This narrative was read before the Tallmadge Historical Society by Elmore P. Carrothers on January 11, 1865. It provided an account of the military experiences of his brother, Charles C. Corrothers, in the Army of the Potomac in the Year 1864. [It has been transcribed with the original spelling and grammatical errors, including the multiple spellings of his surname.]

I enlisted on the 23rd of Feb 1864, at the age of 16 years and 11 months. And was mustered into an independent company of sharp shooters, at the City of Cleveland the 25th of Feb. Our commissioned officers were Capt. W. L. Stearns, 1st Lieut N. D. Meacham, 2nd Lieut Wm. H. Lawrence. We went into camp of instruction at Cleveland the 10th of March and remained untill the 21st of April. We then took the cars early on the morning of the 21st for Washington. We were furnished with cattle cars, and were so crowded that part were obliged to ride on top of the cars. At Bellaire, we were joined by six companies of the 60 O.V.I. to which we were attached as flanking companies. After riding two days and nights we arrived at Washington the morning of the third day (24th). In the afternoon we took the steamer for Allexandria and marched about three miles from the city and camped in a hollow. We here received shelter tents, open at both ends, and much resembling the roof of a building taken off and placed on the ground, accomodating two men. We spent the night in a furious rain storm and arose in the morning wet and miserable. We staid here two days and three nights, and on the morning of the third day, much to our dissatisfaction, we were armed with Springfield rifles, (a very good infantry gun but by no means a sharp shooters gun) and received marching orders. We marched all day and reached Fairfax, a distance of 20 miles at about 10 o'clock at night. I left the regiment in the afternoon and fell behind about four miles, lay down in the woods and rested untill morning. In the morning I followed on after the regiment, not having had anything to eat since the previous morning. On arriving at Fairfax I bought a biscuit, for which I paid 25 cents, which I devoured as I marched along. I with my companions caught up with the regiment about noon, as they were fording Bull Run and at night we encamped near Bristow Station. By this time my hunger became almost unendurable, but we had to lie down and try to forget it in sleep. Early in the morning we started again and soon reached Bristow Station, where we received some pork and "hard tack." We were so hungry that we could not wait to cook the pork but devoured it raw. Many of the men at so much that they made themselves sick. We marched about 6 miles further that day and encamped at Catletts Station. We remained here four days, and then marched to Warrenton Junction, two or three miles. The next day we marched 28 miles to the Rapidan, crossed the river the morning, May 6th, and were soon on the battle ground known as the Battle of the Wilderness. This day and the next we were held in reserve, in sight of the most furious fighting, but were not actively engaged. During the battle we were posted just in the rear of our lines and on the side of the road along which poured a stream of wounded men from morning till night. This situation was about as trying to nerves unused to such terrible sights as one could possibly imagine. Being just a little to the rear, within the reach of the rebel guns, within plain sight of the battle and of the wounded as they were carried off, seeing all the battles terrible effects, and not knowing what moment we would be sent into the thickest of it was certain an unenviable state of suspense. The morning of the 8th we left the battle ground (most of the rebels having left in the night), and marched all day, arriving in the vicinity of Fredericksburg, at night.

We encamped in a grove about two miles from the city. The next morning we marched about six miles from our camping place, and were deployed as skirmishers to drive the rebels out of a belt of woods on the summit of a hill near. Our company was the first to cross the river, and then we immediately deployed across the road and advanced up the hill in the face of a hot fire. Our company behaved remarkably well, steadily advancing with compound interest by the "johnny Rebs." As we advanced they fell back, and we soon were in the woods which had just been held by the enemy. We had just got into the woods when the rebels were seen advancing upon us in force, with a brigade of infantry, and a regiment of cavalry, and a bettery of artillery. Then came the order to fall back, and we retreated rapidly but in good order, giving them three volleys as we went, killing and wounding several of them. They treated us to a shower of shells and balls, several of which came so close as to make me involuntarily to duck and dodge. It is always a subject of mirth to vetrans to see the raw recruits trying to dodge the balls.

We retreated to near where the rest of the regiment was posted, and rallied on them. In the mean time the whole brigade of rebels charged on our seven companies. We received them with a well directed fire, but still they came on, when our company which had rallied and formed behind a small hill a short distance to the right of the regiment advanced and delivered their fire in the faces and on the flanks of the advancing foe. They were completely surprised at the unexpected volley, and probably overestimating our numbers fell back in some confusion. They soon rallied however, and drove us back a quarter of mile, when we were reinforced by the 2nd Michigan Volunteers, if I remember rightly. We then made a stand again, and a battery having come up it opened from a hill in our rear, and the rebels fell back, so we regained all the ground we had lost. We here retrenched ourselves. This was in reality the opening of the Battle of Spotsylvania. The next day, which was spent in strengthing our position; Gen Wilcox, in a complimentary order issued to his command made special mention of our regiment, speaking in the highest terms of our gallantry. The 11th was spent like the 10th in strengthening our position. The 12th of May came and with came the severest fighting we had at Spottsylvania. We were deploted and sent into the woods to watch the rebel movements, and were very hotly shelled for a while, but by lying flat on the ground we escaped with the loss of one man wounded. Our men became victorious here, but the rebels got the advantage about a mile to the right of us, and our regiment was sent there to reinforce.

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