He was
for the moment the only member of the detachment left at the piece,
but was given assistance, and a moment later Green arrived and began
to feed the gun.
Steigerwald was short-handed. Some of his men had been sun-struck
during the run, and he, too, was compelled to work his gun with only
one assistant. Then some of those who had been unable to keep up
arrived at the battery and began to render assistance. Priv. Van
Vaningham, who had gotten lost from his own command, began to pass
ammunition. Priv. Merryman, who was holding his team back in the
river, was impressed by a doctor to help carry wounded men, and Priv.
Burkley, another man lost from his command, stepped into Merryman's
place. Priv. Chase left his team, seeing the piece short-handed, and
began to pass ammunition. The mules merely wagged their ears backward
and forward and stamped on account of the flies.
All these changes were accomplished, and the pieces had not even
ceased fire. Doyle had fed about 100 rounds, alone. Capt. Landis, of
the 1st Cavalry, arrived just at this time, and volunteered to assist
in observing the effect of the fire. He stood fearlessly out in the
middle of the road, just to the right of Green's piece, in the very
best position for observation, but, at the same time, a most
conspicuous target for the enemy, and observed the effect of the
Gatling fire, as though he were at target practice, reporting the
same, continually, to the battery commander.
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