Captain Woollard of the 42nd Mississippi would record in his diary: We were feeling that the day, at that point at least, was ours, lo- a cloud of blue coats , fresh and eager for the fray, confronted us.. Those blue coats belonged to Colonel Rufus Dawes 6th Wisconsin Infantry, placed in reserve for just such a desperate moment as this. The Rebels were driving the Yankee infantry and artillery hard, back across and through the fields of McPhersons Ridge when Dawes and his men were called on to go in and make a heroic charge to take back the field. They were ordered to go like hell and sprinted 750 yards to reach the Chambersburg Pike and the enemy. Dawes was thrown from his horse in the early going but scrambled to his feet and recieved cheers from his men. He continued on foot and led his men to the fence and delivered a terrible volley of musket fire into the Rebels. This fire injured and unhinged the Rebel lines so bad they immediately sought cover in the nearby railroad cut. Once down in the cut they returned a murderous volley . The only problem was, once in the cut, the Rebels could not escape for the cut was too deep to climb out in many places along the line. Dawes was not aware of this and felt the only way to gain the upper hand was to order and lead a charge to check the Rebels and send them back from whence they came . Dawes collected the support of the 84th and 95th New York and shouted, Lets go for them! Forward double quick charge! Dawes yelled, and sent his men over the fences and stormed the railroad cut. Men were immediately shot down by the dozens but Dawes pushed them on demanding, Align on the colors ! Close up on the colors! As the 6th Wisconsin and its fellow regiments reached the cut they began shooting down the trapped Mississippians , yelling for their surrender. They were shot down like sheep as the struggle reached a climax that found both Union and Confederate soldiers covering the ground and inside the cut. Where is the colonel of this regiment?, Dawes exclaimed. A Confederate major answered, Here I am. Who are you? Dawes said, I am colonel of this regiment and demand your surrender ! The major calmly handed over his sword, and a chain reaction started and other officers offered Dawes their swords as well leaving Rufus clutching a large bundle of weaponry until his adjutant came to help him out. Dawes collected over 230 prisoners in the railroad cut, and gave just praise to the New York regiments as well. It was a bittersweet victory for Dawes and his men: Our bravest and best are cold in the ground or suffering on beds of anguish, Dawes lamented to his fiancée a few days after the battle. Of the 420 men under Dawes command that July morning , nearly 200 were casualties.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 01:22:10 +0000
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