American poet Walt Whitman also wrote many prose pieces. He was present in Washington, D.C. at the start of the Civil War, and watched the defeated Union Army return from the First Battle of Bull Run. My 2x great grandfather may have been the soldiers he saw.
This is the first paragraph of the article I found on the Bartleby.com website.
Battle of Bull Run, July, 1861
ALL this sort of feeling was destin’d to be arrested and revers’d by a terrible shock—the battle of first Bull Run—certainly, as we now know it, one of the most singular fights on record. (All battles, and their results, are far more matters of accident than is generally thought; but this was throughout a casualty, a chance. Each side supposed it had won, till the last moment. One had, in point of fact, just the same right to be routed as the other. By a fiction, or series of fictions, the national forces at the last moment exploded in a panic and fled from the field.) The defeated troops commenced pouring into Washington over the Long Bridge at daylight on Monday, 22d—day drizzling all through with rain. The Saturday and Sunday of the battle (20th, 21st,) had been parch’d and hot to an extreme—the dust, the grime and smoke, in layers, sweated in, follow’d by other layers again sweated in, absorb’d by those excited souls—their clothes all saturated with the clay-powder filling the air—stirr’d up everywhere on the dry roads and trodden fields by the regiments, swarming wagons, artillery, &c.—all the men with this coating of murk and sweat and rain, now recoiling back, pouring over the Long Bridge—a horrible march of twenty miles, returning to Washington baffled, humiliated, panic-struck. Where are the vaunts, and the proud boasts with which you went forth? Where are your banners, and your bands of music, and your ropes to bring back your prisoners? Well, there isn’t a band playing—and there isn’t a flag but clings ashamed and lank to its staff.
Showing posts with label Bull Run. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bull Run. Show all posts
Sunday, July 21, 2019
ASA ELLINGWOOD AT FIRST BULL RUN
Today is the 158th anniversary of the First Battle of Bull Run, My2x great grandfather Asa Freeman Ellingwood was there and was injured in the retreat of the Union forces, and some years later he applied for a Civil War Disability Pension. I obtained a copy of his claim and blogged about it back in 2011, and thought I'd repost part ofnAsa's memories of his experience and injuries for this anniversary.
There are some parts that I wasn't able to make out and other words which are my best guesses
at meaning, The latter are indicated by (?). Other that that the grammar and
punctuation are as they appear on the original document.
Q: Where, when and how did you incur the two alleged ruptures.
A: While I was a member of Co.I 5th Me. at the first battle of Bull Run on the
21st of July 1861 I was helping a man by the name of Perry who died afterwards
off the field when the Col. Mark H. Dunnell who was riding by the side of us
swung his horse around and knocked me down with the man I was helping
on top of me. We were both knocked over. We were on the retreat from Bull
Run in the woods at the time and when I was knocked over I was knocked
over a log and it was at that time I was knocked down when I was ruptured
on both sides. The right side and the left side.
Q: Is this affidavit I now show you dated and executed Nov 12 th 1880 in
which you state that you received one rupture in 1861 and in in March of 1862
signed by you.
A: Yes sir it is
Q: How do you explain the discrepancy in prior(?) affidavit and your statement
of today.
A:They misunderstood me when they made the affidavit for I never knew that
I had stated any such thing for I never got any rupture in 1862. They were both
(illegible) me in 1861 just after2 injuries by the horse.
Q: Were you sent to Hospital at the time you say you were knocked down and run
over Col Mark Dunnell's horse.
A: No sir I was not in the Hospital at any time. We had no Hospital at that time.
Q: How long after you were run over or knocked down was it before you felt or
knew you were ruptured.
A: I felt it the same day
Q: Who knew of your rupture at the time.
A:I don't know that anyone did only I told Dr Warren and he gave me some
medicine and I reported as sick and they put me onto light duty.
Q: Where was you when Dr Warren treated you for the rupture and disease
of the kidneys.
A: It was at Bush Hill Va. in July 1861'
Q: When and or where did you contract the alleged disease of kidneys.
A: At the first battle of Bull Run in July 1861. We were on a double quick march
on the 20th of July and we had just got to Fairfax and I was very sweaty and
tired and we had no blankets having (illegible) away on our retreat.
(There seems to be a page missing here as the next page starts with Asa
answering a question about him reenlisting.)
A: Yes sir I reenlisted in the V.I.R. C. in September, 1864 and stayed there for
about 16 months
Q: Who knew that you were ruptured when you came home in December 1861
A: My wife and I don't know of anyone else
Q: What was your duties while you were in the V.R. Corps
A :I was a cook
Q: Where did you live in Dec 1861 when you came home from the 5th Maine
A: I lived at Paris Maine
Q: Who treated you when you came home in Dec 1861
A: Dr Russell who now lives at Fayette(?) Maine
Q: Where have you lived since you came out of the service in 1865
A: I lived in Dummer in N.H for some 6 years and Dr Meserve of Milan N.H.
then treated me. Then I moved across the lake to Erril N.H. where I lived some
three years. Dr. Wily of Bethel treated me while I lived at Erril. I then moved here
near Upton Hill where I have been ever since,
Q: Do you wish to act as your own attorney during this examination of your claim
or do you wish to appoint some attorney to act for you
A: I am poor and have not the money to (three illegible words) my self and cannot
afford to have anyone. Therefore I shall be obliged to depend upon your honesty.
