We got there just in time to meet our flying troops, as they were in the act of abandoning a hill which it was important for us to hold. With a cheer our regiment went up the hill and took the places of those who had fled, meeting the advancing rebels with a volley which sent them flying back to the woods. We then held the hill the rest of the day. Our company had four men wounded at the hill; who, with the one before mentioned wounded in the woods at our left, made five wounded in this days fight. As night closed over the field of battle the din of arms gradually ceased, and we prepared to compose ourselves to rest as comfortably as circumstances would allow on the battlefield. The next morning, the 13th we awoke in a miserable plight enough. Many of us, and I was of the number, had not a vestige of covering except our clothes, not even an overcoat, and it rained in torrents nearly all night. I, in common with many of my comrads, was as wet as if I had ducked in a river. We took off our clothes, wrung them out, built a large fire, and dried and warmed ourselves a little, and then began throwing up intranchments. We were bothered some by rebel sharp shooters, but luckily none of our company were hurt. The next day we occupied the works we had thrown up, but were obliged to lie close on account of the rebel sharp shooters. S. Ervin Wright came in on the 17th of May from the hospital at Cleveland where we had left him. The next day, we received orders to march at 4 o'clock in the morning, but just as we had fallen into line and were ready to start, the rebels made an attack on our lines a little to our right, but were repulsed by Gen Potter. Our brigade were marched out of their intrenchments and formed in line near the edge of some woods, and awaited the expected charge of the enemy. But they did not attack us here, probably on account of their defeat by Gen Potter. We were shelled considerably and one man in our company was wounded by the fragment of a shell. After the fight I was detailed for picket. I was releived from picket duty the morning of the 19th, and we marched to the left a distance of about 5 miles and intrenched. The second day after, we left our intrenchments and marched toward Richmond. We marched all night and all next day. We marched all day the 23rd, and encamped near the North Anna river, where we found our forces on one side of the river and the rebels on the other, while sharp fighting was going on across the river, the rebels having got possession of and holding the bridge. We lay still untill the next afternoon and then moved down to the river and halted by the roadside, where we remained all night and untill the afternoon the next day. We were the recipients of a few shells, which, however, did no damage; but we suffered some from sharp shooters. We had one man killed in our company as we were marching back a short distance in the afternoon to build breastworks. We occupied these breastworks that night and the following day. We started before daylight the morning of the 27th, and marched till midnight, and started again early the next morning, and marched all day and untill nearly two o'clk at night, crossed the Pamunkey on pontoons and encamped. Of our company of about 80 men, only 8 or 10 kept up and crossed the river. And I was one of them, but it seemed as if I was nearly dead when we stopped. We started on the morning of the 29th, and marched 5 or 6 miles and encamped, and remained there untill the next morning when we went about 6 miles further and entrenched ourselves working all night on our breatworks. The next day we spent in marching around upon the field and building breastworks. The next day, the 1st of June, we drew rations and started from our intrenchments for a long march, as we supposed in the direction of Richmond, but we had not gone far before the rattling of musketry informed us, that the rebels had followed us and attacked our rear, when we had marched about 3 miles. For a few moments, there was considerable confusion; but our General quickly chose his position, the troops were brought into position on the double quick, artillery came back on the gallop, and opening their fire the thunder of cannon was soon mingled with the fierce rattle of musketry. The tumult of battle rapidly increased as the fight became general and neared us, our rear guard being slowly driven back by five time their number. As they fell back they rallied on our lines, and with these reinforcements again stubbornly resisted the advancing column of the enemy, and held them in check untill night closed the fight in torrents of rain. During the day our Brigade was not actively engaged as they were supporting the 7th Maine Battery. Quite a number shells fell within a rod or two of us but without doing any damage. The next morning we marched to the front, and our company with one other was deployed as skirmishers and sent into the woods to feel the rebel position. We went forward till we came to their first line of works, which were abandoned. We then went to the next line, which was also abandoned. Crossing these we came up to within about 6 rods of the third line or works, when suddenly as if by magic, a line of men arose from behind them and poured a perfect storm of bullets into our faces, but strangely enough, without hitting any of us. We gave them a volley in return and then ran; and we did run that time in earnest. When I saw the line of men getting up it flashed across my mind that we should get a volley, and I sprang for a tree some feet