Fought Like Tigers

Feb. 20 is the anniversary of tho battle of Olustee (1864), the severest engagement of the war on the soil of Florida. General Truman landed abont 7,000 men at Jacksonville to bolster up a loyal uprising with bayoneta. Genera! Finnegau, the Confedérate commander, gathered forces to the iinmber of 5,500 near Lake City to oppose the Uniou. march inland. The linos came to sword's point abont S p. ru. in an open pine forest. Seymour's artillery began a rapid lire to confuse the enomy. Then his whole line of three brigades adyanoed wedgelike to the attack. A white regiment in the lead broke on tasting the eneiny's steady íire. A colored regiment ordered to replace it also broke. Then the brigade of W. B. Barton moved up at doublé qnick, the Forty-eighth, ty-seveuth and One Hundracl and Fifteenth New York, abreast, charging tlie enemy's center. General Barton had been colonel of the Fortyeighth, a regiment kuown ;is Perry's Saints. Finding tho Union battcries affectecTby the fantry pairie, he balted the liiio in front of tfaem and for more than two honrs held the ranks steartfast nnder a doublé cross and direct firo from the enemy's guiis and rifles. In this terrible struggle the Confedérales exban? ted their anirniinition lirst, and nnable to return the Union fire began to steai away to search for cartridges. Bnt Finnegan's staff offioers, cotrriers and orderlies had iorinod a mouuted brigade to ply between the .arumunition train aiïd the field, bringing tip supplics, and in order to hold tlie men where they wero youug A. H. Colqnitt, sou and aid to the general commandiiig the center, rode along the front of his father'.s ! troops, swinging a battleflag and j pealing to the men to stand. His gallantry ohallenged the admiration at his euemje8. Barton :s men also emptied their boxes, but retired to refill them and went in again. Contemporary aooonnts declarad that the New York "brigado fought like tigers. " When the Confederates made the last rush to give their bafflod foo the coup de grace, the New Yorkers parried the blow, giving their comrades time to withdraw. ïhe colonels of the three regiments feil, and over 800 rank and file were killed and wounded.