Q: Then you waive all rights to be present in person or to be represented by an
attorney during said examination of your claims
A: Yes Sir I do.
Q: Who do you wish me to see in behalf of your claims
A: I wish you to see Crosby Curtis of Woodstock Maine also his wife. James
Barrows and Oliver Pratt of West Paris Me.and those who have testified in my
claim and Mr Bradford Denning at West Paris Maine.
Q: Have you any other testimony to offer in behalf of your claims other than that
which is already mentioned
A: No Sir
There follow the signatures of two witnesses, C.L. Abbott and A. F. Abbott.
Then the signature of Asa F Ellingwood as deponent.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 3rd day of Apr 1884 and I
certify that the contents were fully made known to deponent before signing.
F. E. Lawton Special Examiner.
There are some parts that I wasn't able to make out and other words which are my best guesses
at meaning, The latter are indicated by (?). Other that that the grammar and
punctuation are as they appear on the original document.
Q: Where, when and how did you incur the two alleged ruptures.
A: While I was a member of Co.I 5th Me. at the first battle of Bull Run on the
21st of July 1861 I was helping a man by the name of Perry who died afterwards
off the field when the Col. Mark H. Dunnell who was riding by the side of us
swung his horse around and knocked me down with the man I was helping
on top of me. We were both knocked over. We were on the retreat from Bull
Run in the woods at the time and when I was knocked over I was knocked
over a log and it was at that time I was knocked down when I was ruptured
on both sides. The right side and the left side.
Q: Is this affidavit I now show you dated and executed Nov 12 th 1880 in
which you state that you received one rupture in 1861 and in in March of 1862
signed by you.
A: Yes sir it is
Q: How do you explain the discrepancy in prior(?) affidavit and your statement
of today.
A:They misunderstood me when they made the affidavit for I never knew that
I had stated any such thing for I never got any rupture in 1862. They were both
(illegible) me in 1861 just after2 injuries by the horse.
Q: Were you sent to Hospital at the time you say you were knocked down and run
over Col Mark Dunnell's horse.
A: No sir I was not in the Hospital at any time. We had no Hospital at that time.
Q: How long after you were run over or knocked down was it before you felt or
knew you were ruptured.
A: I felt it the same day
Q: Who knew of your rupture at the time.
A:I don't know that anyone did only I told Dr Warren and he gave me some
medicine and I reported as sick and they put me onto light duty.
Q: Where was you when Dr Warren treated you for the rupture and disease
of the kidneys.
A: It was at Bush Hill Va. in July 1861'
Q: When and or where did you contract the alleged disease of kidneys.
A: At the first battle of Bull Run in July 1861. We were on a double quick march
on the 20th of July and we had just got to Fairfax and I was very sweaty and
tired and we had no blankets having (illegible) away on our retreat.
(There seems to be a page missing here as the next page starts with Asa
answering a question about him reenlisting.)
A: Yes sir I reenlisted in the V.I.R. C. in September, 1864 and stayed there for
about 16 months
Q: Who knew that you were ruptured when you came home in December 1861
A: My wife and I don't know of anyone else
Q: What was your duties while you were in the V.R. Corps
A :I was a cook
Q: Where did you live in Dec 1861 when you came home from the 5th Maine
A: I lived at Paris Maine
Q: Who treated you when you came home in Dec 1861
A: Dr Russell who now lives at Fayette(?) Maine
Q: Where have you lived since you came out of the service in 1865
A: I lived in Dummer in N.H for some 6 years and Dr Meserve of Milan N.H.
then treated me. Then I moved across the lake to Erril N.H. where I lived some
three years. Dr. Wily of Bethel treated me while I lived at Erril. I then moved here
near Upton Hill where I have been ever since,
Q: Do you wish to act as your own attorney during this examination of your claim
or do you wish to appoint some attorney to act for you
A: I am poor and have not the money to (three illegible words) my self and cannot
afford to have anyone. Therefore I shall be obliged to depend upon your honesty.
Q: Then you waive all rights to be present in person or to be represented by an
attorney during said examination of your claims
A: Yes Sir I do.
Q: Who do you wish me to see in behalf of your claims
A: I wish you to see Crosby Curtis of Woodstock Maine also his wife. James
Barrows and Oliver Pratt of West Paris Me.and those who have testified in my
claim and Mr Bradford Denning at West Paris Maine.
Q: Have you any other testimony to offer in behalf of your claims other than that
which is already mentioned
A: No Sir
There follow the signatures of two witnesses, C.L. Abbott and A. F. Abbott.
Then the signature of Asa F Ellingwood as deponent.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 3rd day of Apr 1884 and I
certify that the contents were fully made known to deponent before signing.
F. E. Lawton Special Examiner.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)