ahead of me and got behind that, thus saving myself from the danger of being shot. After firing my gun at them, I looked around for the rest of the company and somewhat to my alarm, I saw that they were running and had a good deal the start of me; so I thought I had better get away from that place while there was some chance; so I started and if I even got over the ground fast it was then, untill I got behind a hill and out of danger. The next day the rebels shelled us continually, but nearly all the shells went too high to do much execution. We were in a heavy pine forest, and every few minutes the shells flying through the timber would cut off limbs and whole treetops, and we could mark the course of each shell by the falling branches and trees. The ground before night was completely strewn with tree tops and branches. One of our men lost his foot by a shell and several were severely wounded, some by shells and some by falling branches. At night we moved towards the extreme right and occupied some works within about 40 rods of the rebels. During the night however, the rebels evacuated their works, and the next day we spent in foraging on a plantation nearby which had been occupied by the rebels. We got a good many sweet and Irish potatoes, pigs, chickens, cornmeal, etc. Just before night we moved toward the extreme right and relieved some of the 2nd army corps. Our works were about 40 rods from the rebels. The following day I was sent out on picket and had a pretty brisk time. The rebel pickets watched us carefully and fired close. At this time another company joined our regiment. On the 7th of June, the rebels charged, and captured a part of our works and some prisoners, and killed and wounded some of our men. I was sent out with a detachment to retake the works, which after a hard fight we succeeded in doing. There was a detail of 5 from our company and I was the only one of them unhurt. After driving them out we occupied the works, and their sharp shooters took their position within 20 rods of us and annoyed considerably, wounding several of our men. We suffered most from a certain pit containing two of them. So at night with a companion, I crept out so as to get on their flank, and dug a hold among the roots of a tree, and waited till day light. I got close to the body of the tree and watched. Pretty soon, just as it was getting light, one of them got out of his hole, and crawled back about ten feet and stopped. He was squatted down close to the ground when I drew a bead on him and fired. He gave one spring forward and went into his hole head first, and that was the last I saw of him. We lay still till about noon, and then crawled back to a ravine a little to our rear, and followed the ravine to our lines, and got in unhurt. We were not bothered any more from that hole. We remained here untill the evening of the 12th. On the 10th, we received our first mail since we left Alexandria. I got 11 letters and about a dozen papers. We marched all night the 12th and all the next day, only stopping a few times for a few minutes to rest, going in the direction of the James River, south of Richmond. The next morning we started again and marched all day, and encamped within a mile of the James River, near Wilcox Landing. We rested untill the next evening, and then crossed the James River on a pontoon bridge over half a mile long.

We marched all that night and the next day as fast as we could go, and that evening June 16th, 1864, we arrived on the battle ground in front of Petersburg. The next day we marched to the right a mile or two, and were held in reserve in a ravine till about 4 o'clock P.M. We then went forward, and lay on the side of a hill in sight of a rebel battery, which paid us their compliments in the shape of a furious shelling, which, however, did but little damage. We lay here about an hour, when the other two brigades of our division were ordered to charge. As they charged up the hill a gap was formed in the lines, and it was feared that the rebs would break them. A staff of officer came up to the Colonel commanding our brigade, and asked him if he had a regiment he could depend on, and if so send it to fill up the gap. The colonel turned and ordered the 60th Ohio to fall in and fix bayonets. As we were fixing bayonets a bullet struck him in the neck and he fell severely wounded. He stood within ten feet of me and our Captain ordered some of us to carry him back. At first no one moved, so I sprang forward and caught him by the shoulder. Three men followed and we started to carry him back but the movement seemed to bring him to, and he commenced kicking and swearing at us, telling us to take him back and lay him in the pit, which we at last did, and then followed the regiment, which was starting up the hill. On reaching the top we were halted and we commenced firing, lying down to load and getting up to fire. We were within 12 rods of the rebel lines, and without cover, while they were in breastworks. It was about six o'clock P.M. when we charged, and we staid on the hill till after 11 o'clock. About ten o'clock the regiment on our left gave way and ran losing one of their flags, which we retook. A few minutes after the regiment on our right gave way, and in about an hour our ammunition gave out. By this time we had lost about half our officers, and near half our men, and we were ordered to fall back. Our company went in with 22 men and came out with only 8 unhurt.

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Copyright © 2001, Jennifer Volker