Narrow Escape 07 - Ben Butterfield

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NARROW ESCAPES
SOME EXCITING WAR EXPERIENCES NO. 7

BEN BUTTERFIELD'S EXPERIENCE

Submitted by Sharon M. Kouns

Ironton Register, Thursday, December 30, 1886

"You were in the artillery during the war, were you not?" asked the REGISTER reporter of Ben Butterfield.

"Yes," said Ben, "I was in Battery L of the 1st Ohio Artillery."

"Well, then you must have a "narrow escape" for me. I want one from the artillery, sure," said the reporter.

"I haven’t any of a very thrilling character," said Mr. Butterfield. " I saw some things that I don’t care to see again, but nothing where I was personally involved. There was a scene at Cedar Creek, on the 19th of October, 1864, that was pretty rough. It was the day that Sheridan made his celebrated ride. The rebels attacked our army, which was lying along the north bank of Cedar Creek, before dawn, and before we could get over our surprise, had us briskly retreating. Our battery was then in the Army of West Virginia, on the left side of the turnpike, at the foot of Massanuttin mountain, from which the rebs made their first dash on our lines.

"Our whole line was driven back and the battery went with it, but at several intervals getting into position, and as often lighting out again with due haste. Our whole army was driven back, and were pretty well demoralized. It was about noon, when we got as far back as Middletown, possibly six or eight miles from our original position. There Sheridan found us, on his side from Winchester. Our lines were soon reformed, and soon changed retreat into attack, and from that moment we kept driving the rebs, until we regained the old line at Cedar Creek.

"When we got there, our battery took position on the right of the road, a few hundred feet from where we were in the morning. A rebel battery was planted across the creek just opposite us, and it was our purpose to pay particular attention to it, as it was doing our boys a great deal of damage. We were just about ready to reply to their fire, when Capt. Gibbs, commanding our battery, gave the order, ‘by hand to the front,’ which meant that we were to seize the piece and push it farther ahead. Now this was a little difficult, for there were piles of stone there, which had been used by the infantry as a protection against the enemy’s fire. But they had been knocked down and lay about in heaps, so it was tough work to get our cannon any farther to the front. Now we approach the scaly point, and it involves two well known persons of this county-- John H. McGee and Esq. A. J. Jones-- two as brave men as ever fired a shot for their country.

"Well, when the order ‘by hand to the front’ was given, McGee, Jones and myself jumped to the left wheel of the gun carriage to work it forward. We were all at the precise places required by the tactics on such an order. McGee caught the front of the wheel and pulled, his right leg braced up near the wheel. Jones was at the side of the wheel and pushing, his left lef thrust forward and near McGee’s right leg. I was at the back of the wheel and pushing with all my might. Just at this moment came a shell from the enemy’s battery towards our piece. How it did tear and scream, and how sure it was aimed! That shell came right at us. It struck John McGee’s right leg and Jack Jones’s left leg and tore off the lower part of those limbs. As Jones fell, or as the shell knocked him about, he struck my foot-- I was that near to him. At the same time the shell exploded, sending the pieces in every direction. Jones fell on the spot where he was struck, but McGee hopped off on the leg he had left. My ‘narrow escape’ consisted in being the only one of the three, tugging at the same wheel, that didn’t lose a leg by that shot.

"Really, the men who ought to tell this story are friends McGee and Jones, for they are the ones who got hit, and could tell it better, but then it wasn’t altogether a narrow escape for them. I was the fellow who had the escape. Another remarkable thing about that shot was-- it not only took off a leg apiece of two gallant soldiers, but it was probably, the last cannon shot fired in that celebrated battle of Cedar Creek, where Sheridan made his famous ride. This is in substance about what I recollect of this exceedingly bloody and interesting reminiscence."

[The Reporter will add, for the benefit of the reader who may not know them, that Messr. McGee and Esquire A. J. Jones are two prominent citizens now living in this county, the former at Rockcamp and the latter at Willow Wood. They each sport a peg leg, one the left and the other the right. When one walks along the sidewalk, you couldn’t tell from the noise whether it is John or Jack, unless you looked up to see. At the Portsmouth reunion they rode together, and were the observed of all observers. May they live long and be happy.]