors down,

 and started making photos of Williams letters (till my camera died) !

 

That proof enough for ya KB ?

________________________________________________________________________

And Andy Hall you old so and so, you seem to know a lot, so tell me what is wrong in this picture.

It is a violation of the law !!

All in all I had a fine day!

March 7 1864, J C Tatum joins !

This is my Grand Son JC Tatum,
 named after my Great Grand Father who in this letter has joined the Richmond Howitzers.

Dec 23 1863

Dec 10 1863

Nov 6 1863

Summer 1863

Aug 31st 1863

Aug 9 1863- "I often think when this war is over"---